TRCP 208 PART 1

 208: The Mystery of Qinghai Part 1

Yi Dong stared at them with an emotionless expression, his eyes devoid of any emotion, as if he didn’t recognize them at all.

The man on the couch spoke, his voice low and resonant, sending a shiver down one’s spine, “Mr. Sun, Mr. Song Qi, I hope you’ve been well.”

Song Qi greeted him casually, “Hey, we just met last month.”

Mr. Sun said, “Lord Xuan, I hope you’ve been well.”

“Mr. Sun, you’re our elder. There’s no need to be so formal with us. You can call me by my name now that this place no longer belongs to the Eastern side. He can’t hear you,” Lord Xuan replied, his voice dripping with sarcasm. He chuckled softly as he spoke.

Mr. Sun sighed, “Xingzhou.”

Chu Xingzhou stood up and stepped out of the shadows.

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“Six months ago.”

“Breaking through to Tier Three in just six months. Qinghai is indeed a good place.”

Yi Dong furrowed his brow slightly. “There’s no need for small talk. Let’s get to the point.”

Mr. Sun cleared his throat. “Xingzhou, I believe you should be aware of the purpose of our visit.”

Chu Xingzhou said, “Of course, you want me, Rong Lan, and these outsiders to join forces to retrieve the two Puppet Jades from Golmud and break the energy barrier in Qinghai.”

“This is an extraordinary opportunity and our last chance. If we fail with so many evolved individuals working together, we may never have a chance to leave this place.”

Chu Xingzhou smiled. “Mr. Sun, when did I ever say that I wanted to leave Qinghai?”

Mr. Sun’s expression shifted slightly, but he continued with a smile, “Your emotional fluctuations just now told me that you want to leave Qinghai.”

Chu Xingzhou sighed in resignation. “It’s really pointless. I always forget that I shouldn’t lie to you.”

Mr. Sun said, “Xingzhou, this is a matter that concerns everyone’s interests. Even Rong Lan has relented. I hope I don’t have to exert more effort to convince you. You will agree, won’t you?”

Chu Xingzhou shook his head and chuckled. “Mr. Sun, have you thought about how we’ll cooperate? How do you expect two people who can’t stand each other to fight side by side on the battlefield? Golmud is a perilous place, and I can’t entrust my life and the lives of my subordinates to someone who harbors enmity towards me.”

“Rong Lan isn’t reckless, and neither are you. I believe that when you face a common enemy on the battlefield, you will naturally cooperate. As I’ve said, this is the only and final opportunity. If you don’t want to be trapped in this barren and dangerous place for the rest of your lives, you and Rong Lan have no other choice.”

Chu Xingzhou sighed softly. “It sounds like that’s the case. It’s ridiculous how much he detests me, yet fate still ties us together.”

Tang Tingzhi added, “It’s not just you two; the fate of everyone within Qinghai is intertwined. We plan to gather all high-level evolved individuals and launch a final assault on the core area of Golmud. No one can remain aloof from this matter.”

Chu Xingzhou glanced at Tang Tingzhi. “Oh, a Brain Domain Evolver,” he remarked. His gaze moved from Tang Tingzhi to the others. “Hmm, another Brain Domain Evolver, and a child at that. Interesting. What about the rest of you? Are you Natural Force Evolvers?” He looked at Cheng Tianbi and Yao Qianjiang.

Yao Qianjiang pointed to Cheng Tianbi and said, “Wind,” then pointed to himself and added, “Water.”

“I heard you also have Ice and a Fire Evolver with the same attribute as Rong Lan…” Chu Xingzhou squinted at Cong Xia. “It can’t be you; you look too weak.”

Cong Xia felt a bit frustrated. “It’s not me.”

“Then you must be the one with the healing ability?”

Cong Xia nodded. “That’s me.”

“Too bad you didn’t bring an Earth Natural Force Evolver with you. Is he in Beijing?”

Zhuang Yao replied, “If you want to meet him, you’ll have to find a way out of here first.”

Chu Xingzhou narrowed his eyes. “The kid is too smart for his own good.”

Mr. Sun said, “Xingzhou, does this mean you agree?”

“I can help you retrieve the Puppet Jades, but there are two things I want to make clear. First, if Rong Lan makes any suspicious moves, I will retaliate at any time. Second, if we gather all five Puppet Jades and still can’t break the barrier, I will be angry.” Chu Xingzhou’s eyes gleamed with coldness. “If I get angry, I don’t know what I might do. I hope you’re prepared for that.”

Cheng Tianbi said, “After breaking the Qinghai barrier, your Puppet Jade will no longer belong to you but to the Chinese government. When needed, you must hand it over. There are no exceptions to this rule. If you disagree, you will face pursuit by all Natural Force Evolvers. I hope you’re prepared for that as well.”

Chu Xingzhou stared coldly at Cheng Tianbi. “What’s the significance?”

Zhuang Yao said, “Sealing all the Puppet Jades is the only way to end this catastrophe. If you don’t cooperate, you won’t just be against the Chinese government; you’ll be against all of humanity.”

Chu Xingzhou sneered. “But I happen to like the world as it is now. What should I do?”

Mr. Sun said in a serious tone, “Xingzhou, I explained this in my letter before. Since you’ve agreed to meet…”

Chu Xingzhou interrupted him, “Mr. Sun, don’t worry. If we can really break the Qinghai barrier, consider the Puppet Jade as a gift to you. Of course, that’s on the condition that Rong Lan is also willing to give it up.”

Mr. Sun sighed. “He said the same thing. You two…”

A mocking smile curled at the corner of Chu Xingzhou’s mouth, and a trace of sadness flickered in his eyes.

Mr. Sun said, “I plan to gather high-level Evolvers within Qinghai here as soon as possible. Can you contact a few of them?”

Chu Xingzhou replied, “Three of the Third Stage Evolvers are currently in the west, and the others may be in the city of Golmud.”

“Bring them all. The more we can gather, the better. This will undoubtedly be a fierce battle.”

Chu Xingzhou nodded. He then turned to look at Song Qi and said, “By the way, Little Chili, heard you were coming. Little Chili’s on the way here.”

Song Qi’s face changed drastically, and he exclaimed, “Big brother, why didn’t you tell me earlier?” His expression was one of panic. “I’m leaving! You guys talk, don’t mind me. I’ll head back to Xining first.”

Yao Qianjiang grabbed his collar. “No way. If you leave, how will we get back to Xining? The small falcon can only carry six people, and that’s already pushing it.”

Song Qi had a frightened look on his face. He nervously scanned the surroundings, as if some monster might suddenly appear.

Cheng Tianbi said, “There’s a Russian woman rumored to be in the west too.”

Chu Xingzhou asked, “Jacqueline? Heh, a Wood Natural Force Evolver, the same attribute as yours. Do you want to meet her?”

“Of course.”

“She’s inside Golmud; I don’t know when she’ll come out.”

Cheng Tianbi couldn’t help feeling a bit disappointed, but if Jacqueline was in Qinghai, they would eventually meet.

Mr. Sun said, “Xingzhou, this gathering will be held in my name. It will take place here. Can you handle the logistics? You’re also responsible for notifying the people in the west. The tentative date is the 15th of next month. Is that acceptable?”

Chu Xingzhou nodded and then paused. “Is he coming?”

Mr. Sun hesitated for a moment before responding, “It’s possible. You and he are bound to meet sooner or later.”

Chu Xingzhou turned away. “If there’s nothing else, see you on the 15th next month.”

“Xingzhou, wait.”

Chu Xingzhou looked back at him.

“Have you fought against the ‘Earth Dragons’ in the Forbidden Zone? Do you have any recent information about them?”

“No, it’s just a glimpse, really. I suspect the entire underground of Golmud will be hollowed out by them,” Chu Xingzhou said.

Mr. Sun muttered, “They are the ones that worry me the most…”

Cong Xia  asked, “What are these ‘Earth Dragons’?”

Chu Xingzhou replied, “Worms the size of a train.”

Cong Xia turned pale and felt a bit nauseous.

Chu Xingzhou wore a mocking expression. “I agreed to go to the Forbidden Zone with you at great personal risk. If we can’t remove the barrier after obtaining the puppet jades, not only I, but everyone will be angry. Of course, you might not even live to see that day.”

Yi Dong, who had been silently standing aside, spoke slowly, “You are quite obsessed with these puppet jades.”

Zhuang Yao said, “When we were in Luoyang, we were after the puppet jades for personal gain, but now it’s different, or at least not just for ourselves.”

Yi Dong coldly snorted, “It’s none of my business.”

Zhuang Yao retorted, “Just don’t cause trouble.”

Yi Dong didn’t respond, he just stared at them coldly.

Chu Xingzhou said, “Let’s go. Mr. Sun, farewell.”

Mr. Sun nodded. “Xingzhou, I have to thank you. Goodbye.”

Suddenly, Chu Xingzhou’s body inexplicably floated up. The next moment, his body shattered into countless black particles. At the same time, Yi Dong’s body transformed into an uncountable number of bats. The black bats and the black particles entwined with each other, forming a whirlwind that swept towards the door. In the blink of an eye, it turned into a black cloud in the sky and quickly disappeared.

The group fell into silence for a while. Mr. Sun sighed, “He agreed just as expected, but cooperation has a 96% chance of going wrong. We need to try our best to avoid having him and Rong Lan on the same battlefield.”

Zhuang Yao said, “I think the same. There are two puppet jades in Golmud, and perhaps they can work separately. We need to determine the location of the puppet jades and the distribution of creatures there once we arrive in Golmud before making a decision.”

Cheng Tianbi added, “Song Qi, have you seen those so-called Earth Dragons?”

Song Qi nodded, “Anyone who has been to Golmud has seen them. They’re old bullies, they eat whatever they see, and you can cut them into a hundred pieces, they’ll still survive. We all avoid them when we see them. Only Chu Xingzhou seems to have fought them, but they’re actually quite stupid, just extremely tough to kill.”

Mr. Sun said, “During the gathering on the fifteenth of next month, I will ask the mutated individuals who have been to Golmud to share their experiences there, including encounters with any powerful creatures and plants. This will help us formulate some defense plans. This mission is a last-ditch effort, and we must succeed.”

Tang Tingzhi added, “Then let’s head back now.”

“Let’s stay a little longer, to let Xiao Zhou and Xiao Wu rest,” Mr. Sun replied thoughtfully, sitting on the sofa and lost in his own thoughts, clearly immersed in his own world.

Song Qi seemed impatient. “That blasted bird has plenty of energy left. We don’t need to rest. Let’s hurry up and go.”

Cong Xia teased, “Song Ge, what’s wrong with you? You’re not afraid of that ‘Little Chili,’ are you?”