This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

Wang Xiaoer lay on the bed, his eyes open, staring at the wooden beams on the roof.

The sky outside was already beginning to lighten, and the chirping of birds in the early morning came from the courtyard, clear and distant.

He still couldn't sleep; his mind was filled with images from last night.

A flash of red and blue light passed through the window and silently swept across his face, followed by the sound of a car driving by.

He touched his chest; the old bamboo scroll was still there.

A slight rustling sound came from the next bed.

Wang Xiaoer turned his head to look.

Zhang Chen hadn't slept either; he even sat up, his figure barely visible in the dim morning light.

He walked to the window, lifted a corner of the curtain, and quietly looked in the direction of the village entrance.

The flashing lights of the police cars reflected in his eyes, flickering on and off.

Suddenly, Zhang Chen turned around, walked to the corner of the wall, and picked up his worn canvas bag.

He rummaged through it.

A moment later, he pulled out an old-fashioned mobile phone that looked like it should have been phased out long ago.

Wang Xiaoer watched as he pressed the power button, the screen lit up with a faint light, and then skillfully pressed a string of numbers.

The phone was held to his ear.

"Hello, is this 110?"

Zhang Chen spoke, his voice becoming shrill and thin, as if someone were choking him, filled with urgent panic.

"I want to call the police! I want to call the police!"

Wang Xiaoer's eyes widened instantly.

"Yes, south of Kaoshan Village! In that Coffin Mountain! There's a group of professional tomb raiders!"

Zhang Chen spoke extremely fast, and every word was filled with fear.

"They blasted open the mountain, and now many people are trapped in a large cave in the mountain and can't get out!"

"Yes, yes, yes! The exact location... you can find it from..."

In just a few words, he described the dangerous route clearly.

"They have knives! And it looks like they have explosives! It's extremely dangerous! You have to come quickly! If you're too late, people might die!"

He yelled the last sentence into the phone, then, as if he was quite frightened, hung up immediately.

The room instantly returned to silence.

Wang Xiaoer opened his mouth, unable to utter a single word, and just stared blankly at Zhang Chen.

Zhang Chen expressionlessly pried open the back cover of the phone and took out the small SIM card.

He used two fingers to apply force, and the phone card made a crisp sound as it broke in two.

He went to the kitchen, cleared away the ashes in the stove, and threw the two pieces of plastic in.

After doing all this, he turned around and looked at Wang Xiaoer, who was staring in disbelief on the bed.

"you……"

Wang Xiaoer's Adam's apple bobbed up and down, and it took him a while to remember what he was going to say.

"That was... way too flashy!"

A tired smile appeared on Zhang Chen's face. He walked to the table, sat down, and poured himself a cup of cold tea.

"When you're navigating the world of martial arts, how can you manage without having a few 'aliases'?"

He took a sip of water and looked at Wang Xiaoer.

"That's called professionalism, you know?"

"These guys are much more cunning than we thought." Zhang Chen's voice returned to its usual calm. "My advice to Brother Long was actually driven by ulterior motives."

"If we let Brother Long kill them, they will hold us accountable, and before long, new troubles will come knocking on our door, endless troubles."

"If the police were to make the arrest, the situation would be completely different."

He held up two fingers and gestured.

"This is a fight among tomb raiders. They got into a brawl and got trapped in the mountains. It's a case of gangsters killing each other. It has absolutely nothing to do with us two law-abiding citizens."

Zhang Chen leaned against the wall and let out a long breath.

"This is called using someone else's strength against them; it eliminates future troubles without getting your hands dirty."

Wang Xiaoer was stunned.

He then realized that the difference between himself and Zhang Chen was not just in their cultivation level, but also in their methods and mindset for handling trouble.

He rarely thought about things that far ahead, always adopting a "live and let live" mentality, while Zhang Chen was thinking about how to win the battle and then escape unscathed without leaving a trace.

"Alright, let's just leave it at that."

Zhang Chen stood up and patted Wang Xiaoer on the shoulder.

"Don't forget the important matter. Today is the Ghost Festival. After you wake up, you still need to go and offer incense at your family's ancestral graves."

Wang Xiaoer was reminded of this and suddenly remembered.

He subconsciously looked out the window.

"But the police have blocked off the mountain, how are we supposed to get in?"

"Even if we take a shortcut, burning this paper will definitely attract the police."

Wang Xiaoer scratched his head, looking worried.

Not being able to offer incense is a big deal.

He sat up, frowned, and paced around the room, his mind racing.

Suddenly, he stopped in his tracks, and his eyes lit up.

A figure, a smiling face with wrinkles, flashed through his mind.

He slapped his thigh.

"Got it!"

Zhang Chen raised an eyebrow and looked at him.

"My cousin! Isn't he the village chief of Xiaxi Village next door?!"

Wang Xiaoer became more and more excited as he spoke.

"Our village's ancestral burial grounds are connected to theirs. Why don't we go talk to him and ask him to put in a good word for us?"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Chen smiled.

"It seems your local residency status is still somewhat useful."

……

noon.

The sun was high in the sky, making people sweat profusely.

Without saying a word after getting up, Wang Xiaoer ran to the convenience store and bought two packs of good cigarettes and two bottles of liquor.

He carried his things, greeted Zhang Chen, and then walked along the path between the fields towards Xiaxi Village.

Xiaxi Village is not far from Kaoshan Village; it's just over a mountain ridge.

The village is larger and more orderly than Kaoshan Village.

Relying on his memory, Wang Xiaoer easily found the most impressive two-story house at the west end of the village.

The yard is planted with flowers and plants, and is kept in a very neat and tidy manner.

At this moment, Li Yuanchao is wearing reading glasses and sitting under the grape trellis in the yard reading a newspaper.

"Uncle!"

Wang Xiaoer called out from across the courtyard gate.

Li Yuanchao looked up and recognized him at a glance.

"Oh, it's the waiter!"

Li Yuanchao's face immediately lit up with a smile, and he quickly put down the newspaper and stood up.

"You silly child, you went home without even eating yesterday! Come in! Come in and sit down!"

Wang Xiaoer pushed open the door and placed the cigarettes and alcohol he was carrying on the stone table.

"I came back yesterday without bringing anything, so I was too embarrassed to come to your house. That's why I came to see you again today."

"You came all this way, why did you bring anything!" Li Yuanchao complained, but his smile widened. "You've really made something of yourself now, going to the city to do business. How's business going?"

"Everything is fine, thanks to you."

The two exchanged a few pleasantries.

Wang Xiaoer looked at Li Yuanchao, hesitated for a moment, and then spoke.

"Uncle, actually, I came here today because I need your help with something."

"Oh? What is it? Tell me." Li Yuanchao picked up his teacup and took a sip.

"As you know, today is the Ghost Festival, and I need to go back to our ancestral graves to offer incense. But the road at the entrance of our village has been blocked by the police, and they won't let us into the mountains."

Wang Xiaoer looked troubled.

"I was thinking, aren't the mountains between our two villages connected? You're the village chief, you know the way well, could you... talk to the police? Tell them I'm from your village, and let me go up this way."

He carefully observed Li Yuanchao's expression.

Upon hearing this, Third Uncle put down his teacup and frowned slightly.

"Waiter, it's not that I don't want to help you."

His expression turned serious.

"Early this morning, the town's police station called and gave a strict order. There was a major tomb raiding case at Coffin Mountain, and people died. Now that area has been designated as a restricted zone, and no one is allowed to approach it."

He pointed in the direction of the mountain.

"Our village's forest rangers are all stationed at the foot of the mountain right now. This is probably going to be difficult."