PCJ – Chapter 406 The True Scheme

He Shouye raised his hand, signaling Wang Yiwei to stop speaking. Turning to Xie Yunliu, he said, “Daoist Xie, I’m counting on you.”

Xie Yunliu, who had been observing Xiong Xuan’s condition from the moment he arrived, saw that it seemed like Xiong had encountered some sort of dark influence, but he knew there was no way this could have happened at the hotel entrance—it was more likely that someone had tampered with him.

“Tsk tsk, impressive!” Xie Yunliu said, approaching Xiong Xuan.

“Woof! Woof!” Xiong Xuan instinctively resisted as Xie Yunliu came closer.

“It’s alright, it’s alright.” Xie Yunliu tapped Xiong Xuan a few times, murmuring something like a spell. Gradually, Xiong Xuan calmed down, and the redness in his eyes faded back to normal.

As he regained clarity, Xiong Xuan remembered everything that had happened earlier. Embarrassed at having so many people witness his outburst, he wished he could vanish on the spot.

“You feeling alright, Young Master Xiong?” He Shouye asked with concern.

“Uncle He, thank you so much,” Xiong Xuan said gratefully.

“Not at all. You youngsters just need to be more careful out there—there’s always someone stronger. I have some other matters to attend to, so take care.” He Shouye nodded at Xie Yunliu. “Thank you, Daoist Xie.”

“It was nothing.” Although Xie Yunliu appeared calm, he was deeply shocked. That child had cast a spell on Xiong Xuan with just a casual phrase, while he had to put in significant effort to break it. Clearly, the child’s abilities were beyond his expectations. If such a young child had such power, his teacher must be even more skilled. This trip to Meizi’ao might not be as straightforward as he had thought, and he even considered leaving the area immediately.

Li You wasn’t planning to let Xiong Xuan off so easily. “Xiong Xuan, how are you going to make up for biting me earlier?”

“Li You!” Xiong Xuan’s eyes reddened slightly as he glared at Li You, recalling his earlier episode. “You’re right; we have some unfinished business!”

“Take it somewhere else! Don’t make a scene here in my hotel!” Zhang Jiaohua suddenly appeared and shouted at Xiong Xuan.

For some reason, Xiong Xuan felt a strange fear when he looked at Zhang Jiaohua. Avoiding any more confrontation, he quickly jumped into his car, started the engine, and sped off from the hotel.

“Heh. Just like they say, ‘Once bitten by a snake, a rope scares you for ten years.’ The guy’s truly frightened—running away from a child!” Li You muttered, eyeing Zhang Jiaohua but keeping his distance, recognizing that this child was likely the son of the hotel owner. Angering him might invite a new wave of trouble, so Li You got in his car and left too, leaving the entrance to the Meizi’ao Hotel silent and empty.

Zhang Jiaohua, who had been watching from the side, had seen the Daoist break the spell he had cast on Xiong Xuan. He didn’t interfere, as he hadn’t intended for Xiong Xuan to stay a “dog” forever, just to teach him a lesson. Since someone else had lifted the curse, he let it be. However, he noted that this Daoist showed no respect for the unspoken rules, making Zhang Jiaohua mentally record a mark against him.

When Zhang Jiaohua returned to Liu Qiaoye’s office, she asked him immediately, “All settled?”

“Yes, they’ve gone.” Zhang Jiaohua sat down in the office.

“If I’d known it would be such trouble, I wouldn’t have let them stay in our hotel,” Liu Qiaoye regretted, realizing how their agreement to host the film crew for a discount was now a hassle. Meizi’ao was seeing an increase in tourists because word had spread that the crew of The Tomb Mystery was filming here. It wasn’t just Meizi’ao’s hotel seeing business—hotels in Gezhuping Town were also getting busier, which Liu Qiaoye hadn’t anticipated.

“Mom, why so hasty? Even if we lose a little now, we’ll make it back. The crew’s stay here is like free advertising for us. I’m just worried they aren’t here just to shoot a movie—why else would they bring a Daoist?” Zhang Jiaohua frowned.

“Well, they could just be pretending for the film,” Liu Qiaoye laughed.

“Pretending? I actually cursed that guy, and that Daoist lifted it. You still think he’s just acting?” Zhang Jiaohua asked.

“Really?” Liu Qiaoye was puzzled. Why would a Daoist come for a movie shoot?

“Absolutely. And that big boss—I sense something unusual about him. He carries a deathly aura, like someone who often interacts with the dead. What kind of rich person does that?” Zhang Jiaohua recalled He Shouye.

“A deathly aura? That’s impossible. He’s a big boss from Yanjing and invested the most in this movie,” Liu Qiaoye replied.

“Mom, this isn’t something you’d understand. There’s no mistaking it—he’s likely a tomb raider. People who do that accumulate a deathly and earthy aura from spending time in old tombs. They never cultivate merit, so that aura can’t dissipate. The Daoist doesn’t seem that skilled either, or he’d recognize this and avoid associating with people like him.” Zhang Jiaohua wondered about these people’s true intentions.

From his memories, Zhang Jiaohua recalled that the situation at Luoa Ridge was strikingly similar to the Da Lubao cave in his dream, where eerie, black-streaked fish inhabited the water. After he and his teacher obtained a bell from the cave, it exploded, leaving everyone dead except them. Though they escaped through a side cave, it collapsed soon after. Da Lubao had probably been obliterated, and anyone who escaped would not know what had happened inside. How, then, did these people learn of Da Lubao?

“Could it be…?” Zhang Jiaohua thought aloud, slowly piecing things together. It became clear: the eunuch must have discovered something about that cave, and now this group from Yanjing knew about Da Lubao’s mysterious cave as well. Luoa Ridge’s overall appearance matched the outline of the mountain behind Da Lubao, and a journalist had recently captured it in a photo.

“What’s got you so deep in thought, my child?” Liu Qiaoye asked, seeing her son lost in his thoughts.

“Oh, nothing. I’m just wondering what they’re really up to. If they’re here to do something wrong, I won’t allow it!” Zhang Jiaohua clenched his fists.

Since The Tomb Mystery crew needed to transport a lot of equipment up the mountain to Luoa Ridge, they were fortunate that a sightseeing road had already been built up to the nearby tea plantation, with only a short extension needed to reach Luoa Ridge. However, when it came to altering the landscape, the locals weren’t as accommodating.

“We allowed you to film here, but not to damage our natural scenery. With the beauty we have here, more and more tourists are coming. If you damage Luoa Ridge, you’ll ruin it,” Zhang Dechun protested.

“Secretary Zhang, you misunderstand. We don’t need to damage Luoa Ridge. We’ll actually be enhancing it with artificial scenery that won’t damage the natural landscape. Our director Lin is one of the best in the industry—every film he’s made has been a hit, and this will turn Luoa Ridge into a famous spot without costing you a dime,” explained Wang Yiwei.

Zhang Dechun hesitated and finally said, “Alright, but you’ll need someone from our village to supervise.”

“That’s fine. We planned to only film some outdoor shots here, but we discovered a cave on the mountain, so we thought we could also shoot some tomb scenes here. Don’t worry, we won’t harm Meizi’ao’s natural scenery,” Wang Yiwei reassured him.

However, Wang Yiwei secretly knew better. Recently, several big investors had brought in numerous people under the guise of helping with the set, but it was clear to him that they had ulterior motives. Of course, he wouldn’t dare say this openly.