noffsinger Chapter 116: The Salvation of the Dead Unveils a Shocking Secret!
Chapter 116: The Salvation of the Dead Unveils a Shocking Secret!
The next morning, Lu Jingchen arrived at the Cloud Top Hotel again.
After a night of ventilation, the chill in the hotel had mostly dissipated. Sunlight streamed through the glass walls into the lobby, casting a warm glow on the floor. The once lifeless hotel had finally come alive again.
Lin Zhengxiong and all the remaining employees were waiting in the lobby early. Upon seeing Lu Jingchen and Su Muyue enter, everyone bowed respectfully: "Greetings, Master Lu!"
"Don't be shy, everyone." Lu Jingchen smiled. "Get ready, we're going to the 18th floor."
The corridor on the 18th floor had been cleaned, and Lu Jingchen set up a simple altar in the middle of the corridor. He took out three incense sticks, lit them, and placed them in the incense burner. Then he formed a mudra with his hands and chanted incantations.
As he chanted his incantation, a faint golden light emanated from his body, enveloping the entire 18th floor.
The air, which had been somewhat chilly, instantly became warm.
Two white figures slowly appeared before the altar; they were Chen Yu and Li Xue. Their faces were no longer deathly pale, and their eyes had become much more peaceful.
"Master Lu, thank you." Chen Yu bowed deeply to Lu Jingchen. "Thank you for helping us get justice, so we can travel in peace now."
Li Xue also bowed and said softly, "Thank you, Master Lu. Thank you for helping me clarify the rumors."
"You're welcome." Lu Jingchen nodded. "Wang Qiang has been arrested and will be sentenced soon. Chairman Lin will also handle your funeral arrangements, so you can rest assured."
Chen Yu nodded, took out the half of the jade pendant from her bosom, and handed it to Lu Jingchen: "Master Lu, I would like to give you this half of the jade pendant. Actually, my father was murdered not only because of shoddy workmanship and that stone tablet."
Lu Jingchen took the jade pendant and looked at her with a puzzled expression: "Is there another reason?"
"Hmm." Chen Yu's expression turned serious. "My father wrote in his diary that he discovered Wang Qiang was associating with a group of masked people. Those people wore black clothes and always came late at night, going directly to the third basement level of the hotel. My father secretly followed them once and overheard them talking about things like 'dragon's lair,' 'sacrifice,' and 'mystical sect.'"
"My dad said those people were dangerous. They were looking for something, and the Genting Hotel was just one of their bases. That black stone tablet was planted by Wang Qiang to suppress the earth's energy here. My dad was silenced because he overheard these things. Wang Qiang was just an executor; the real masterminds were those masked people."
"Xuanmen?" Lu Jingchen frowned. He had grown up with his master since childhood and had never heard of this organization.
"My father also said that these jade pendants are tokens, and there are two of them. The other half is with those masked people. They've been looking for the person who has the other half of the pendant, and he told me not to take it out under any circumstances." Chen Yu continued, "Master Lu, you're a good person, but those people are very dangerous. You must be careful with them while you're holding this half of the pendant."
After she finished speaking, her and Li Xue's figures gradually became transparent.
"Master Lu, we should go now."
Goodbye, Master Lu.
Two flashes of white light appeared, and their figures vanished completely into thin air.
The golden light faded, and the last trace of gloom in the 18th floor dissipated. Sunlight streamed in through the windows, illuminating the floor with warmth and brightness.
The bizarre incident that had plagued the Genting Hotel for three months has finally been completely resolved.
"Master Lu, thank you so much!" Lin Zhengxiong excitedly grasped Lu Jingchen's hand. "From today onwards, the Cloud Top Hotel will be your second home! You are welcome to come anytime, and all expenses will be covered! In addition, I have transferred 30% of the hotel's shares to your name, which is what you deserve."
Lu Jingchen quickly waved his hand: "Chairman Lin, I can't accept the shares. I'm helping you, not for the money."
"No! You must accept it!" Lin Zhengxiong's attitude was firm. "If it weren't for you, the Genting Hotel would have closed down long ago, and my daughter wouldn't have been saved. This amount of shares is not enough to express my gratitude. If you don't accept it, I will feel bad."
After much hesitation, Lu Jingchen finally accepted the shares. He figured he could use the dividends from these shares to maintain the martial arts association's operation and help more people who love traditional martial arts.
It was already afternoon when they left the Cloud Top Hotel. Lu Jingchen and Su Muyue returned to the school, and as soon as they entered the school gate, they were surrounded by students from the Martial Arts Association.
"Brother Lu! You're amazing! Not only did you defeat the Muay Thai champion, but you also solved the haunting incident at the Genting Hotel!"
"Brother Lu, you're a legend at our school now!"
"We've thrown you a celebration banquet at a restaurant near the school. Come on, let's go celebrate!"
Ma Xiaodong and Shi Lei each grabbed Lu Jingchen on either side and dragged him to the restaurant without saying a word.
At the celebration banquet, everyone was very happy and kept toasting Lu Jingchen. Lu Jingchen also relaxed for once and drank a few glasses of wine.
But in his heart, he kept thinking about what Chen Yu had said.
Xuanmen? Dragon's lair? Sacrifice? And the other half of the jade pendant?
What exactly do these things mean? His master had never mentioned them to him.
When they returned to the dormitory that night, Ma Xiaodong and the others were all drunk and snoring loudly.
Lu Jingchen lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep. He took out the two jade pendants that had been pieced together and examined them carefully by the light of the lamp.
The jade pendant is made of top-grade Hetian white jade, with a warm and smooth texture, and is engraved with an ancient character "Chen". Apart from this, there is nothing special about it.
Just then, there was a knock on the dormitory door.
"Knock knock knock".
Lu Jingchen was taken aback. Who would be knocking on the door so late at night?
He got up and opened the door. There was no one at the door, only a black delivery box on the ground.
The package contained no sender information or address; only the recipient's name, "Lu Jingchen," was written on it.
Lu Jingchen picked up the package with a puzzled look and went back to his dorm to open it.
There was only one faded old photograph inside.
The photo shows two young men standing in front of a Taoist temple deep in the mountains. The one on the left, dressed in coarse cloth and with a kind smile, is Lu Jingchen's master.
The man on the right wore a bronze mask that covered most of his face, revealing only a pair of cold eyes. In his hand, he held the other half of a jade pendant that was exactly the same as the one in Lu Jingchen's hand.
On the back of the photo, two crooked words were written in pen:
Dragon's lair.
Lu Jingchen's pupils contracted sharply, and he almost dropped the photo in his hand.
Master... actually knows people from the Xuanmen sect?
What exactly is going on?
He looked up at the dark night sky outside the window, his expression becoming extremely solemn.
He knew that Chen Yu was right; those people really did exist.