Heart sank, I didn't call again, and my alertness suddenly increased a lot.
I got up from the bed, and I didn't use my right arm again. I picked up a razor with my left hand.
Cautiously, I approached the door.
At that very moment, a faint knocking sound caught my attention.
"Brother Luo, you are awake?" The hoarse voice, strange but familiar, wasn't it Zhang Guo?
Frowning, I put away the razor and reached out to pull open the door.
Standing outside the door, it was still a thin man. Although his appearance had changed, his demeanor and temperament were identical to Zhang Guo's.
It was actually not strange.
This is not strange. There are many specific details to the concept of borrowing a body to regain consciousness.
For example, the body and the soul are similar and close. After borrowing a body to regain consciousness, the constraints on the soul are smaller, and it can better exert its strength.
"Brother Luo." Zhang Guo's face was beaming with smiles.
My expression, however, was extremely calm, even with a touch of coldness.
"This..." Zhang Guo seemed slightly unnatural.
"Please don't mind, Brother Luo. Last night, before you went to the hospital, you were using your phone all the time. After that, you went in for a long time without coming out. Qiu Wei is careful and cautious, so he left temporarily."
"Brother Luo, you understand that carefulness is the key to longevity. He was taking care of things below, and he couldn't afford to let his guard down."
"As soon as he came back and reported to me, I quickly left. My body was still not well-tempered."
"I know that Brother Luo will be fine, so I need to explain and apologize to Brother Luo in person."
Zhang Guo's words were extremely sincere.
I only nodded, and the displeasure on my face dispersed.
Of course, this displeasure was also intentional on my part.
Zhang Guo's words also relieved me.
In fact, it was not because the Ghost Chamber organization discovered something, but rather that Qiu Wei was being cautious.
"Brother Luo, have there been any messages from Brother Zhao Xī?" I diverted the conversation.
Zhang Guo's demeanor improved as well, because I did not lose my temper.
However, he shook his head and frowned, saying: "There were no news last night, I don't know what the situation is now. A lot of people have gathered at the village gate, but I haven't let them in."
"We have to wait until nightfall to see if Brother Luo and Brother Zhao Xī can escape."
"I think... it might be a case of losing more than we gain. Losing them two is a heavy price to pay."
At this point, Zhang Guo's face was complex to the extreme.
I was equally silent, my eyes filled with reluctance and a touch of regret.
"It's because I ignored Mother. If I had spoken up earlier, we wouldn't have had to go on this trip..."
"Brother Luo, if you continue to blame yourself like this, where will I be placed?" Zhang Guo's expression was bitter.
It was evident that he was referring to his own disobedience at the time.
I merely managed a wry smile, still saying nothing more.
A complete show should be performed to be more realistic.
A few seconds later, Zhang Guo heaved a sigh and said, "However, to be fair, while the loss is great, we did not come back empty-handed. We have ruled out the medium between Zhao Kang and the Plague Ghost. That leaves only the remaining souls he has scattered. We still need to go to Qi's Village."
"Brother Luo, let me take you to one place first."
After speaking, Zhang Guo made a gesture of invitation.
I hesitated for a moment before asking, "Brother Zhang, where are we going?"
Zhang Guo smiled and continued, "Actually, this time, you could have left me behind and gone directly, but you didn't. That shows your attitude towards us. The place I'm taking you to is one that will allow you to trust us more and be more willing to join us."
At that moment, my heart sank even more.
With the surface relationship with Zhang Guo having been closened to this extent, if I were to refuse now, it would inevitably damage some feelings.
But once I go, I'll be roasted on a spit.
By then, there will only be two paths before me: either to join the Ghost Chamber or continue to refuse.
Refusing there would likely not just be a destruction of the newly established "feelings" but also an act of disrespect.
Despite my thoughts, I did not show it on my face but instead said, "Brother Zhang, I feel it's not right."
"Where's the problem?"
I let Zhang Guo into the house, looked around the passage again cautiously, and then closed the door.
"Brother Luo and Brother Zhao Xī's whereabouts are unknown, which is the place that's not right. They've gotten into trouble, and I'm joining the Ghost Chamber. How would their people think about it? How would Qiu Wei and others think about it?"
"Then, how would your superiors think?" I said solemnly.
"Brother Luo, you can rest assured that I can guarantee that there will be no..." Zhang Guo replied with certainty.
However, before he finished speaking, I interrupted him.
"The hearts of men are unfathomable. I trust Brother Zhang, but I can't trust others. Please, Brother Zhang, understand."
"I still feel that we need a final conclusion for the matter before moving forward. Otherwise, it will all be a potential hazard." I shook my head, speaking decisively.
Zhang Guo did not show any sign of displeasure. After a moment's consideration, he nodded and said, "Brother Luo is so worried that there is no reason for it. Let's wait outside Qi's Village."
In my mind: "……"
Zhang Guo's words and actions were binding me, and even if we wait outside Qi's Village for results and don't find anything, he will still bring up the topic of joining the Ghost Chamber.
In fact, the best scenario is for me to maintain our current relationship with Zhang Guo, neither destroying it nor furthering it.
This way, the benefits to me are maximized.
If the supervisory Taoist wants to kill me, I can still drag the Ghost Chamber into the water!
"Brother Zhang, I will not go to Qi's Village for the time being. I will leave your contact information, and once I have taken care of some matters at hand, I will find you. Is that all right?" I spoke again, declining Zhang Guo's proposal.
"This..." Zhang Guo furrowed his brow slightly before saying, "You have injuries, and you are being watched by both the supervisory Taoist and the Xiang Shi. Added to that, being with us will certainly make them more vigilant towards you, and they might even take extreme measures. If you travel alone, it's easy to encounter trouble."
Zhang Guo's worry in his eyes is not false.
I smiled and said, "They have been watching me for a while. However, there is always a way. It's not right to be confined by them just because they are watching us."
"Brother Luo is quite relaxed in your thinking, and you're right," Zhang Guo nodded. "Still, I advise you to take care of your own safety as much as possible. If you encounter any problems, you can contact me. The Ghost Chamber has set up many outlets in Jin Yang City. If something truly happens, I can guide you to get there, and we can turn danger into safety. I'll head to Qi's Village as soon as possible."
Later, we exchanged contact information before Zhang Guo left.
I looked out of the window to see the street below, watching as Zhang Guo got into a car by the side of the road, and only then did I feel relieved.
If I hadn't smelled the smell of rotting flesh earlier and had directly called Jingying, there's a possibility that Zhang Guo might have detected the issue.
Later, I didn't return Jingying's phone call.
I just sent a message saying that I couldn't return to the village temporarily because I had some other things to deal with.
And I warned her not to have too much curiosity in the village, and as long as it doesn't concern her, she should try not to get involved.
Jingying did not reply to me immediately.
I suddenly thought of something else: Tang Quan hadn't told Jingying about the old Gonghead, had he?
Had she not gone to the village to ask around herself?
