I discovered a world bug.

Chapter 114 Story

Before heading to Qingcheng Mountain, Lin Shu first returned to Linchuan with the team.

—On one hand, I wanted to check on the situation in Basongbumo; on the other hand, of course, it was also...

We need to send Liu Jian back.

This person is actually quite special.

According to him, he had been following the leader of the Hongyuan Society, a man named "Fu Quan," for a long time.

Although he never seemed to have truly entered the inner circle of power, it was clear that he had some extra personal connections with Fu Quan.

Such a "personal relationship" could very well bring about a breakthrough in their work.

After all, in a confrontation between two systems, it is very difficult to find the other side's weakness.

Everyone here is a professional, especially when it comes to rituals. The Hongyuan Society and the larger forces behind them are even more professional than the official ones.

It is actually very difficult to defeat them in a head-on confrontation in their area of expertise.

Only by breaking them down bit by bit, into individual, emotional, and self-aware "people," can we have a chance.

Because as long as someone is human, they will inevitably possess human nature.

Humans have weaknesses...

Once on the plane, Lin Shu finally saw the scene she had seen in the "divination".

She was sitting to the side of Liu Jian, who was leaning back in his seat, his lips moving slightly as if he were saying something.

So what exactly is there about Mount Qingcheng?

Lin Shu asked, "Is it some important ritual, or something else?"

"The person, and his belongings."

Liu Jian made no attempt to hide anything—as if this information wasn't important at all.

"A human? An immortal?"

Lin Shu's heart skipped a beat.

The information that Leng Feng had previously deciphered had already been sent to his phone, with the most prominent clues being about the so-called "immortal".

I guess so.

Liu Jian nodded noncommittally.

"Calling him an immortal would be acceptable."

"But in my opinion... he's actually a weirdo."

In your opinion?

Lin Shu instantly perked up.

Judging from Liu Jian's tone, he seems to know more than just "the truth".

It even seems he had contact with that so-called "immortal"?

When did this happen?

"Have you seen him?"

"I've seen it."

Liu Jian still did not deny it.

"To be honest, it's because I've met him that I know he exists, as do the Hongyuan Society and the boss."

"You knew all along?"

Lin Shu's heart skipped a beat.

—If the Hongyuan Society already possessed information about the immortals of Qingcheng Mountain…

Doesn't that mean we've fallen behind again?

"In fact, we already knew about this person's existence five years ago."

"But actually... time isn't important."

"Because what can be obtained from him is not time-sensitive."

"Is it not time-sensitive?"

Lin Shu frowned, her expression puzzled.

What does "not time-sensitive" mean?

"The literal meaning is that those who are destined to receive it are destined to receive it."

"Whether you go early or late, it doesn't really matter."

"Are there any restrictions? Or some kind of screening criteria?"

Lin Shu pressed further, "You've already tried it?"

"We don't."

Liu Jian shook his head.

"It wasn't us, to be precise, it was me."

"You? You're all alone?"

"Yes."

"What exactly is the situation?"

Liu Jian leaned back in his chair and sighed softly.

"That's a..."

...It's a very long story.

In 2021, I had only met my boss a little over a month ago.

For over a month, the only thing I did each day was to find him in the mornings when he was free, and then...

Talk to him about future plans and our philosophy.

This conversation was, in a sense, more like a "philosophical discussion"—though, nowadays, such a discussion seems rather naive.

Even if I hadn't met you, even if we hadn't talked about the so-called "power" topic, I would still feel a kind of awkwardness when I occasionally think back on it.

If you don't understand this feeling, just recall the things you talked about with your classmates in junior high and high school.

Back then, you must have thought you knew everything, and even spoke with great confidence and assurance. But looking back now, it must have been just as embarrassing, right?

That's a bit of a tangent.

In short, more than a month passed quickly.

Gradually, the more we talked, the more anxious I felt.

That kind of thinking is easy to understand—we are clearly going to do great things, so why are we just talking nonsense here?

So, in the last few days, I asked my boss every day if there was anything I could do.

I remember it very clearly; I asked for five days in a row.

On the fifth night, the boss finally gave me a task.

It was an investigation mission—he received intelligence that something rather strange had happened near Qingcheng Mountain.

As you should know, there are more than ten Taoist temples in Qingcheng Mountain, and all of these temples are recorded and managed by the scenic area.

Moreover, by 2021, Qingcheng Mountain was already a very popular tourist destination. Theoretically, all those bizarre, strange, or mysterious things would no longer happen there.

Because the commercial atmosphere there is so strong, sometimes you feel that it is no longer a Taoist holy site, but just an ordinary scenic spot.

But right there, in a very short period of time, several so-called "paranormal events" broke out one after another.

Some tourists said that during their visit to Qingcheng Mountain, they entered a Taoist temple that was not listed in the scenic area's directory, and there they encountered a strange Taoist priest.

What's strange is that he basically doesn't talk to people.

If you ask for directions, he'll just point you in the wrong direction; if you want to burn incense, he'll just wave you away.

In short, it's as if the scenic area's operating company has forgotten about it, but the environment is exceptionally good.

I remember someone posting that the scenery there could be described as "unrivaled in the world's clouds".

It was very literary, which left a deep impression on me.

But ironically, none of the people who claimed to have entered that Taoist temple left any photos.

When asked, the answer was always the same: either the phone was lost, the camera was broken, or the person forgot to take the picture.

So this matter didn't actually attract much attention at the time—not to mention you, even within the Hongyuan Society, and even at higher levels... I can't say.

In any case, everyone who saw the rumor initially took it as a joke, including the boss—he had already seen the related videos and articles, but didn't take it seriously.

Until one day, he saw something unusual there through some special means.

Something like... fortune telling, but I don't know anything about that.

He then realized that those rumors were very likely true.

He needed someone to go and take a look—given that no one else's previous experience had shown any signs of danger, it wouldn't be too difficult to just "take a look."

So he sent me there.

I couldn't have asked for it, so I set off that very day and arrived at Qingcheng Mountain on the same day.

Following the approximate location given by the boss, I wandered around the scenic area for three whole days.

My abilities also provided me with a great deal of convenience; at least the security personnel at the scenic area didn't detect me.

By the third day, I was basically out of food and drink—I had run out of everything.

I once suspected that there might be a problem with the intelligence, or that the boss had "miscalculated".

I've decided to give up—go back and rest for two days before heading back up the mountain.

But on the evening of the third day, on my way down the mountain, I inexplicably wandered into a small path.

I walked further and further along that path.

At the time, I was completely dazed. Looking back, it was similar to being trapped in a maze by ghosts.

As I walked forward, I found myself climbing higher and higher.

The ascent must have been at least over a thousand meters, right? You have to understand, at that time my physical strength was almost exhausted, but I didn't feel tired at all.

The surrounding fog grew thicker and thicker, making it almost impossible to see the road ahead.

Seriously, anyone with a brain would have turned and run by now.

But instead of running away, I became more and more excited as I walked.

At that time, I had a feeling that if I kept going forward, I would definitely be able to get through the clouds.

Sure enough, after climbing for about an hour, I stood above the clouds.

The setting sun was just above the sea of clouds when I realized what the phrase "reading through the clouds of the world" meant, as written by those netizens.

It's really beautiful and spectacular.

But guess what? I didn't even think about taking a picture.

My purpose was clearly to conduct reconnaissance, take photos, and gather intelligence, but I deliberately didn't take any photos.

Isn't that strange? I think it's strange too.

But now I understand, there are certain "rules" in that place.

The rules are complicated, but overall, one of them is "no taking pictures".

On the mountaintop above the sea of clouds stands a Taoist temple.

I knew I had found the right place, so I didn't hesitate at all and just pushed open the door and went into the Taoist temple.

I saw the Taoist priest—he was sitting on the steps under the eaves of the Taoist temple, holding a pipe, but the pipe wasn't smoking.

I initially thought he was just posing with that thing, but I never actually saw him use it.

But that's not the point.

The point is, he spoke before I could even say anything.