Chapter 52: Longhu Mountain
Zhang Chulan and his grandfather Zhang Huaiyi stood off to the side, quietly observing Wu Tong chatting with the others. They didn't interrupt.
Looking at the blue screen floating in mid-air, Zhang Huaiyi turned to Zhang Chulan and asked, "Chulan, is this that chat group you mentioned?"
Zhang Chulan, catching his grandfather's curious gaze, suddenly remembered—when his grandfather died, technology hadn't been nearly this advanced. Back then, there weren't even any messaging apps.
He quickly explained, "That's right, Grandpa. That's the chat group I told you about.
Nowadays, we have messaging apps on mobile phones. Aside from not being able to connect to other worlds, their functions are pretty much the same as this chat group."
Hearing that, Zhang Huaiyi couldn't help but marvel, "I didn't expect technology to develop so fast. Even things like this are possible now."
Zhang Chulan nodded and replied in agreement, "Yeah, I didn't expect it either. In just a few decades, society has advanced this much."
The two of them—grandfather and grandson, reunited after so long—caught up with each other emotionally while also listening in on the group chat conversation.
Hearing Wu Tong and the others talk about various worlds and cultivation systems, Zhang Huaiyi couldn't help but be amazed: "So there's even a cultivation system like that. The world truly is vast and full of wonders."
While the two were chatting, the group's conversation moved on from that topic. Under the starlit sky, the chat members casually discussed all sorts of things—talking, asking questions, sharing knowledge. Just like that, the two newcomers blended easily into the group's atmosphere.
As for Wu Tong's purpose in coming to the Outcast World, the others were certainly curious, but they didn't ask. Since Zhang Chulan had already agreed to let Wu Tong visit, it was clear the two had already communicated privately.
Since Zhang Chulan—the host—didn't mind, it wasn't their place to say anything more.
And so, as the conversation carried on, time passed quietly.
By the time the sky began to brighten with the first light of dawn, the group suddenly realized they had been talking all night. Truly, chatting could be addictive. One by one, they logged off from the livestream.
…
"Chulan, Elder Zhang, what do you plan to do now? Head to Longhu Mountain or somewhere else?"
After closing the livestream, Wu Tong lay back on the grass to rest a bit, then turned to ask the two beside him.
Upon hearing the question, Zhang Chulan exchanged a glance with Zhang Huaiyi before replying, "Let's head to Longhu Mountain first and treat Master Tian. We'll handle the other matters afterward. He's waited so long—now that we have a solution, we can't keep him waiting any longer."
Wu Tong wasn't surprised by the response—this was exactly what he had expected.
"So how are we getting there? By train or plane? Oh, and do you even have money?" Wu Tong suddenly remembered Zhang Chulan was a broke college student and quickly asked. He had no intention of traveling on foot.
Zhang Chulan, startled, also realized he didn't have much money. "Brother Tong, how about…"
…
"This is your solution?" Wu Tong asked with a dark expression, glaring at Zhang Chulan.
"Ehehe… There wasn't really any other way. Neither of us had money, not even enough for train tickets—this was the only option," Zhang Chulan replied with an awkward laugh, seeing Wu Tong's irritated face.
At that moment, the two of them were standing in front of an unconscious girl with pink hair, lying on the ground. In their hands was a wad of cash, and they were casually chatting.
The girl with pink hair was none other than Liu Yanyan. Just as the two were despairing over being broke, Zhang Chulan suddenly remembered this girl—someone who, in the original story, had brought him a long list of embarrassing black marks.
So, he decided to borrow some money from her. With a reliable backup this time, Zhang Chulan brought Wu Tong back the way they came, and tracked down Liu Yanyan just as she was about to leave—without saying a word, he rushed straight up to her.
Seeing this scene unfold, Wu Tong's face darkened—but there was nothing he could do. He could only watch as Zhang Chulan charged forward.
Although Liu Yanyan still had some zombies guarding her, she didn't last long under Zhang Chulan's full offensive and was quickly defeated.
After defeating Liu Yanyan, Zhang Chulan struck her neck with a quick chop and knocked her out cold. Then, Wu Tong watched as Zhang Chulan, looking rather pleased with himself, pulled a thick wad of cash from Liu Yanyan's belongings. That was when the earlier exchange began.
"Say, isn't this kind of ungrateful? Didn't you say she helped you just now? And now you're stealing her money? That's a bit immoral, don't you think?"
Wu Tong watched Zhang Chulan's smug expression and couldn't help but twitch his mouth in speechless disbelief.
That face really did look like it deserved a beating.
Hearing Wu Tong's words, Zhang Chulan immediately waved his hand and denied it, "No, no, no—she did help me, but in the original plot, she also caused me a ton of trouble. So this isn't payback—it's just settling the score."
The moment Zhang Chulan mentioned "original plot," Wu Tong understood—this was his way of getting revenge on Liu Yanyan for the endless stream of humiliating moments she had caused him in the original story.
Wu Tong was even more speechless now, but he didn't bother arguing. After all, the deed was already done. Talking about it now was pointless.
Afterward, Wu Tong and Zhang Chulan called the police, reported Liu Yanyan's location, and walked away from the scene.
Not long after they left, the police arrived. Seeing Liu Yanyan unconscious on the ground, they quickly woke her and took her to the station to question her about the corpse theft case.
Unless something unexpected happened, Liu Yanyan would likely be taken back by the Liu family of Xiangxi for strict discipline.
And with that, she would be prevented from joining Quanxing to stir up trouble—one could say a lost girl had been saved.
Infinite virtue. Boundless blessings.
…
Three days later—
"We finally made it."
Looking at the entrance to the Longhu Mountain scenic area, Wu Tong couldn't help but sigh. "I didn't expect those Quanxing bastards to be this persistent—they kept chasing us all the way to the foot of Longhu Mountain before finally giving up."
That's right—over the past three days, the three of them had faced dozens of ambushes, all orchestrated by Quanxing, trying to extract Zhang Huaiyi's whereabouts from Zhang Chulan.
If those people had known that the very person they were chasing was traveling with Zhang Huaiyi himself, they probably would've turned and run. After all, Quanxing understood better than anyone the weight behind the name Zhang Huaiyi.
"Yeah, we finally made it. Now we don't have to worry about those Quanxing guys anymore."
Zhang Chulan was visibly exhausted. Being ambushed dozens of times in three days had worn him out. He could barely rest. It wasn't until they reached Longhu Mountain that he could finally breathe easy.
"Let's go, kids."
Looking at the familiar landscape before him, Zhang Huaiyi's voice trembled slightly, filled with both excitement and apprehension.
Wu Tong and Zhang Chulan exchanged glances. Naturally, they understood why Zhang Huaiyi was so emotional. Without saying a word, they followed him up the mountain.
[End of Chapter]
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