“Bathing in Friends’ Care Gun.”

Could it be…

Indeed, that person enthusiastically greeted everyone, even sending a voice message: “Little Radish, Little Pocket, Little Three-Three, Little Chubby!”

Mu Dai couldn’t help wanting to laugh. What should she reply? She pressed the voice message button but couldn’t decide.

Shen Gun said, “Oh, there’s a newcomer. Is this the girl related to fire?”

Yan Hongsha replied: “Yes, Senior, hello.”

Both Yan Hongsha and Cao Yanhua were extremely respectful toward Shen Gun. Yan Hongsha called him “Senior,” while Cao Yanhua called him “Mr. Shen.”

Someone knocked at the door. Mu Dai jogged over to open it. Sure enough, it was Yan Hongsha. She had felt lonely staying alone in her room and, since they were “meeting,” came to join Mu Dai.

As she entered, she kept staring at her phone: “Mu Dai, why hasn’t Shen Gun replied to me yet?”

Mu Dai said, “He’s probably busy giving you a nickname.”

As expected, Shen Gun soon replied.

“Red Scarf, hello to you, too.”

Unlike the previous “Little Radish” or “Little Three-Three,” the person involved didn’t show much resistance. Yan Hongsha touched her neck wistfully: “I can barely remember how it felt to wear a red scarf.”

Back to business.

Luo Ren had maintained contact with Shen Gun, who had heard about everything that had happened lately.

I rather agree with Little Radish’s view. The phoenix in the water represents the Phoenix-Luan Clasp’s restraint over the Deadly Slip, but it’s incomplete—remember that Feng, Huang, and Luan are three birds, yet only one has appeared in the water.”

Yi Wansan said, “What if we add more blood to the water?”

“You could try that. Just keep bleeding into it for fun.”

Yi Wansan fell silent. He also felt that adding blood was treating the symptoms rather than the root cause.

Shen Gun said, “First, you need to understand something. What’s containing the Deadly Slip isn’t your blood itself; it’s essentially the power of the Phoenix-Luan Clasp attached to your blood. The fading color might represent the diminishing power of the Phoenix-Luan Clasp.”

Cao Yanhua was puzzled: “How could it just diminish like that?”

“Chubby Cao, if I tie you up with a rope, binding you tightly at first, but you struggle desperately day after day, wouldn’t the rope loosen?”

Cao Yanhua wisely remained silent.

Luo Ren pondered before speaking: “Do you think the weakening of the Phoenix-Luan Clasp’s power might be related to the other five Deadly Slips scattered elsewhere?”

Although there was still no evidence that different Deadly Slips could communicate with each other, this thought persisted.

Shen Gun considered: “It’s possible. It’s like two forces in a tug-of-war. Currently, it’s a struggle between two Deadly Slips and the Phoenix-Luan Clasp. If the other five Deadly Slips join in, the Phoenix-Luan Clasp’s power would deplete faster.”

Yi Wansan finally asked what he’d been wanting to know: “If those two Deadly Slips break free again, will Pin Ting be possessed again? My father’s urn is already buried; surely the Deadly Slip won’t go after it again?”

Shen Gun said, “That’s exactly what I’m worried about.”

He paused for a long time, so long that everyone became anxious, before sending a lengthy message.

“When dealing with the first Deadly Slip, we didn’t have everyone and stumbled into it. But with the second one, all five people representing gold, wood, water, fire, and earth were assembled, and for the first time, you truly contained a Deadly Slip using the Phoenix-Luan Clasp formation. This was equivalent to formally declaring your position, completely exposing yourselves, and standing in opposition to the Deadly Slips. You’ve made yourselves such prominent targets that once the Deadly Slips break free, they’ll likely prioritize dealing with you, either attacking as a group or picking you off one by one.”

Mu Dai read this passage twice, a chill gradually spreading across her back. Yan Hongsha also shuddered, looking warily at the window, then at the door, as if the Deadly Slips were already lurking outside.

After a while, Cao Yanhua grumbled: “So basically, we’ve boarded a pirate ship with no way off. None of us can quit halfway through.”

Shen Gun said, “I suggest that you five try not to separate. You’re all potential targets now.”

Because of Shen Gun’s final words, Yan Hongsha didn’t dare return to her room to sleep and shared Mu Dai’s bed instead. Before turning off the lights, she repeatedly checked the door locks and window latches.

Mu Dai sighed: “You’ve seen them before. If the Deadly Slips appear nearby, doors and windows won’t stop them.”

Yan Hongsha dejectedly climbed into bed and, after a while, asked: “Can I leave the light on?”

Mu Dai snuggled deeper into the blanket, pulling the edge over her eyes: “Sure.”

Despite saying this, it was hard to sleep soundly with the light on. After lying there for a while, she couldn’t help reaching for her phone, seeing a message from Luo Ren.

“Try to delay your journey. I’ll be there soon.”

I’ll be there soon.

She clutched her phone, gently pressing it to her chest, thinking: If only Luo Ren were here.

Cao Yanhua and Yi Wansan were packing again. With their previous experience, they packed much more efficiently this time.

Cao Yanhua asked Yi Wansan to inform Zhang Shu: “I just got back, and now I’m leaving again. Zhang Shu will fire me. I don’t even dare to face him. Brother San, why don’t you tell him for me?”

Yi Wansan said, “You think I dare? He’s known me longer, so he’ll scold me even more harshly.”

They decided to leave a sincere note, attaching it to the bunk bed frame with transparent tape.

In the note, they begged Zhang Shu: Though they were skipping out again and probably couldn’t keep their room, please at least leave the bunk bed for them so they’d have somewhere to sleep when they returned.

After finishing, they turned off the lights, held their breath, and slipped out of the bar’s back door in the darkness, heading straight for Luo Ren’s place.

Luo Ren was already prepared, waiting only for their arrival before departing. Uncle Zheng was helping Luo Ren load luggage into the trunk. Seeing Cao Yanhua and Yi Wansan, he looked annoyed: “I don’t understand what you’re doing. Some shareholders you are—everyone’s disappeared within a day or two. Is this Phoenix Tower going to open or not?”

“It will, it will!” Cao Yanhua nodded hastily and exercised his shareholder authority: “Uncle Zheng, sorry to trouble you during the renovation. I’ll give you a bonus! We’ll make it back for the opening!”

The car finally slowly drove out of the ancient city. Cao Yanhua leaned back in his seat, reflecting: “I feel like a successful person now, overwhelmed with work, stretched too thin.”

Suddenly daydreaming, he continued: “Brother Luo, my rich lady sister and her friends are going treasure hunting, and the third Deadly Slip might be near where they’re hunting—if only we could bring back some gems on this trip…”

He elbowed Yi Wansan: “I heard there are many gems in the treasure well—rose diamonds, cat’s eyes, amber. If we could score some, we could open a karaoke place next to Phoenix Tower when we get back…”

Yi Wansan glanced at him askance: “You’re quite optimistic. You think this is a pleasure trip? Chubby, be serious. This is no joke—we could lose our lives.”

Mu Dai’s group had left early by plane. With Luo Ren driving, even without stopping, they’d still arrive more than a day behind, so they tried to minimize breaks.

Near dawn, Cao Yanhua noticed Luo Ren’s fatigue and volunteered to take over, guaranteeing he had a license.

Luo Ren was skeptical but genuinely exhausted, so he let Cao Yanhua try driving for a while. He seemed adequate—not great technically, but getting the car moving was victory enough.

Luo Ren said, “I’ll sleep for a while, then you can switch with me.”

To make Luo Ren more comfortable, Yi Wansan voluntarily moved to the passenger seat, leaving the back seat for Luo Ren. Since Yi Wansan couldn’t drive and Luo Ren was the main driver, they naturally wanted him to rest comfortably.

After driving all night, the car had entered Guizhou territory, where not three feet of land is flat, so bumps were inevitable.

At first, Luo Ren couldn’t sleep. Cao Yanhua kept chattering to Yi Wansan, first urging him to learn martial arts, then advising him to learn driving. After a while, though, the sound became hypnotic, and Luo Ren finally drifted off.

He didn’t know how much time had passed when the car suddenly jolted. Luo Ren nearly flew off the seat but managed to grab the door to steady himself. Yi Wansan had been dozing in front and would have been thrown forward if not for his seatbelt.

It was broad daylight.

Yi Wansan shouted: “Chubby Cao, do you even know how to drive? Are you crazy?!”

Luo Ren felt groggy. He steadied himself against the door and heard Cao Yanhua’s tearful voice: “I hit someone, Wansan! I hit someone!”

Shit!

Luo Ren’s heart tightened. Without thinking, he pushed open the door and got out.

The wind was strong, blowing sand and dust that made it hard to see. After a moment, he opened his eyes to look.

It was a dirt road with bare earth hills on both sides. Perhaps because it was still early, there were no other vehicles. Looking ahead and behind, theirs was the only car stopped.

Yi Wansan also got out, running back and forth to look, then, puzzled, said: “There’s no one here.”

This reminded Luo Ren. There was no one in front or behind, no blood, only tire marks from braking on the dirt road. Checking the front of the car, it was spotless, without any scratches or dents.

Cao Yanhua still sat in the driver’s seat, deathly pale and trembling all over.

Yi Wansan muttered, “Maybe you saw wrong.”

Something clicked in Luo Ren’s mind.

Strong wind, sandy road, dust being stirred up…

Cao Yanhua could see things on the earth!

Luo Ren went over and patted Cao Yanhua’s shoulder: “Chubby Cao, you didn’t hit anyone. There’s no one on the road. If you don’t believe me, come see for yourself.”

Cao Yanhua looked up, half believing, his legs shaking as he leaned on the door to get out.

The wind grew stronger. Looking forward: endless sand and earth. Looking back: endless earth and sand.

Luo Ren smiled reassuringly: “Relax, you didn’t hit anyone.”

Cao Yanhua sighed deeply in relief, but as he recalled what he’d seen, his face grew even paler.

Luo Ren asked him: “What did you see?”

Yi Wansan chimed in: “Chubby Cao, you represent ‘earth.’ Last time you saw divine guidance in the dust from a broom. What did you see this time? Was it the Sweep-Clear Lady again?”

Cao Yanhua looked guiltily at Luo Ren.

Luo Ren found this strange: “What’s wrong?”

Cao Yanhua said softly: “It was Little Master, Sister’s Little Master… Brother Luo, what I saw coming at us was Sister’s Little Master…”

As agreed yesterday, the driver came early to pick them up. Remembering Luo Ren’s instruction to “delay as much as possible,” Mu Dai indirectly asked the driver to drive slower.

The driver thought she was concerned about his driving skills and boasted of his many years of experience: “Don’t worry, even faster would be no problem.”

Mu Dai used Old Man Yan as an excuse: “It’s not that. We have an elderly person in the car, so please drive slower.”

The driver nodded in understanding and drove so smoothly and steadily that everyone became drowsy.

It was just then that Luo Ren’s call came through.

Mu Dai said, “I’m fine.”

She laughed: “How could we not take a car? We can only go by car. What’s wrong?”

Not wanting to frighten her, Luo Ren was silent for a moment before saying, “Don’t stand in the middle of the road. Always keep an eye on vehicles. If a car approaches, move far away. Understand?”

These were all common sense. Why was Luo Ren emphasizing them so solemnly?

After hanging up, Mu Dai was silent for a while, then asked Old Man Yan: “Grandfather, after reaching Four Stockades, will we need to ride in cars for much longer?”

Before Old Man Yan could answer, the driver burst into laughter.

“Four Stockades? Miss, beyond Four Stockades, there aren’t many roads left. You’d be lucky to find tractors, mule carts, or motorcycles. In some places, you can only rely on your two feet. What cars would there be for you to ride?”