Volume One, Chapter 105: Do You Want to Be a Scoundrel?

Jiang Chen sat in the Ningshi Group building, fiddling with the Yunmengze seal. He guessed that unsealing it would require someone with greater knowledge. Master Yuanliang was certainly no match for it. The men of Institute 509 were no fools; once the Yunmengze surfaced, even with the slightest trace, they would not let it go. If they dug a little deeper, they could probably trace it back to him.

Fortunately, those from Institute 509 had only come to ask questions. Only Li Changsheng, Jiang Chen, and Lin Mo knew what had happened. Li Changsheng might have sensed something, but whether he would ever call it the same matter was another question.

Still, by instinct Jiang Chen felt Li Changsheng would not reveal it. At least for now, no one from Institute 509 had come to question him.

“Love-sickness is not a sin…”

A call from the Capital.

He glanced at the caller display: no number, only the caller name.

“Hello?”

A lively, bright voice came through.

“Jiang Chen, is that you?” The old man spoke so gently that Jiang Chen lowered his guard at once.

“It's me. May I ask who’s calling?”

“I’m Director Xu Ping’an of Institute 509.”

At that, Jiang Chen was visibly taken aback.
He knew this man well enough. Every one of his masters had dealt with him. Xu Ping’an was said to be one of those destined seers, and from what Jiang Chen had heard, his ability was beyond what ordinary fortune-telling could explain. His true strength, though, lay in strategy.

Since he had taken over Institute 509, things had become steady; there was peace both outside and within.
That alone spoke of the old man’s might.

“Master, you called me. Is there something wrong?” Jiang Chen asked, puzzled. They had hardly any relationship at all; perhaps this elder might not even know him.

“Nothing special. I just called to talk.”

Jiang Chen blinked. “Just... to talk? Is it really that simple?”

Xu Ping’an gave a soft laugh. “Of course. I am perfectly at ease with the Yunmengze in your hands. You need not worry that anyone in Institute 509 will track it down. Whenever you feel ready to come to the Capital, tell me, and I will come and fetch you.”

Those words, seemingly casual, exposed every small calculation in Jiang Chen’s mind. He could conceal the Yunmengze from others in Institute 509, but never from this elder. The old master’s gift was beyond ordinary.

“I...” Jiang Chen tried to explain.

But Xu Ping’an had already answered. “No need to explain. The Yunmengze was solved by you, so it naturally belongs to you. And since you already know its true method of use, deciding to whom it goes is entirely your decision.”

At once Jiang Chen understood. There was another intention behind giving him the Yunmengze—one he could not yet fully see through.

“You will come to the Capital sooner or later. Lin Mo and her sister are already under my care. When you have finished your matters and arrive in the Capital, I’ll have Lin Mo come with you. By then, everything will be nearly in place,” Xu Ping’an said.

Now Jiang Chen understood what he meant. As a fellow Chosen One, Xu Ping’an knew how to guide Lin Mo into becoming a worthy one; perhaps her future accomplishments would surpass all expectation.

“All right. I leave Lin Mo to you,” Jiang Chen said with courtesy.

“Ha-ha, no need for formality.”

“Child, is there nothing you want to ask?”

Jiang Chen immediately felt the hidden meaning in that question. He did not hesitate.

“Do you have any news about my sister? Is she— is she still alive?”

On the other end, Xu Ping’an held a file and answered, “She is alive. Your sister is safe, and she is happy. Once you finish what is before you, she will come to find you.”

That was almost everything he needed to know. Jiang Chen did not press further; he understood that every truth carries a cost. If his sister were safe, there would be a time to meet her.

But first, he still had to wipe out the Lin clan. When he brought her home, he wanted to receive her openly, in full, not hide and slip away to the Capital.

“Thank you. When I go to the Capital, I will thank you in person,” Jiang Chen said from the heart.

The old man chuckled. “Ha. In the coming days, Institute 509 will continue to depend on young people like you. Turbulence is coming, and preparing everything in time is what matters most. We elders have our own missions. You children have yours.”

After that, Xu Ping’an ended the call. Jiang Chen sat in silence for a long while, staring at the table.

At dawn the next morning, as the first sunlight rose, the streets already carried a touch of winter.

Jiang Chen sat on an outdoor bench for a while, then went inside a coffee shop.
Tomorrow and the day after, he had things to handle in Qingcheng, and in a few more days he would set out for Longhushan.

Most matters in Qingcheng were mostly settled, and he had found his senior sister as well, yet he felt deeply reluctant. After returning to Longhushan for the Celestial Master Assembly, he did not know when he would be able to come back to Qingcheng, so he found himself truly unwilling to leave the city.
It was also for this reason: several women remained in Qingcheng, handling his affairs.

He stood up, bought a cup of coffee, and walked toward the office area of Institute 509 where Su Yike was.

Su Yike was already part of Institute 509’s outer circle; in a little while she would be a formal member, and then she too would step onto the cultivator’s path.
Jiang Chen knew clearly that Su Yike had taken this road entirely for his sake. If he had never met her, she might have remained a police officer, living a happy but safe life.
Bringing Su Yike to this path was, in truth, largely his responsibility.

When he arrived at Institute 509 and said he wanted to see her, Su Yike brightened at once.
Today she wore a black coat, her hair falling naturally around her shoulders, and when she saw Jiang Chen, a softness she could barely hide surfaced on her face.
She led him to sit by a swing.

“Hey, hey, how did you find time to visit me? Is it because you miss me?”

Su Yike rested her head on Jiang Chen’s arm, and the two sat there quietly.

“I’m leaving Qingcheng for a while, just a trip back to Longhushan.”

She frowned slightly. “If you’re going back, go back. Why make it so sentimental? Don’t tell me you want to be a heartless guy?”

“No, no— it’s not that. I just mean that after I return to Longhushan, I may be away from Qingcheng for some time.”

“So that’s it? You just want to run off? I’m telling you, Jiang Chen, there’s no way!”

……