Start with push-ups to gain experience

Seeing the strange man emerge from the well, Xu Hao took a half step back, staring at him warily.

"Damn it! What the hell are you? Hiding at the bottom of this well in the middle of the night to hatch chicks?"

"Alright, stop shouting."

Fang Cheng interrupted Xu Hao's shouting and introduced:

“He is a friend of mine, and he came here tonight specifically to help deal with Jiang Chen.”

Upon hearing Fang Cheng speak, Xu Hao finally loosened his clenched fist and let out a long breath.

He craned his neck, his eyes full of curiosity as he looked at the uninvited guest.

The guy pulled two broken glow sticks out of his pocket and casually threw them on the ground.

It turns out that the green glowing will-o'-the-wisp in the well earlier, besides his unusually bright eyes in the dark, was mainly emitted by this thing.

Then, the man took out a neatly folded cotton handkerchief from his pocket and slowly wiped the dust off his face.

Xu Hao curled his lip, secretly thinking to himself:
"How could such a tough guy like the boss have such a sissy friend? He even carries a handkerchief with him when he fights, more particular than a young lady."

Cheng Jiashu was naturally unaware of Xu Hao's inner thoughts.

He folded the soiled handkerchief again and put it back in his pocket, then patted the dust off his clothes.

Then he looked up and his gaze met Fang Cheng, who was a few steps away.

Seeing Fang Cheng's wild, muscular physique, now clad only in a pair of red underwear, his eyes twitched involuntarily.

"Does your playing style always make you wear out clothes this quickly?"

Cheng Jiashu's lips curled slightly, his tone carrying a hint of teasing and admiration:
"In the middle of the night, anyone who didn't know better would think that a bodybuilding competition had just been held in Guhuai Village."

Fang Cheng ignored his teasing and gestured with his chin toward the well opening:

"Weren't you setting up an array outside to seal off the ley lines? What were you doing drilling in the well just now?"

Upon hearing this, Cheng Jiashu immediately stopped smiling and his expression became serious.

He glanced back at the deep well and explained:

“I locked the array core of the inner world long ago, otherwise Jiang Chen’s territory wouldn’t have collapsed so easily just now.”

"However, after severing the earth's veins, I discovered that the path of the underground yin energy's return was very strange, so I jumped to the bottom of the well and followed that passage, only to discover a great secret down there..."

At this point, Cheng Jiashu suddenly stopped talking.

He turned his gaze and glanced at Xu Hao, who was standing beside him like a stick, a hint of wariness flashing in his eyes.

Fang Cheng understood his concerns and spoke frankly:
“He is my subordinate, always loyal and devoted. We’re like brothers, so feel free to say whatever you want.”

Upon hearing Fang Cheng's comment, Xu Hao instantly became incredibly excited, as if he had been injected with adrenaline.

He immediately straightened his back, tugged at the collar of his tattered coat, puffed out his chest, and raised his chin high.

He acted like the most loyal underling in the world.

Cheng Jiashu glanced at Xu Hao and nodded slightly, which was considered his approval.

Then, he turned his gaze to the dilapidated side hall of the ancestral hall not far away.

"Since they're on my side, there's no need for me to hide anything."

Cheng Jiashu paused, his tone turning cold:
"However, before that, there are still two fish that have slipped through the net and haven't been dealt with yet."

His gaze seemed to penetrate the decaying wooden door and reach straight into the house.

Wu, the manager, and Qian Dongming, who were hiding under the altar in the side hall, both shivered.

The two of them shrank desperately into the shadows, holding their breath as if afraid of making the slightest noise.

"To silence them?"

Upon hearing this, Xu Hao immediately perked up.

He clenched his fists, cracking his knuckles, and volunteered to jump out:

"Boss, I'm the best at this kind of thing, leave it to me!"

He then strode over the overgrown weeds to the bottom of the side hall steps, and deliberately let out a few cold laughs, like those of a villain:

"Hehehe... Oh ho, still hiding inside like a coward? Do you think we brothers are blind?"

"If you don't get out here right now, believe me, my older brother will smash this dilapidated house to pieces with one punch and bury you all alive inside!"

This intimidation tactic of using someone else's power to bully others was extremely effective.

"No, don't do it! We'll be out right away!"

A rustling sound came from below the altar.

Immediately afterwards, Manager Wu, covered in dust and dirt, was the first to crawl out.

Then, he turned around, grabbed Qian Dongming's arm, and dragged the terrified old man, who was now limp with fear, out the door.

At this moment, their former arrogance had vanished, and they knelt tremblingly before the steps.

Manager Wu's usually expressionless face was now filled with awe of power, and he behaved with unusual obedience and honesty.

Qian Dongming, on the other hand, was as if he had been electrocuted, his body trembling uncontrollably, and he didn't even dare to lift his head.

"Pah! So it's you two old hags!"

Xu Hao stepped forward, kicked Manager Wu in the shoulder, and spat.
"Weren't you all so arrogant when you tied me up? Treating living people like pigs and sheep to be slaughtered, offering them as sacrifices and blood food. How come you've become such a coward now?"

"Do you even know how many innocent people you've swindled and cheated, dying in this wretched village and becoming that old monster's food? Damn it, you're a bunch of beasts!"

Xu Hao cursed and rolled up his sleeves, taking the opportunity to retaliate for being tied to the pillar and exposed to the wind earlier.

Cheng Jiashu looked coldly at the two kneeling on the ground, his tone devoid of any warmth:

"You aided and abetted the wicked, and you deserve to die. Since you are of no use in this world anyway, you might as well go to hell and follow your king."

Having said that, he raised his right hand, a faint glow emanating from his fingertips.

"Don't kill me! I'm useful!"

Manager Wu's pupils constricted sharply, and he hurriedly crawled forward two steps on his knees, shouting loudly:
“I have worked for Jiang Chen for thirty years. I know all his secrets! I know all the forces he has contacted and the strongholds where his men are hiding. Keep me alive, and I can help you eliminate future troubles!”

Seeing this, Qian Dongming, who was standing nearby, also scrambled to Fang Cheng's feet.

"Great hero, please show mercy!"

At this moment, the old man completely disregarded his usual dignity as chairman, pleading with tears streaming down his face:

“I have money, lots of money! I own a biomedical group worth tens of billions. If you spare my life, I will immediately transfer all my shares and assets to your name.”

"With your godlike abilities and my unparalleled wealth, you are the true king of this world!"

This guy's mouth was spewing out nothing but flattery.

Although he was already in the late stages of cancer and his life hung by a thread, his deep-seated fear of death remained ingrained.

Otherwise, he wouldn't have willingly allowed himself to be used by Jiang Chen, becoming an accomplice in the scavenging of human flesh. Fang Cheng looked down at the two men, his eyes calm and noncommittal.

Cheng Jiashu stroked his chin, seemingly considering it seriously for a moment, before asking:
"You've been operating in Guhuai Village for decades and made such a fuss. How many people outside know the secrets of this place?"

Manager Wu swallowed hard and quickly replied:
"Besides the two of us, only those village guards who are under mind control know this, but they can't leave Guhuai Village at all."

"As for outsiders, including our group's employees, they all think this is just a secret sanatorium development project. Everyone sent here has their identity completely erased and becomes one of the village guardians."

"Where is the special investigation team?"

Cheng Jiashu pressed on, asking:

"They've searched the whole world for Jiang Chen's whereabouts, but they haven't traced him back to you?"

"no!"

Manager Wu answered with absolute certainty:

“We interfered with the magnetic field of the earth veins around the village and blocked all electronic signals and detection equipment. No matter how sharp the special search team’s nose is, they can’t find it in this deep mountain forest.”

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Qian Dongming nodded repeatedly in agreement:
“All our funds were transferred through offshore companies, so the police could never trace us. We did it very cleanly!”

Cheng Jiashu nodded slightly.

Then, he abruptly changed the subject and posed a question:
Do you have the key or method to open the place where Jiang Chen keeps his treasures?

Manager Wu's face stiffened, as if he had something difficult to say.

He looked up and met Cheng Jiashu's eyes, which were gradually turning cold, and his heart clenched suddenly.

Without the slightest hesitation, I quickly replied:

Yes! Yes! Please wait a moment!

He turned and stumbled back to the side hall, not trying to escape, but heading straight for one of the rooms, as if looking for something.

Less than half a minute later, Manager Wu came running back carrying a box covered in verdigris.

He carefully placed the box in front of the steps, pointing to the intricate patterns on it, and said:
"The key to the treasure vault entrance is in the box. It requires a specific incantation to open the door. The incantation is engraved on the surface of the box. If you want to learn it, I can teach you."

Cheng Jiashu received an affirmative answer and a slight smile appeared on his face.

Then, with his eyes fixed on Manager Wu, he asked:
"Did Jiang Chen ever tell you a secret? That treasure vault is actually connected to another dimension?"

Manager Wu was stunned upon hearing this, and asked with a face full of doubt:
“Another space? I don’t know, Master… oh no, I mean Jiang Chen. This guy has never mentioned this to me. He only said that it’s where he stores his antique treasures and told me to guard it closely.”

Seeing that his expression didn't seem fake, Cheng Jiashu didn't press the matter further.

Fang Cheng crossed his arms and then asked the question that concerned him most:
"Besides the body buried in Guhuai Village, is there any other place where Jiang Chen has a spare body?"

"As far as I know, there shouldn't be."

Manager Wu thought for a moment, then shook his head and replied:
"Although Jiang Chen is cunning, he values ​​his vessel very much. When his soul is asleep, someone in the real world needs to take care of it for him."

“I have followed him for decades and know him quite well. I can confirm that all his trump cards are in the inner world of Guhuai Village. Even if he has a spare body elsewhere, he cannot continue to live as long as the soul residing in his true body is destroyed.”

After saying that, Manager Wu, observing the expressions on the other end of the line, began to consider how to extricate himself from the situation.

In order to show his stance and gain a chance to survive, he gritted his teeth and began to curse his former master:

“That old monster doesn’t even consider us human. Thirty years ago, he forced me to become this inhuman, ghostly state!”

“If I had chosen not to obey at that time, I would have been drained of my life force immediately, and even my family would have been killed. I had no choice but to go along with it.”

As he spoke, he raised his right hand, joined three fingers together, and swore an oath to the heavens:
"Gentlemen, everything I just said is true. If there is even a single lie, may I be torn to pieces and die a horrible death!"

However, no sooner had he finished speaking than a strange change occurred.

Manager Wu's stiff face suddenly contorted, as if countless insects were tearing and writhing beneath his skin.

He suddenly grabbed his own neck, his eyes bulged outwards, and a hissing sound came from his throat like a broken bellows.

"Uh... help... help me..."

He collapsed to the ground in agony, his body tumbling violently.

Immediately afterwards, a large mouthful of foul-smelling black blood gushed from his mouth and nostrils, splashing onto the stone steps and making a hissing, corrosive sound.

In just a few breaths, Manager Wu's body stopped convulsing.

His exposed skin quickly dried out and turned black, and the flesh rotted and peeled off at a visible rate, with foul-smelling black pus seeping from the pores.

In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a rotting, swollen corpse, slumped limply at the bottom of the steps.

Fang Cheng frowned, a hint of surprise flashing in his eyes.

Xu Hao jumped back a large step in fright, pointing at the rotting corpse of Manager Wu, and exclaimed in shock:
"Holy crap! So that old guy really was lying! God, karma's come fast!"

Qian Dongming, who was lying paralyzed to the side, looked at Manager Wu's miserable state and turned pale with fright. A warm, foul-smelling liquid gushed out from his crotch.

"It's not retribution."

Cheng Jiashu chuckled and explained:

"It is Jiang Chen who is wicked. He secretly curses every servant who is given the true blood of the Corpse Ancestor to ensure their absolute loyalty."

Cheng Jiashu stepped forward, picked up the bronze box, and continued:

"Therefore, once Jiang Chen is completely dead, this symbiotic spell will automatically activate."

"Furthermore, in his attempt to curry favor with us, he revealed the secrets of the treasure vault and even publicly insulted Jiang Chen. This is tantamount to treason and betrayal, directly aggravating the backlash of the curse. If he doesn't die, who will?"

A night breeze swept through the hall, rustling the wild grass covering the courtyard.

Xu Hao gasped, rubbed the goosebumps on his arms, and muttered to himself:
"That old monster can't even let people live in peace after he's dead; his methods are too insidious."

Fang Cheng turned his head and looked at Cheng Jiashu:
"You just said you discovered a great secret at the bottom of the well. Are you referring to this treasure vault?"

"Correct."

Cheng Jiashu nodded and tucked the box under his arm:

"Actually, I only found a sealed door down there. With a simple provocation, Manager Wu spilled the beans."

Fang Cheng's eyes lit up, as if he had thought of something.

Looking at the dark well opening, Cheng Jiashu's voice trembled with barely concealed excitement as he continued:
"If I'm not mistaken, it's not just a simple treasure vault; it's very likely the entrance to some legendary ruin. We'll have to go inside to verify that."

Fang Cheng instantly recalled some information that Cheng Jiashu had revealed to him before the two of them came to Guhuai Village.

Without further hesitation, he turned to look at Xu Hao and ordered in a deep voice:

"Haozi, you stay up here and keep an eye on this guy surnamed Qian. If anyone else gets close, warn them immediately."

"Alright! Don't worry, boss, not even a fly can get past that!"

Xu Hao patted his chest and loudly agreed, then picked up a piece of broken brick about half the size of his palm and stood menacingly next to Qian Dongming.

As for Qian Dongming, he was so terrified that his limbs went limp, and he didn't even have the strength to run away. (End of Chapter)