Ling Cage: Twelve Talismans? I have everything I need.

Chapter 210 Ling Cage Part 1 (3)

The deep, powerful sound of a motorcycle engine grew louder as it approached.

A lithe figure rode a white heavy motorcycle and came to a steady stop in the open space at the entrance of the village.

It is Bai Yuekui.

She was standing on one foot, with her other long leg straddling the motorcycle.

She still had her signature short, silver-white hair, and wore a white cloak over it.

"Boss Bai, you're back." A villager greeted her when he saw her.

Bai Yuekui nodded slightly in response, then nimbly got out of the car.

The villagers looked at her, noticing that she seemed different from how she usually appeared when she returned from searching for supplies, and couldn't help but ask out of curiosity, "Boss Bai, what were you doing out today?"

Bai Yuekui's gaze had already been fixed on the depths of the village.

Upon hearing this, she turned her head and uttered a few words in a flat tone: "Let's go for a drive."

The villagers nodded hesitantly.

Bai Yuekui didn't care about the other party's reaction and ordered, "Take the carriage to my place."

We've been riding all this way, let's go to the arcade to relax first.

“Okay, Mr. Bai.” The villager helped the heavy motorcycle up.

Just as Bai Yuekui uttered the words "take a drive," Yang Chen, who was standing hidden not far away, couldn't help but whisper:
"Moon Queen..."

However, just as the faint, almost silent syllable fell, Bai Yuekui, who was about to step towards the village arcade, suddenly stopped in his tracks.

Her previously calm and even gaze suddenly sharpened, abruptly turning towards the direction where Yang Chen and Hong Kou were standing in hiding.

There was no one there, except for the villagers standing to one side.

But Bai Yuekui's sharp eyes were fixed on that area.

"Who is there?"

Her voice wasn't loud, but the villager who was about to push the motorcycle away was startled by the sudden turn of events. He looked around blankly but couldn't find anything. He could only look helplessly at Boss Bai, who had suddenly entered a fighting state.

While in stealth mode, Hongkou tugged at Yang Chen's sleeve beside her.

"Boss Bai, look over here."

Then another voice came, it was a woman's voice again.

Bai Yuekui determined that he had not been hallucinating; there was indeed someone there.

Optical camouflage?
Looking at Bai Yuekui's slightly furrowed brows, Yang Chen made a decision.

Now that we've found her, there's no need to continue hiding. Doing so might only lead to deeper misunderstandings and unnecessary conflicts.

He immediately had a thought and proactively deactivated the invisibility effect of the snake talisman.

In the next instant, to the astonishment of the surrounding villagers, two figures appeared out of thin air on the previously empty ground.

"Holy crap?!" The villager pushing the motorcycle was so startled that his hand trembled, almost causing him to drop the bike. His eyes widened in disbelief. "How... how did two people suddenly appear?!"

Another villager passing by also took a step back abruptly, then reacted and shouted angrily, "Which settlement are you from?! When did you sneak in? Did you report to Zhang Heng?!"

"How did it appear? Is it similar to the source potential of Er Tong?"

In an instant, all eyes at the village entrance were focused on these two uninvited guests.

Just as tensions were rising, a little boy, about seven or eight years old, with a chubby face, emerged from a nearby alley.

Seeing Yang Chen and Hong Kou suddenly appear, he wasn't afraid at all. Instead, he raised his eyebrows, pointed at Yang Chen, and shouted:
"Hey! Who are you people? How dare you trespass into our Dragon Bone Village! State your names!"

The sudden child's voice caused a slight pause in the atmosphere.

Yang Chen looked down at the little boy with a "fierce" expression who was trying to imitate an adult, and a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

He had just seen this child; he was following behind Maido with the other children.

Seeing this, a nearby villager quickly stepped forward, pulled the little boy behind him, and whispered a reprimand:
"Shanshihui! Stop causing trouble here! This is none of your business, go home right now! Otherwise, I'll tell your mother and see how she deals with you!"

The little boy named "Shanshihui" was pulled and stumbled, but still stubbornly poked his head out from behind the villager, bared his teeth at Yang Chen and Hong Kou, and made a face. Only then was he half-pushed and half-shoved away by the villager.

As he walked, you could hear him muttering discontentedly, "Hmph! I'm protecting the village..."

The moment the two appeared, Bai Yuekui quickly glanced at Yang Chen and Hong Kou.

But most of the scrutiny fell on Yang Chen, who was standing at the front.

She could sense that the dark-haired man was the one in charge.

Bai Yuekui stepped forward, subtly shielding the bewildered villagers behind him:

"Who are you? I've seen all the people in the surrounding settlements, but you are complete strangers."

Yang Chen looked at Bai Yuekui, who was so close to him, and saw the completely unfamiliar scrutiny in her eyes. He was filled with mixed feelings.

“Yue Kui, we mean no harm.” He paused, “It’s just… um.”

What should I say when I suddenly see Bai Yuekui?

Am I from another world, and another version of your husband?

Saying that would definitely make me look like an idiot, right?

Upon hearing the title "Yuekui," Bai Yuekui frowned even more deeply and sized Yang Chen up and down.

The fact that they were neatly dressed and had rosy complexions, which did not resemble the appearance of someone struggling to survive in the wasteland, was itself highly suspicious.

Hmm, this guy's clothes are quite nice.

Hongkou couldn't help but secretly observe this "Boss Bai" whose temperament was completely different.

But when she saw the villagers who had already loaded their guns, she quickly waved her hand and said, "Boss Bai, Boss Bai, we mean no harm."

As Hongkou spoke, she hid behind Yang Chen and gently poked his back with her finger.

"Boss, you need to explain this! We've essentially trespassed."

Yang Chen looked at Bai Yuekui and said, "We really have no ill intentions, we...we know you!"

"You know me?" Bai Yuekui moved around and looked at Yang Chen and Hong Kou.

"I've never seen you before."

Yang Chen met Bai Yuekui's icy gaze and slowly said:
“Moon Lord… We come from a very far place, but we have absolute goodwill towards you and towards Dragonbone Village. We can prove it.”

Yang Chen's sincere words echoed, and Bai Yuekui's gaze lingered on his face for several seconds, as if judging the truthfulness of his words.

Finally, she turned her head slightly and said to the villagers who had already raised their guns not far away, "Put down your guns first."

Although the villagers remained vigilant, they had no objection to Bai Yuekui's orders and all lowered their gun barrels.

Just then, the silver-white ASH mobile device slowly floated out of Yang Chen's pocket and hovered in mid-air.

ASH turned to Yang Chen, her tone slightly helpless: "Yang Chen, actually, you could have just let me come out and communicate with Yue Kui first. In this situation where trust has been established, it would be more efficient for me to explain, and it could also avoid unnecessary conflicts."

The sudden appearance of the talking "small metal sphere Bai Yuetian" caused another stir among the surrounding villagers, and even Bai Yuekui's eyes flashed with surprise once again.

She examined the floating object closely. Its shape was indeed somewhat similar to the spherical life support pod that her brother Bai Yuetian was currently using, only smaller in size. It was probably a creation of the Old World.

Ignoring the reactions around her, ASH floated smoothly to Bai Yuekui's side, maintaining a suitable distance.

"Hello, Yue Kui, you should be familiar with me. I am ASH."

Bai Yuekui: "???"

"ASH!?" Upon hearing this name, the serious expression on her face finally crumbled, and she reached out and ripped the mobile device off to examine it closely.

ASH didn't resist; she simply projected her own image onto the screen using her mobile device and stood to the side.

Bai Yuekui turned to look at the projection, and it was indeed ASH's previous image, exactly the same.

ASH continued, “Please believe that we have no ill intentions toward you or Dragonbone Village. In fact, or more precisely, we are ‘family’ from another possibility.”

The word "family" caused a change in Bai Yuekui's expression.

But she still couldn't understand what was going on.

ASH should have been devoured by the original entity, so could this be a backup of ASH?
ASH continued, “This isn’t the place to talk. Could you take us to your place? We can talk slowly and tell you everything exactly as it is. I assure you, everything you hear, though it may be beyond your comprehension, is true and well-intentioned.”

Bai Yuekui silently looked at the ASH mobile device in his hand, then glanced at Yang Chen, who looked calm, and at Hong Kou, who looked somewhat nervous behind him.

She did not sense any deception or malice from the two men.

After a moment's deliberation, Bai Yuekui made his decision.

She made a reassuring gesture to the surrounding villagers, then spoke to ASH, and Yang Chen and Hong Kou behind it:

"follow me."

She turned around, her white cloak billowing behind her, and headed towards her dwelling deep in the village.

Yang Chen and Hong Kou breathed a sigh of relief and quickly followed.

The ASH mobile app also floated quietly beside Yang Chen.

Yang Chen and Hong Kou followed behind Bai Yue Kui, walking through the streets of Dragon Bone Village.

The surrounding villagers looked at him with curiosity and wariness, but Bai Yuekui said that everything was fine, so no one stepped forward to stop him or ask any questions.

They just whispered among themselves.

"Who is that person? I've never seen him before."

"He's dressed quite well, but why is he staring at our boss?"

Yang Chen paid no attention to the discussions around him, only wanting to break the silence and confirm his suspicions.

He quickened his pace to walk alongside Bai Yuekui, then turned his head and asked, "Is the father of that kid named Shan Shihui... Shan Da?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuekui did not stop walking, but turned his head slightly to look at Yang Chen: "Do you know Shandong University?"

Yang Chen replied vaguely, "Uh... I guess so."

He paused, then asked again, "Then his mother is... Xia Hua?"

This time, Bai Yuekui stopped in his tracks, turned around completely, and faced Yang Chen directly.

"You seem to know quite a lot?" Her voice wasn't loud. "What else do you know?"

Yang Chen felt a little uncomfortable under Bai Yuekui's gaze: "My Shan Da only got married not long ago, and Xia Hua hasn't had a child yet. It's quite surprising to see that you already have a child... I wonder if my Shan Da will also have an identical one."

This sounds absurd.

Bai Yuekui frowned, looking at Yang Chen as if he were a weirdo who had taken too much scarlet hormone.

"Are the mountains big where you are?" she pondered, her doubts growing stronger.

Just as the atmosphere became delicate again, the ASH mobile app intervened at the opportune moment: "Yuekui, this is exactly what I need to explain to you in detail. The 'there' that Yang Chen refers to is another parallel world from which we originate. In that world, many people and things you are familiar with still exist, but the trajectory and details of their development may be different from here."

“This is definitely not the place to discuss these things in depth. Go to your place and we will tell you everything, including the parallel world, the other Dragonbone Village, and why we are here.”

Bai Yuekui's gaze shifted between ASH's projection, Yang Chen's face, which held a mixture of helplessness and sincerity, and Hong Kou.

Although I didn't understand what he was talking about,
"Okay." She replied simply, not glancing at Yang Chen again, and turned to continue leading the way.

"Then hurry up and stop looking around."

Bai Yuekui led them through several alleyways, finally stopping in front of a small cave entrance in the mountain wall.

The entrance was simply covered by two pieces of canvas, which were stained with some dirt, making it look quite rudimentary.

Not far away was the entrance to the passage that Yang Chen and Hong Kou had passed through when they infiltrated.

Looking at the cave entrance, which resembled a temporary shelter rather than a residence, Yang Chen couldn't help but blurt out, "You live here?"

Upon hearing this, Bai Yuekui didn't even turn his head and directly denied it: "No."

"what?"

Yang Chen was taken aback. If this wasn't their residence, then why had he brought them here?

At this moment, Bai Yuekui turned around, his gaze mainly fixed on the ASH mobile device: "I will see what you want to tell me myself."

She paused, her gaze sweeping over Yang Chen and Hong Kou, and added, "I hope you will cooperate."

Yang Chen immediately understood.

Bai Yuekui still doesn't trust them, and even has doubts about ASH, this "familiar" entity.

She intends to use her own method to directly read the information stored in ASH to determine its authenticity and avoid any possible misleading or deception.

ASH, who was directly confronted, remained calm, as if he had expected it.

Without any hesitation, she floated smoothly to Bai Yuekui's side and landed in her palm: "Okay, Yuekui. If there is a device here that can access and view information, my database is open to you. Please feel free to view it."

Bai Yuekui gripped the mobile device in his hand tightly and gave Yang Chen a deep look.

His eyes seemed to say, "I hope you're not lying," before he lifted the canvas and stepped into the narrow opening.

Yang Chen and Hong Kou exchanged a glance and had no choice but to follow them inside.

Just as Yang Chen and Hong Kou were about to follow Bai Yuekui into the cave, a fully armed soldier silently appeared from the shadows beside them, along with another soldier walking slowly towards them.

The soldier in front of me was waving a Nepalese dagger in his hand.

This suddenly appearing figure and its ability reminded Yang Chen of the two of bamboo.

"Please wait here, gentlemen."

Yang Chen paused, looking at Bai Yuekui, who had already entered the cave and whose figure was hidden by the canvas.

He understood that Bai Yuekui only wanted to verify the information brought by ASH on her own, and would never allow these two "strangers" to enter her area before the truth came out, even if it was just for temporary information verification.

Yang Chen looked at the two of bamboo and nodded, his tone calm: "I understand, we'll wait here."

He pulled Hongkou back half a step and leaned against the rock wall outside the cave, showing a cooperative attitude.

Inside the cave, the faint sounds of equipment starting up and the soft tapping of fingers on a keyboard could be heard.

Another soldier walked over with a gun.

He was lean and wiry, a blade of grass dangling from his mouth, speaking with a nonchalant air in his dialect: "Just these two? They don't seem particularly special."
When Hongkou saw the soldier, her eyes lit up; the face looked very familiar.

She laughed and called out, "Qianli? Is that you?"

However, the warrior known as "Thousand Miles" immediately frowned, his brows furrowing, clearly impatient, and retorted with a curse:
"You're crazy! Don't try to get close to me, it's useless! Go to hell!"
Hongkou was taken aback by his blunt response, and the smile on her face froze.

She pouted and muttered to Yang Chen, "Why is Qianli here so annoying, boss?"

While Hongkou was whispering to Yang Chen, Qianli realized what was happening and walked over to Hongkou to ask.

"Wait, you know my name?"

Hongkou turned her head away, not looking at him: "You used to be my neighbor."

"While I am indeed very handsome, it's understandable that you'd try to get close to me." Qianli stroked his chin narcissistically and leaned closer. "But redhead, isn't this the first time we've met?"

(End of this chapter)