I created the myth of the Great Old Ones.

But in reality, after meeting Lu Ban, Cao Manwen became timid and hesitant, not daring to speak freely.

He led Lu Ban to the courtyard to meet Professor Hu.

"Hello, Professor Hu, I am Lu Ban. Your father and I are old friends. He must be Master Qi."

Lu Ban asked.

Upon hearing the first part of the conversation, Professor Hu only glanced at Lu Ban, but when he heard the name that followed, he suddenly froze.

"Which lineage are you from?"

Professor Hu asked.

“I am not a descendant of the Ninth Rank, but I know you are from the Mountain Moving and Dragon Seeking lineage. I contacted the Tang family of the Corpse Stitching lineage before and found you.”

Lu Ban said.

Cao Manwen, who was standing to the side, listened to the conversation between a man in his twenties and a man in his nineties, but felt as if their positions had been reversed.

Lu Bancai resembled that elder.

Moreover, what the two of them were saying was strange, not like an archaeological exchange, but more like content from the internet.

What's with all this talk about moving mountains and searching for dragons, what's with all this talk about corpse sewing masters? Are you trying to write a web novel here?

Lu Ban and Professor Hu talked for a while, and Lu Ban explained his purpose for coming.

“My father used to regret it often. He said he shouldn’t have run away and should have shared the responsibility with others. He felt he had betrayed the tradition of the Nine Schools, so he never dared to meet with others until later when he began to correspond with his fellow disciples.”

Professor Hu said as he recalled.

"Later, my father took me to meet someone who might be helpful to you as well."

"Who?"

"I don't know his name, I only know that his surname is Zhang, and he sets up a stall near Panjiayuan."

Professor Hu said.

"He can't see, is he blind?"

Lu Ban hurriedly pressed for more information.

"Correct."

Professor Hu nodded.

"However, it was forty years ago when I last saw him, so he's probably no longer alive."

Upon hearing this, Lu Ban immediately had some ideas.

Keep in mind that Blind Zhang already looked to be in his seventies or eighties at the time, and forty years ago, fifty years had passed since then, so Blind Zhang would have been at least one hundred and twenty years old.

Lu Ban didn't think a normal human could reach this age.

Perhaps Blind Zhang really does have some special ability that can prolong life?

He chatted with Professor Hu for a long time and took some photos before saying goodbye and leaving.

Cao Manwen listened from the side, and the more he listened, the more outrageous it seemed.

What about the superpower competition that took place in Jiangcheng Mountain decades ago, the inheritance of several superpowered individuals, and the evil god sealed at the foot of the mountain?

It's just content from the internet.

Professor Hu is quite patient, chatting with Lu Ban for so long.

Considering Lu Ban's profession, Cao Manwen thought that Lu Ban might be preparing to make a movie about supernatural abilities, which is why he sought out an old man like Professor Hu to explore the past and stimulate his inspiration.

However, since his mentor said they had treated him well, he drove Lu Ban back to his hotel.

"I want to go to Panjiayuan. You can drop me off there."

Lu Ban said.

Cao Manwen found this quite amusing. The old man that Professor Hu met forty years ago must have passed away long ago. What could Lu Ban possibly find there?

He was a little curious, so he parked his car near Panjiayuan and followed Lu Ban there.

This is the largest antique market in Yannan. Of course, there are also a lot of fakes and all sorts of things.

From dragon veins to banknotes with incorrect serial numbers, you can find them all here.

Some sellers are shrewd and sell inferior goods as superior ones, fooling buyers into thinking they're genuine.

Some sellers are too honest and don't understand the value of their goods, so shrewd onlookers snag bargains.

Cao Manwen had visited a few times before. After all, he was an archaeology major and knew a little about the crafts of antique reproduction and aging. To be honest, some unfamiliar craftsmen might not understand it as well as he did.

Sometimes teachers would send their students to Panjiayuan during summer vacation to hunt for treasures, and then see who could find the most valuable item for a thousand yuan.

Cao Manwen often knew that many protagonists with abilities like X-ray vision, aura observation, or golden eyes would come to this place to pick up bargains and make their first pot of gold.

Lu Ban could naturally distinguish these things as well.

However, that's not his main point.

Panjiayuan was not crowded in the afternoon, probably because it was a weekday.

Lu Ban turned around and soon saw an old man sitting in the corner.

The old man had a sparse beard and wore a rather retro-style jacket.

He was wearing sunglasses, leaning on a cane, and looked to be about seventy years old.

He was exactly the same as the blind Zhang in Lu Ban's memory.

Lu Ban approached the other party and saw that the items on display were all ordinary objects, at most a bit old, and not worth much.

He squatted down, pretending to pick through the items, and then asked.

"Sir, the things here seem rather ordinary."

Upon hearing Lu Ban's words, the old man slowly moved his head.

"Jiang Taigong fishes, and those who are willing will take the bait."

He said.

"Long time no see, Mr. Lu."

Chapter 584 Paper Dolls and Real People

"???"

The person most shocked by the conversation between the two was Cao Manwen, who was standing to the side.

what is this?

The old man that Professor Hu met with his father forty years ago is still alive today?

Isn't this a bit too outrageous?

If Cao Manwen hadn't known that Lu Ban and Professor Hu didn't know each other before, he would have thought that the two of them were playing a prank on him.

"Wait, you two, and this old gentleman..."

Cao Manwen's words were incoherent.

But Lu Ban had clearly seen his share of storms.

"Mr. Zhang, how are you feeling?"

"It's not exactly alright."

Blind Zhang said slowly.

"How many years have passed since then?"

"Almost ninety years..."

Lu Ban replied.

"It's been so long."

Blind Zhang seemed to be reminiscing.

“We all thought you were gone forever. Then the war spread and we were scattered all over the place. We gradually lost contact. I stayed here and set up a stall to see if I could meet someone I was destined to meet. I even saw Seventh Master last time.”

"That was forty years ago."

Lu Ban replied.

"Sigh, my memory has become blurry ever since the Xuanjun War ended."

Blind Zhang sighed.

He seemed frozen in time, living on in that period of history, as if time itself could not leave a deep mark on him.

Watching familiar people pass away one by one, and seeing things change, is this happiness or misfortune?

Lu Ban didn't know.

"Old Zhang, was it actually just you, the paper cutter, all along?"

Lu Ban suddenly asked.

Blind Zhang remained silent for a moment.

"Not really. Before me, our lineage was passed down normally, and we were subject to birth, aging, sickness, and death, unable to escape the cycle of reincarnation."

"But I later participated in two battles for the Xuanjun, gained some knowledge, discovered some things, and that's how I ended up like this."

"Our lineage can breathe life into paper-cutting; the more lifelike the cut, the more vibrant it becomes."

"Then, I cut out my own likeness."

"When a paper-cut looks exactly like me, what's the difference between me and the paper-cut?"

"My real physical body may have long since ceased to exist. It has only survived to this day through the continuous cutting of paper. What you see in front of you is nothing more than a paper figure."

"Blind Zhang said calmly."

"Furthermore, my relatives in the Northeast also perished in the war long ago, leaving me as the only one left in this lineage. If the struggle for the Mysterious Lord were to resume one day, the lineage of the Paper-Cutting Official cannot be without anyone."

“My comrades who fought alongside me back then are passing away one by one, but someone has to remember them.”