The Days of Being Forced to Become the Savior of a Cultivation Civilization

"When the sand reached the source of the water, a mountain appeared. The mountain had a small opening, which seemed to emit light. So they abandoned their carriage, entered through the opening, and walked several dozen steps before the place suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious place."

The entrance is not wide, only wide enough for two people to pass side by side.

But as you approach the cave entrance, you can hear the bustling sounds of a crowd, and once you step out, you are greeted by a vibrant atmosphere.

The "Welcome to Wardwell Spring" sign finally appeared, hanging directly above the entrance gate.

Turning around, most of the crowd emerged from a building opposite the main gate, which was Ward Station, one of the busiest train stations in Kunjia.

Dozens of trains were running smoothly beneath the station, and crowds were jostling each other, a stark contrast to the deserted place the three had just been in.

However, at this moment, the three of them were already inside the gate of the hot spring town.

Qian Xintong: "So, where did we get off the bus just now?"

"It's a dedicated train station for the Thousand Salt Lakes area, and it's not connected to the real Ward station."

A male voice appeared in everyone's ears.

No one would approach this corner where there are no goods or scenery. This man must have come from inside the cave, meaning he is most likely a lens collector.

Zhiyue turned his head and asked:

"Sir, are you the cameraman?"

However, as soon as he said it, he knew he was probably wrong.

The other person was dressed in a white robe, with a white silk shawl draped over their shoulders and a white turban on their head.

He was holding a fan in his hand, fanning himself gently. He was full of vigor and composure, with a scholarly air about him. How could he be a mirror collector who digs in the water every day?

The newcomer paused noticeably in his fanning motion, then chuckled.

"My outfit doesn't really look like it, does it?"

Zhiyue quickly apologized, but the other party waved his fan, snapped it shut, tucked it back into his waistband, and extended a hand:

"My name is Honglan, and I come from Honghu Group."

Zhi Yue raised an eyebrow. This Honghu Group was naturally the business group founded by Hong Quan. Honghu, a name that suggests ambition.

He extended his hand to shake his:

"Hello, my name is Zhiyue, this is Xintong, my younger sister, and this is my younger brother, Yingzi."

Honglan then shook hands with Qian Xintong, then squatted down and extended her hand to Yingzi as well.

The latter looked puzzled, tilting his head to look at him without saying a word, while Honglan's eyes held a playful expression:

"Won't you shake my hand, Yingzi?"

"Ah, shake hands, shake hands."

"Yes, that's more like it. A salute, a handshake, and we're good friends."

Yingzi smiled innocently, but Honglan noticed the fleeting embarrassment in her eyes.

He gave a soft hum and said nothing.

"Hello everyone, it's nice to meet you all."

Zhiyue, however, had a lot of questions:

"I wonder what purpose Boss Hongquan has in sending you here?"

He wore a playful smile, and the other person responded with the same look.

After a moment of stalemate, Honglan burst into laughter:

"What are you saying, Brother Zhiyue? I'm just here to soak in the hot springs. Honghu Group isn't a place where only people from Caijing can come to soak in hot springs."

He then took out his fan and gently pointed to the main building of the hot spring town:

"Let's go, gentlemen. I know you're in a hurry to get to Huanlong City, but it's getting dark. Spending the night in this hot spring town would be a good choice."

Zhi Yue's eyes sharpened, but he didn't say anything more. He simply asked the other two:

"How so?"

Qian Xintong: "I think it's good."

Yingzi: "Whatever, I'm just a little hungry."

Zhiyue nodded:

"Alright, then, let's do as Brother Honglan says and stay here for the night. By the way, Brother Honglan, where can we buy tickets?"

Hongquan Yong's fan handle pressed against his head:

"What tickets? Aren't we already inside?"

Zhi Yue was speechless for a moment. Qian Xintong asked in confusion:

"Does that mean that as long as we exit from that station, we can enjoy the hot springs for free?"

Honglan nodded, then shook her head:

"Yes and no. Generally speaking, it is indeed free for people who come here to collect photographs."

To be precise, our boss has already invested in the Wardspring project, so naturally he has the right and ability to create a fast track for his own people.

He gently tapped the three of them with his fan from a distance, then switched to telepathy and said:

But there are also tourists like you occasionally at the salt lake.

Besides, if everyone can use this hidden passage for free, wouldn't everyone just take the detour to the salt flats and then transfer here?

Everyone tacitly fell silent and began a group chat using telepathy. Zhiyue nodded:

That makes sense.

Yingzi thought for a moment:

"Ah, it's an ID tag! The uncle at the food truck door mentioned it."

Zhiyue and Xintong nodded; this wasn't hard to imagine. Honglan praised them, saying:

【Hmm~ Yingzi is so smart. But little one, you don't need to pretend to be a child in front of me.】

The air seemed to suddenly become heavy.

Qian Xintong stared blankly, while Zhi Yue frowned, seemingly having anticipated this, and Yingzi, the person involved, had her expression frozen on her face.

"What do you mean, Uncle—"

"Alright, senior. Your portrayal of childishness was indeed very convincing, but once the truth is revealed, it just becomes awkward."

Yingzi's lips twitched twice, and she finally broke down, letting out a heavy sigh:

How much do you know?

Honglan thought for a moment:

To be honest, I don't know much. All I know is that you look older than you are.

Oh, by the way, is it alright if I call you "senior"? I'm not even thirty yet.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Fortunately, he only saw through the disguise and did not see through Yingzi's true identity.

Zhiyue asked:

[Was it the owner of Hongquan who told you—no, it should be said, guessed?]

Honglan nodded:

"That's right, exactly. The boss said he saw this kid pacing around his office with his hands behind his back, behaving like a mature adult, not at all like a child. He's probably some rebellious senior figure pretending to be young here."

Nothing surprising; haven't there been people who pretended to be old and frail to evade their enemies' surveillance?

Zhiyue glanced at Yingzi.

Yingzi: [My question.]

Zhiyue sighed, feeling much more relaxed now that he knew the cards:

So, this is your real purpose for coming?

However, Honglan shook her head:

This was just a side effect. To be honest, my trip here wasn't solely for soaking in the hot springs.

As they spoke, the three of them approached the entrance of the main building.

However, what follows is a private matter and will be kept confidential.

He turned to face the three of them, stretched out a hand toward the door, and said:

"Please, everyone, I'll pay the bill for these three today as an apology for the fright you caused."

"Hurry up, what are you doing posing like that at the door?"

"Oh, sorry."

-

Whether it was Honglan's imagination or not, the number of customers today seemed unusually high, with even the transit hall being overcrowded.

"Welcome to Ward Hot Springs, everyone. How can I help you?"

Behind the service desk, a greeter stood ramrod straight, dressed in a uniform, with an unchanging professional smile on his face.

Honglan took out her ID card and handed it to the greeter, saying:

"I'm Hong Lan from Honghu Group. Please have your manager come here."

The greeter's eyes flashed as she glanced at the ID badge and nodded.

"Welcome, Mr. Honglan, to Ward Hot Spring Resort. Please wait in the VIP lounge area in the lobby. I will send someone to fetch Manager Ning Lei shortly."

After finishing with Honglan, she would move on to serve the next person, one after another, almost without stopping.

After putting away her identity token, Honglan turned to look at the three of them, a slight smile playing on her lips:

"Please sit down and wait, everyone in your entourage?"