Chapter 547: 341. The Joy of Watching Opera_3

Qing Chen expertly started a campfire, then sat beside it with the old man, waiting for Hu Xiaoniu and Li Ke to set up the tent.

The warmth of the campfire made them both feel toasty, as if their skins were swelling up from the heat.

After an indeterminate amount of time, the old man sitting on the stool slowly closed his eyes and his body started to lean over to one side.

Fortunately, Qing Chen was quick to react and prevented the old man from falling to the ground.

Qing Chen, feeling the man’s pulse, found it was already very weak.

“Old man? Old man, wake up!” Qing Chen shouted as he pinched the old man’s philtrum.

The old man slowly opened his eyes: “I’m fine. Just suddenly felt a bit sleepy.”

Qing Chen knew it was more than just sleepiness.

The life of this old man was indeed coming to an end, and it was only by sheer willpower that he had been able to feign death and have a look at the sunrise and trees.

The next second, the old man said weakly, “Let go of my philtrum first. You’re too strong; you’re going to strangle me to death.”

Qing Chen could not help but laugh and cry: “Aren’t I just worried that you might not make it halfway?”

The old man sat up straight and said, “Don’t worry, I won’t die before I’ve fulfilled my wish.”

Qing Chen fell silent, the old man now like the lingering light of a sunset, its rays and the red disc swiftly descending towards the horizon.

Suddenly, the old man asked, “Did your master take you through here once? I see remnants of a campfire nearby, though they have been scattered by the wind and rain, but the grass still hasn’t grown back.”

Qing Chen thought for a moment and replied, “My master and I camped here after leaving Prison 18. Back then, we trekked for three days and three nights. This time, we arrived in one day by car. According to the plan, we will reach the edge of Taboo Land No. 002 in six days.”

“I envy you. If only I could have become a Knight,” the old man said with a smile.

Just at that moment, the roar of an engine came from a distance.

Qing Chen was startled; he didn’t need to guess who was coming.

From City 18, there are actually three routes to reach Taboo Land No. 002, and he didn’t expect that the Freemasonry had chosen the same route as them.

Or perhaps, they had come specifically for them.

Qing Chen glanced at Hu Xiaoniu: “Unload the firearms from the car and hand them over to me. If they stop later, you handle it. Old man, stick on your beard. I’m afraid you’ll scare them.”

The convoy arrived quickly, stopping right next to Qing Chen’s camp.

Qi Duo and Zhang Lanjin jumped down from their vehicle, greeting them with warm and polite expressions, as if they didn’t recognize Hu Xiaoniu, “Good evening, everyone. It’s getting late, and this seems like the most suitable place for camping nearby. Would it be all right if we set up camp next to you?”

Qing Chen pondered why these two were pretending not to know Hu Xiaoniu.

That’s right, they were unsure of the identity of the people on his side, as well as whether the ‘big shots from Qing’s Family’ knew that Hu Xiaoniu was a Time Traveler. So they didn’t acknowledge him rashly, to avoid causing Hu Xiaoniu trouble.

If that’s what they were thinking, then these people were actually showing kindness toward Hu Xiaoniu.

At this point, the old man chuckled and said, “Of course, you can. Please feel free to do as you like.”

Qing Chen looked at the old man in surprise and whispered, “What if there’s any danger?”

“What danger could there be from a group of high school students,” the old man whispered back. “Besides, I’ve always been curious what a Time Traveler is like. In the past, it was always Li Yunyi who dealt with them, and I never got the chance to interact with them myself. Isn’t this a perfect opportunity?”

Realization dawned on Qing Chen: “So, Li Yunjing is actually with us, right?”

“No,” the old man shook his head.

“I don’t believe it,” Qing Chen firmly sensed that the old man was full of confidence, seemingly unconcerned about any danger.

When the Freemasonry was setting up camp, the old man even got up, walked around their camp with his hands behind his back, mingling like an old acquaintance, and was enthusiastically chatting with a group of young female students.

Watching the girls giggling and the old man’s charm undiminished from his younger days, Qing Chen quietly observed all this, unsure of how to react for a moment.

He wondered whether he should take a different route tomorrow to shake off this group.

Before long, the old man turned and called out to Qing Chen, “Grandson, these youngsters are also going to visit Taboo Land No. 002. We could travel together; more people makes it merrier!”

Qing Chen: “…”

What was this all about!

Even with the expert Li Yunjing hidden away to protect them, the old man couldn’t be this capricious!

Qing Chen felt the old man knew that the others were his classmates and had deliberately found an opportunity to travel together, then to see how he and they interacted.

Enjoying the spectacle of it all.

And he always felt that the old man’s calling him was deliberately trying to insult him!

Qing Chen walked over to the Freemason’s campsite and asked Qi Duo and the others, “Are you going to Taboo Land No. 002 as well?”

Zhang Lanjin nodded and said, “Yes, we want to see the legendary towering tree. We’ll just take a look from a distance without entering the Taboo Land. What about you? Why are you going there?”

Qing Chen replied, “We are also going to visit.”

Qi Duo, looking at Hu Xiaoniu and Li Ke still setting up tents, suddenly asked, “Those two, are they your Servants?”

Qing Chen laughed. At this moment, he was in the guise of Zard, so they had not recognized him.

Now, these people thought he was a Native of the Inner World, and they even tried to inquire about Hu Xiaoniu’s identity in the Outer World through him!

He said, “Yes, they are our Servants. Why, do you know them?”

“No no, just asking,” Qi Duo and Zhang Lanjin exchanged a glance and smiled, “We were just asking casually.”

Qing Chen suddenly felt interested too, pretending to be a Native of the Inner World in front of a group of Time Travelers seemed quite entertaining…

But just then, he saw Jiang Yichen, who was sneakily hiding in the crowd, feeling shy when looking at him…

Qing Chen spoke out, “Hey, isn’t that my neighbor?”

Jiang Yichen’s face changed. Honestly, he never expected to run into the owner of the ‘Ghost house’ right across his door out in the wilderness!

…

A chapter of 5000 words, 10,000 words updated, with the additional updates promised for being first in the August monthly ticket leaderboard all completed.

I need monthly tickets!

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on Novlove.com