Chapter 37: The Reason Behind It

Along the way, I spotted the occasional corpse of a half-demon, along with a few shell casings scattered on the ground.

These casings were different from any I had ever seen; they were etched with golden runes. Even the material of the shells seemed distinct from standard ammunition. It was then that I realized it wasn't just the casings—the firearms used by Qin Wuran and his team were also inscribed with all sorts of peculiar, enigmatic runes.

These were specialized weapons, clearly designed to deal with supernatural entities.

Bureau 749! A vast and mysterious organization indeed.

One by one, the corpses of the half-demons were quickly collected, and the attendants even retrieved the shell casings from the ground. The traces of the battle were being cleared away so thoroughly that it looked as if nothing had ever happened.

When we reached the outside of the cave, several rope ladders had already been set up, making the descent much easier than our climb. Qin Wuran led the way, and we followed close behind.

We finally reached the bottom of the mountain. After a short walk, we arrived at a campsite. It was late at night, and the tents had already been pitched.

"Let’s get something to eat. I’ve been living off canned food with you lot for a day or two, and I’m about to gag," Qin Wuran said, plopping down inside a tent and ordering someone to fetch some food.

Damn, did they actually bring a chef along? They were even more extravagant than Li Yiran.

"Everyone, sit down. Let’s have a chat," Qin Wuran said, gesturing for us to join him. "I’m the type who likes to get things straight. Let’s go around one by one and share our part of the story."

"I’ll start. My real name is Qin Zheng; Qin Wuran is just an alias. I’m with the Liaison Office of Bureau 749. I came here to track leads on the half-demons, but I didn't expect to run into the Alchemists. So, I went undercover while calling for reinforcements from the department in the capital."

"That pretty boy from earlier? He’s from the Seventh Division," Old Qin explained.

"The Seventh Division? Could it be *that* person?" Li Yiran asked, unable to keep quiet.

"Exactly. It was him. Besides him, who else could stop a Great Cultivator? Or perhaps... Brother Jiang could," Old Qin said, shooting me a wicked look that made my skin crawl.

"Him?" Li Yiran shook her head, clearly skeptical.

"Hahaha, little Miss Li, you’re still too young to understand some things. If I’m not mistaken, Brother Jiang is a descendant of the Sorcerers, right?" Old Qin laughed. "Back in the day, the Sorcerers were the only ones capable of going toe-to-toe with the Alchemists."

"Sorcerers?" Li Yiran looked at me with confusion, clearly unfamiliar with these terms.

"Let me see your sword." Old Qin reached out, took the blade from my hand, and examined it carefully for a moment before clicking his tongue. "It’s a fine piece. The inscriptions are in secret script. Rumor has it this was the personal sword of the Great Sorcerer Jiang Wuxing. It has many functions, but you’ll have to discover how to use them yourself."

Qin Zheng handed the sword back to me. "Of course, if you don't want it, you can sell it to me. I’d be happy to pay you nine figures for it."

A billion? Holy crap! The only thought running through my mind was that a billion is enough to last a lifetime! They were truly obscenely wealthy. Old Qin made me realize exactly how valuable this sword was. Why sell it? I’d keep it for myself. Besides, this was an heirloom from my ancestors; selling it would be a disgrace to them.

"This sword can’t be used by anyone but you. If we bought it, it would just be for research," Qin Zheng added. He then turned his gaze to Li Yiran. "Now, tell us about you. How did you get mixed up with the Alchemists?"

"That?" Li Yiran glanced around before speaking slowly. "By chance, I learned that someone had a brass box containing a Ghost Pearl. I spent twenty million to buy it, but when I opened it, I discovered a map etched onto the pearl."

"The map piqued my curiosity, so I decided to organize an expedition to investigate. That’s when someone contacted me, promising that a Great Cultivator would assist me." Li Yiran continued, "When I met that Great Cultivator, I don't know what kind of spell I was under, but I foolishly agreed. That same day, I suddenly received a lead that there was another vital item in the tomb where the brass box was found, and I had to retrieve it first."

"After that, I organized the team and headed to Miaodi Village. You know the rest."

I quickly connected the dots. The intelligence and clues had likely been provided by that man in the bronze mask. As for why she had "foolishly agreed" to let him join the team, he had probably used illusions or some other supernatural means. It was no wonder that once we entered the ancient tomb at the bottom of the river, the man in the bronze mask was the one directing our every move.

Then we retrieved the bronze seal and headed deep into the Qinling Mountains, where we obtained a scroll and a token. Thinking about this, I became curious about what was stored in that secret chamber.

Before I could ask, Qin Zheng explained, "That thing involves the greatest mystery of all time—immortality!"

"This isn't just empty talk. To be honest, that man in the bronze mask—or rather, the Alchemist—appeared in records as far back as the Ming Dynasty."

"Even back then, they were already Great Cultivators! I suspect they were born even earlier than that!" Old Qin shared his theory.

"What?" Not just me, but everyone present was stunned. An ancient monster that had lived for hundreds of years was standing right in front of us.

"That’s nothing, our Bureau 749's King..."

"Low on skill, high on chatter!"

Qin Zheng was cut off by a cold, sharp-featured man in combat gear who walked over and tossed a severed arm onto the table. "That thing used a blood-escape technique after losing his arm. He got away."

"Don't worry, the next time he shows up, it will be his death day," the man said coldly.

Domineering. Absolutely domineering! According to Qin Zheng, the man in the bronze mask was a centuries-old monster, yet he had been forced to sacrifice an arm to escape from this man.

Could it be? A dark thought crossed my mind.

"Let’s head back. A bunch of useless trash, needing me to step in for such a small matter," the cold man sneered. He ordered everyone to prepare to leave.

It was late at night, but when the cold man gave the order, even Qin Zheng didn't dare to argue and quickly began packing. We followed the main group as they prepared to depart. Once we reached the road, we boarded the off-road vehicles we had arrived in and left the depths of the Qinling Mountains with the team from Bureau 749.