Chapter 316: The Old Lady that Burns Joss Paper!
Old Shen inhaled and said slowly while facing Ye Chenâs stare, âThe 30th parallel north is a mysterious yet strange latitude. Itâs a disaster area with tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcano eruptions happening frequently.â
He paused as he spoke to this point, then he proceeded, âWhatâs even stranger is that the Bermuda Triangle thatâs known as the Devilâs Triangle, the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt, Mount Everest, the Earthâs highest mountain above sea level, the Great Sphinx of Giza, the Yangtze, the Nile, and the Mississippi River are accurately situated on this latitude.â
Di Jing could not help but interrupt, âIâve seen an explanation from a myth-busting novel. It said that the aliens built the Great Pyramid of Giza while the latitude is the door thatâs connected to another dimension, in which so many wonders are created.â
âDonât believe in everything from the novel, but you canât deny all of the explanations,â Old Shen shook his head lightly and said, âNo matter what, there are still many things that are waiting for us to explore and uncover. This is our mission as the geographical expedition team, but I guess we wonât be able to see that in this life.â
âOld Shen, have you ever thought youâd realize one day that the world that youâre in is actually really small?â Ye Chen suddenly said, âFor example, humans can develop more talents and move mountains and seas, as well as being immortal.â
âThatâs just too much.â Dai Wei smirked. âIf humans could really move mountains and seas, wouldnât the world with billions of people turn upside down? Moreover, if everyone lives forever, can the Earth even take it?â
âOld Shen is discussing the truth with you, yet youâre dragging this nonsense in.â Di Jing shook her head.
Ye Chen smiled calmly, not bothering to explain himself.
Old Shen, on the other hand, said while seeming to be in deep thought, âWhat you said is possible too, but itâs just too far-fetched, Mr. Ye. I heard about the Kunlun rumors in the past. It said that Kunlun is the Queen Mother of the Westâs bedroom. Many mysterious incidents have happened in recent years such as someone witnessing a man filled with fire flying out of the jungle. Also, a Tibetan antelope defeated a lion, a monkey gave birth to a baby boy who speaksâŠâ
âOld Shen, youâre getting silly like someone else,â Dai Wei said while hinting at someone else, âThe Kunlun rumors are just rumors. The reason why there are so many rumors is purely caused by the localsâ foolishness as well as the media hyping it up. Nobody has ever proved that those happened.â
âPerhaps Iâm really silly!â Old Shen laughed out loud and stopped dwelling on the topic.
Ye Chenâs expression changed slightly. His interest in Kunlun was now piqued. When he had returned to Earth back then, he landed on the ancient altar on Mount Tai. In other words, it was the ancient altar that had led him to this world.
Mount Tai was named the Five Great Mountains of China. Throughout the thousands of years, there were just too many rumors. Confucius claimed that the world looked small from the top of Mount Tai. Secondly, emperors from the past dynasties and generations always wished to have sacrificial rituals on Mount Tai. The three emperors and five sovereigns had such a wish too.
Naturally, the ancient altar had been passed down since ancient times.
Since Mount Tai was mysterious, Kunlun which was named the No. 1 mountain in China would naturally be no less mysterious.
The sky was turning dark as he was thinking to himself. They drove into a small town.
Dai Wei pulled over and turned his head to say, âOld Shen, itâs dark now and weâre running out of gas. Should we stay a night and proceed with our journey tomorrow?â
âBut is there even any hotel here?â Di Jing raised her sharp brows and looked around. It was a small town, after all, so she did not feel safe.
Dai Wei smiled in confidence after sensing his concern. âDonât worry. Nothing will happen. If something really were to happen, Iâm here, arenât I?â He glanced at Ye Chen and Iron Tower wryly as he spoke to this point. He said in a sarcastic manner, âMoreover, we have Mr. Ye and his bodyguard with us.â
âAlright, Xiaodai. Youâve been driving for a few hours. Letâs just rest for the night.â Old Shen nodded and eventually decided.
Later on, they went to a couple of hotels and found out that all of them were fully booked. In the end, they found a small hotel close to the suburbs.
There seemed to be a wake going on at the entrance. There was a black and white picture hanging on the first floor. It was a pretty lady in the picture, and she did not look a day over 30 when she passed away.
The hotel owner was a middle-aged man with yellow teeth and a birthmark on his face. After Dai Wei told him about their situation, the man looked at them and hesitated before speaking, âYou guys can stay, but weâre only left with three guest rooms.â
Di Jingâs expression changed as soon as she heard that. There were a total of five of them, and there was a single lady like her among them. How could they stay in three rooms?
The owner left them alone to consider, and he walked away after saying that.
âItâs simple!â Dai Wei smiled âIâll stay in a room. Di Jing and Old Shen will take one room each. Meanwhile, Brother Ye and your bodyguard will sleep in my car if you donât mind.â
Di Jing also thought it was a great suggestion, but she thought it was mean though she said nothing at the moment.
Ye Chen took a good look at the hotel. Just when he was going to speak, Old Shen said, âWhat about this? Xiaodai and Xiaodi will stay in a room each while Iâll squeeze in a room with Mr. Ye and his bodyguard. Iâll just sleep on the floor.â
Since Old Shen said that, Dai Wei was in agreement with that. Just when he was going to speak, Ye Chen suddenly said, âAre you guys sure you want to stay here? If you are willing to believe me, itâs best that we donât. Iâll drive and weâll proceed our way north.â
âWhat do you mean by that?â Dai Wei thought he was complaining that the hotel was not good enough. He said with a grim expression, âDonât you see that weâve only found this place after searching through the entire town?â
âDai Wei, I think Mr. Ye is right. Why donât we drive a little more? Weâll get to the county.â It was odd for Di Jing to be on Ye Chenâs side. She could not help but peer into the mourning hall when she was speaking. She looked rather terrible. âMoreover, theyâre mourning in thereâŠâ
âSo, thatâs what youâre afraid of?â Dai Wei scoffed, âIsnât that just a dead person? What is there to be afraid of? When I was in the military, I saw so many dead people. It makes sense that Di Jing is scared since sheâs a lady, but Mr. Ye, youâre a man. Arenât you too timid to be scared of that?â
Ye Chen frowned.
âAlright, Mr. Ye, Xiaodi, weâll just stay here for the night. Weâll depart in the morning.â Old Shen was decisive on staying.
Later on, they found the owner and paid up. Then, they got the keys from the owner and went to the second floor after asking for some hot water.
There were not many rooms on the second floor with approximately ten rooms. When they walked along the corridor, they noticed that there was an old lady squatting at the door of the room with a window at the end.
The old lady had an iron basin before her. She could not stop tossing joss paper inside, making the entire corridor smoky.
Dai Weiâs expression changed because their rooms happened to be the three rooms across the old lady. He rushed over immediately and screamed fiercely, âWho are you? Who allowed you to burn joss paper here?â
He alarmed the old lady who fell onto the ground and said while stammering, âI-Iâm burning joss paper for my eldest granddaughter. She died in this room.â