When I heard Little Fox mention the black-robed man, the first person that came to mind was my father.
A black robe and a mask—just like the man I had seen the other day who claimed to be my dad.
I described the figure, and Little Fox nodded vigorously, confirming it matched exactly what she had seen.
I couldn't help but frown. If it really was my father, then what was his game? And how was he so powerful? Even the living dead feared him. That ability to vanish instantly wasn't something we Tattoos of Gods and Ghosts masters could achieve.
Moreover, the living dead had said all the Erebus profiteers had been lured here by him—to send them up the mountain to die so their souls could unlock the secrets of Mount Zhongnan.
Why would Father do such a thing? Wasn't this something that harmed the world? And what were these secrets of Mount Zhongnan? Immortality? Eternal life?
My thoughts grew tangled, and any warmth I'd felt toward this so-called father evaporated. Raising fox demons to harm people, claiming Grandad wasn't a good person, and now this...
Mount Zhongnan was extremely dangerous. With so many people here, the mountainside would likely be strewn with corpses.
I recalled Grandfather's instructions again—and Master Raul, the fortune-telling blind man, and all the others—saying that if I ever saw my parents, I had to kill them!
I could no longer distinguish right from wrong. My mind was in turmoil, but one thing was clear: my father didn't seem like a good man. He appeared to be orchestrating some grand conspiracy—something earth-shattering.
"Hey, Master, what's wrong with you?" Little Fox waved her hand in front of my face when she noticed I'd frozen in thought.
"Nothing. Just thinking." I shook my head.
"Oh!" She picked up the chicken bones again, licking them clean, unwilling to waste even the slightest trace of meat left.
I told her to stay in the room and wait for Stein and the others to return. Then I stepped out—it was time to question these people about their purpose for coming to Mount Zhongnan. And the best person to ask was Luna.
She had arrived with Hampsey, clearly sharing the same goal as everyone else. If I asked her, I might learn why so many had gathered at the foot of this mountain.
Luna was staying on the third floor. According to Boss Qin, the hotel had been fully booked, but Hampsey—wealthy as he was—had offered ten times the price to secure two rooms: one for himself and Luna, and another for the other three members of their group.
The thought of my goddess sharing a room with him made my blood boil. But what could I do? He was her fiancé, after all. If I coveted another man's wife, how would I be any better than those dishonorable men I despised?
When I reached the third floor and found Luna's room, I was about to knock when I suddenly overheard Hampsey's conversation with her from inside.
"Luna, you know I'm weak, and the journey here has left me even more exhausted. Just let me rest in your bed. We'll be heading up Mount Zhongnan tonight, after all."
"Well, then you take the bed, and I'll sleep on the floor. Mount Zhongnan is incredibly dangerous, and the trails are rugged. You need proper rest, or we won't make it up there."
"No need, Luna. We're going to be husband and wife soon—sharing a bed is only a matter of time. Why be shy about it now? Besides, the floor is damp. I'd hate for you to catch a cold."
Hearing this, I cursed under my breath. Animal! But a secret flicker of relief warmed me—Luna hadn't been with him yet! With that thought, I kept listening.
"No! We're not married yet. How can we share a bed? It's fine—don't worry about me. You're not well; you should take the bed."
"Sigh."
"Hampsey? Why the sudden sigh?"
"Luna, I won't lie... I've never actually... been with a woman before."
"Goodness, why are you telling me this all of a sudden?"
"You're my fiancée. If I can't talk to you, who else can I tell? Think about it—this trip to Mount Zhongnan is dangerous. If I die here, I'll die a virgin..."
"But... we're not married yet. How can we...? Besides, it's broad daylight. It's... not really appropriate."
"So you mean... tonight?"
"I—I didn't mean that! That's not what I was saying!"
"I don't care, haha! I'll take that as a yes—"
At that moment, I slammed my foot against the door with all my strength. Moncler outlet online. If I could delay this even by a single day, I would. Even if it killed me, I wouldn't let him succeed.
I'd feel better if my goddess remained "untouched" just one day longer. This Hampsey was a sick bastard. What else was he planning? I wouldn't let him have his way.
"Who is it? We're resting—get lost and leave us alone!" Sure enough, Hampsey was furious at the interruption, his voice sharp with irritation.
"Don't be like that," Luna chided, though her tone remained gentle. Ah, this was my goddess—always so refined, elegant, and kind. Nothing like Stella.
"I'll get it." Footsteps approached, and then Luna's voice came again. "Who is it?"
The door creaked open. When she saw it was me, she froze for a second before forcing a polite smile.
"Roger? What's the matter?"
That's when I looked in and noticed Hampsey's sultry eyes burning with murderous intent, especially when he saw it was me.
After all, I'd ruined his plans. It was only natural for him to be annoyed with me. Judging by his earlier approach, he'd probably planned to wear Luna down gradually and get his way tonight - but I'd hardened her resistance by interrupting. Now if he brought it up again, Luna would definitely refuse.
I hadn't expected Luna to be so conservative. Even with her fiancé, she wouldn't let him touch her. In this day and age, girls like her were truly rare.
"Can we talk somewhere else? There's something I need to ask you," I said.
My conversation with Luna wasn't anything special - I just didn't want Hampsey listening in.
Luna glanced back at Hampsey and asked if we couldn't talk here.
I said no, this was something only the two of us could discuss. If it was inconvenient, we could forget about it.
I deliberately spoke loudly, wanting to make that bastard inside jealous. What could he do about it anyway?
"I see!" Luna thought for a moment before turning back to tell Hampsey she'd be going out briefly.
Hampsey pretended to be magnanimous. "It's fine, go ahead!" But his face turned pale with anger. His woman was going to talk privately with another man about something he couldn't hear - any man would be furious in his position.
But he couldn't make a scene, so he had to pretend to be understanding while secretly seething. As he left, he shot me a glare - clearly this guy would be trouble later. This was already the second time he'd looked at me like that.
I didn't care. I just flashed him a smile that probably made his blood boil.
Luna and I went downstairs and stopped at the stairway. Since she had to maintain propriety, she naturally couldn't take me back to her room.
"Roger, what was so important that you had to avoid Hampsey to tell me?" Luna asked first.
I scratched my head and got straight to the point: "What exactly is your purpose for coming to Mount Zhongnan? You know Vervecity has brought many people here. Presumably they're after the same thing as you."
"You still don't know?" Luna seemed surprised. "Men in black have been spreading word that Mount Zhongnan holds Peng Zu's secret - the secret of immortality. The news spread like wildfire, so everyone came searching for Peng Zu's secret to gain eternal life."
"Eternal life? That's it? Are there really that many fools in the world? You mean just some rumors managed to trick so many people into coming?" I was even more shocked. Who would believe such nonsense? And so many people at that! Anyone who believed in immortality must be brain-damaged.
How many emperors throughout history - from Qin Shi Huang to Emperor Taizong of Tang, Li Shimin - had pursued immortality without success. Did these people really think they could succeed where emperors had failed?
Luna shook her head. "It's more than just rumors." She asked if I remembered the human skin Master Raul had given me.
"Of course I remember," I said. That human skin had the Ghost Soldiers Passage tattoo of Gods and Ghosts, along with Peng Zu and my father's inscription, so it left a deep impression.
Luna immediately took out her phone and opened a website. What I'd called the Ghost Soldiers Passage tattoo of Gods and Ghosts was actually circulating online and spreading everywhere.
Besides the tattoo, there were many explanations about the secret of eternal life hidden within it - and that the secret was hidden in Mount Zhongnan!
Not just from Vervecity, but many other provinces and cities, Erebus profiteers had come - though none as frenzied as those from Vervecity. Because besides the internet, a group of men in black had been spreading the news rapidly throughout Vervecity!
Eternal life! More tempting than wealth or power - who wouldn't want it? Even if it turned out to be nothing in the end, people would still come to try their luck.