Start with push-ups to gain experience

The car door clicked open.

"Come in, don't be shy."

Cheng Jiashu rested one hand on the steering wheel and turned his head to greet him.

Fang Cheng didn't mince words. He casually tossed the heavy bag into the trunk, then strode over and stepped into the car.

But instead of opening the passenger door, he simply pulled open the rear door and calmly occupied the spacious rear sofa seat.

This is the kind of behavior that makes it seem like they're treating a top-tier celebrity worth hundreds of millions as their personal driver.

Cheng Jiashu raised his eyes, looked at the man sitting in the back seat through the rearview mirror, and a slight smile appeared on his lips:

"Seven days of military training, it feels like you've been in jail. Your skin looks much darker, you don't look as refined as before."

"Pretty much, it's not much different from going to jail."

Fang Cheng leaned back on the leather sofa and stretched his arms.

The vertebrae and the joints of the neck and shoulders suddenly emitted a series of cracking sounds.

Like a wild beast that has just been freed, it is showing its claws and teeth, making even the small space inside the carriage feel more oppressive.

Cheng Jiashu remained calm and stepped on the gas.

The sports car engine roared to life and sped away from the Special Search Team's seaside base.

"Would you like me to recommend a cream?"

He drove while searching for topics to talk about:

"I've been using it regularly, and it works very quickly. The ingredients are rich in niacinamide whitening essence, which can deeply moisturize and repair dullness."

"No need, I still think men look better with darker skin."

Fang Cheng sank his back completely into the soft back of the sofa chair, adjusting himself into a comfortable sitting position.

Then, lifting his eyelids, he looked at the row in front:

"By the way, when were you discharged from the hospital? Have you fully recovered?"

Cheng Jiashu turned the steering wheel, merged into the main road ahead, and casually replied:
"On the third day of your military training, I got a good night's sleep in the hospital and then checked out."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng's eyes flickered slightly:
"You seem to know my itinerary perfectly."

Cheng Jiashu shrugged and stepped on the gas to accelerate.
"If I can't even find out this much information, do I deserve to be Bai Xiao's friend?"

Seeing that he was deliberately feigning ignorance, Fang Cheng didn't delve into it and casually asked:
"So, why did you rush to see me today? Did something unexpected happen?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jiashu looked helpless.
"Look at what you're saying. Can't I just come here as a friend to welcome you and give you a proper welcome? Do you think of me, Cheng Jiashu, as such a calculating person?"

Fang Cheng didn't reply, his gaze fixed on the other person's eyes through the reflection in the rearview mirror.

The carriage was quiet for a few seconds.

The air conditioner blew cold air, ruffling the stray hairs on their foreheads.

"Alright alright."

Cheng Jiashu sighed and raised his right hand in a gesture of surrender:
"I do have something very important that I need to discuss with you in person."

"About Jiang Chen?"

Fang Cheng asked.

Cheng Jiashu suppressed his smile and nodded solemnly:
"Didn't I mention to you before that I recently gathered some clues about this old ghost in the Xishan area? I originally planned to confirm them and then immediately notify you to join the operation. But I accidentally fell into a trap and was almost completely possessed by that old monster Jiang Chen."

Fang Cheng nodded slightly.

After waking up in the hospital, Cheng Jiashu briefly explained the ins and outs of the matter.

However, it did not elaborate on the specific details of the possession, nor did it explain why Jiang Chen specifically targeted him.

Cheng Jiashu noticed Fang Cheng's expression in the mirror, lightly applied the brakes, slowed the car down slightly, and continued speaking:

"Two months ago, I was chatting with an old monk at Gufeng Temple and I got a little inspiration by chance."

"After Jiang Chen became the ghoul king, he still occupied Xishan for a long time as the general of Da Yu. Therefore, the resurrection trump card he secretly left behind before he was sealed by the court and the aristocratic families must still be hidden in this area of ​​Xishan."

"Following this line of thought, I searched through all the villages and towns within a 20-kilometer radius of the archaeological site. At first, I searched high and low, but couldn't find anything of value at all."

"Until one day, I found a broken Buddha statue on a black market stall. Buddha statues are commonplace in antique shops, nothing special."

"But the key point is that the texture and pattern of this thing are extremely similar to a precious artifact passed down from our Cheng family ancestors."

“I was immediately intrigued and casually asked the stall owner about it. He said that it was dug up by a tomb raider in a remote village in the Western Hills.”

Cheng Jiashu turned the steering wheel, and the car entered a relatively empty fast lane. He continued in a calm voice:

“I felt at the time that this thing was definitely related to Jiang Chen, so I spent money to buy it and took it home to study it carefully.”

"But that very night, the moment my mental energy entered the Buddha statue, it immediately triggered the high concentration of residual mental pollution inside."

At this point, Cheng Jiashu's breathing became slightly rapid, and the muscles around his eyes twitched, as if he was still shaken by what he had just experienced.

"This spiritual pollution resonated with my bloodline, instantly dragging my consciousness into that nightmare from two thousand years ago."

"You know what happened next. My consciousness was trapped in that general's body, and my body was completely out of control, repeating the actions of Jiang Chen slaughtering monks over and over again."

"However, my last shred of reason is still struggling desperately. Because I can clearly feel that with each swing of the knife, with each life taken, a part of my conscience and humanity as a human being is forcibly stripped away."

“Once I become completely numb and even develop a sense of identification, I will completely sink into depravity. At that time, Jiang Chen will be able to easily devour my consciousness and be resurrected in this world through my body.”

After Cheng Jiashu finished speaking, he fell silent, seemingly still processing the harrowing experience of that night.

The sports car engine roared as it sped into a tree-lined avenue.

The dappled shadows of the trees swept past the windshield, casting flickering light and shadow on his face.

Fang Cheng listened quietly, then asked:
"I have already destroyed Jiang Chen's soul. Does he have any other means of resurrection?"

Cheng Jiashu turned the steering wheel, overtook the truck in front, and nodded solemnly.
"Although you broke his Ten Thousand Ghosts Corpse Formation that night and also destroyed one of his remnant souls, the old man's consciousness will not perish so easily."

"You must understand, Jiang Chen is an old monster who has lived for over two thousand years. He is extremely cautious by nature and never puts all his eggs in one basket." "Even if he intends to possess another body, he would never risk his entire soul and choose to gamble everything. He must still have a wisp of his original spirit hidden in his true body as a last resort for self-defense, survival, and a comeback."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng narrowed his eyes slightly.

The intense scene of my fight with Jiang Chen at Ren'an Hospital six months ago flashed through my mind instantly.

The formidable strength that old monster displayed at the time had a profound impact on his worldview.

It was able to withstand the intense bombardment of the army simply by possessing the body of an old and frail patient.

The turmoil only subsided temporarily when the body to which Jiang Chen's soul resided was blasted into pieces by missiles fired in succession from armed helicopters.

At the time, Gao Jin and two other special search team members observed the remains left at the scene and concluded that he was not dead, but had simply used a trick to escape.

"The reason why Jiang Chen targeted me and made me his first choice for possession is because we have a blood connection that spans two thousand years."

Cheng Jiashu continued, but his voice became even lower:
“He was our Cheng family’s distant ancestor during the Yu Dynasty. And I happen to be his fifty-second generation direct descendant who is still alive.”

"Back then, he was ordered by the emperor of the Great Yu Dynasty to lead his army to annihilate the Gufeng Temple, the leading righteous sect in the martial arts world at that time. On the surface, it was under the guise of destroying Buddhism, but in reality, it was to seize a Buddhist treasure hidden in the Gufeng Temple."

"Legend has it that the treasure can open a portal to time and space, allowing people to cross over to the other side and enter the Western Paradise, a place of boundless bliss and no suffering, as described in Buddhist scriptures. Moreover, whoever obtains it will wield terrifying power capable of overthrowing the entire Great Yu Dynasty."

Upon hearing this, a strange light flashed in Fang Cheng's eyes, and he suddenly thought of something.

Inside the carriage, the air conditioning vents hissed and blew out cold air.

Cheng Jiashu stared at the asphalt road stretching ahead, his eyes slightly unfocused, his thoughts seemingly transported back to the ancient battlefield two thousand years ago.

"Jiang Chen tortured the abbot at the time, but got nothing out of him. He then went on a killing spree, and the entire Gufeng Temple was instantly turned into a river of blood, with corpses piled up like mountains."

"Just as the killing was coming to an end, he was summoned by some mysterious force and came to the back mountain of Gufeng Temple, where he discovered a huge Buddha statue that was tens of meters tall. And beneath the Buddha statue, there was an underground palace being suppressed."

"He immediately ordered his soldiers to carve into the mountain and destroy the Buddha statue, forcibly breaking the seal. But this action ultimately opened a door to the underworld. A chilling black mist surged out of the underground palace, instantly corroding the bodies and minds of everyone present."

"Jiang Chen and his thousands of soldiers were all transformed into hideous ghouls..."

As Cheng Jiashu recounted his story, the luxury sports car had already entered the outskirts of the city.

As the traffic gradually converged, the roar of engines and the honking of horns rose and fell, filling the air.

The sports car had to slow down, stopping and starting as it followed the taillights of the car in front.

“I remember you told me this story the second time we met in the chat room.”

Fang Cheng rested his elbow on the edge of the car window, gazing at the gradually bustling scenery outside, and calmly continued the conversation.

"Yes."

Cheng Jiashu nodded in agreement, alternating his hands on the steering wheel as he continuously changed lanes and overtook other vehicles.

“What I told you before was fragmented footage from my perspective as an observer in my dreams. But this time it’s completely different; it was my real, firsthand experience in a nightmare.”

He gave a wry smile and continued:

"After Jiang Chen transformed into a ghoul king, he wreaked havoc on living beings everywhere. Eventually, this led to a joint attack by several powerful families. His physical body was destroyed on the spot, and his soul was also scattered and sealed back into that underground palace, where it was suppressed again with a Buddha statue."

"But in fact, the physical body that was destroyed back then was not his true body at all, and his primordial spirit was also safe and sound."

"That old fox had long anticipated this day and prepared an escape route for himself in advance."

"How do you know so much about secrets from two thousand years ago?"

Fang Cheng raised an eyebrow and couldn't help but ask.

"Because our ancestor from the Cheng family has frequently appeared in the dreams of his descendants over the past two thousand years."

Cheng Jiashu gripped the steering wheel with both hands, his fingers slightly tightening:

“He bewitches us through dreams, manipulating us to do things for him in secret, trying to escape the predicament of being sealed and suppressed.”

"The Cheng family was originally just an insignificant small family, but it rose step by step to become a top clan, enjoying hundreds of years of glory. In the end, it gradually declined, disintegrated, and even became a small family. All of this is thanks to this ancestor."

At this point, his face darkened, he gritted his teeth, and his eyes revealed obvious hatred.

A red light is on ahead.

Cheng Jiashu immediately stepped on the brakes, bringing the car to a steady stop at the intersection, and then continued:
“Last year, a huge explosion occurred in Xishan, and the seal of the underground palace was completely destroyed. He used the same trick again, came into my dream, and tried to use his powerful strength to lure me to work for him and become his servant.”

"So I went with the flow, pretended to compromise and played along with him, taking the opportunity to extract knowledge about cultivation from him and learn about what happened back then."

"But I knew very well that this guy was up to no good, so I was always on guard against him."

"Of course, the secret about his true identity was initially just a speculation that I pieced together from various clues."

"I wasn't entirely sure at first, but his eagerness to choose me as the vessel for resurrection has completely confirmed my suspicions."

Cheng Jiashu turned his head and looked at Fang Cheng, a sharp glint in his eyes:
"This also became the biggest flaw that exposed his true identity and whereabouts."

Upon hearing this, Fang Cheng's eyes also lit up:
"So, you've found the exact location?"

Cheng Jiashu nodded emphatically, his tone now brimming with confidence:

"It's in one of the ruins left behind by Jiang Chen back then. After I was discharged from the hospital, I secretly went there to investigate twice more, and now I can basically confirm it."

Fang Cheng frowned slightly upon hearing this, and asked with some doubt:

"The archaeological site of Gufeng Temple? Wasn't that taken over by the military long ago and become the core defense line of the entire Xishan restricted area?"

Cheng Jiashu's lips curled up, revealing a mysterious smile:

"I drove here to pick you up today so I could take you there. Once we get there, you'll understand everything."

The traffic light turned green, and the engine roared to life again.

He offered no further explanation and floored the accelerator.

The silver sports car let out a deep roar and merged into the fast lane.

Then, facing the slightly setting sun, they sped off towards the rolling western mountains, dozens of kilometers away. (End of Chapter)