Chapter 64: Emma Peed Her Pants

  "I'll beat you to death, you little beast! You actually dare to help that Cheng Zi Han! Don't you care about your mother's life? Have you forgotten the honor of our family?" In a room at the Wangcheng Tianhai Hotel, Zhou Ziran was kneeling on the ground with his upper body exposed, while Zhou Mingxuan's belt whipped down on him again and again. Qin Hongwei sat beside them, expressionless.

  Zhou Ziran ruined his good deed and must be punished, so he deliberately pushed Qin Jing away to let Zhou Mingxuan give him an explanation.

  Zhou Ziran remained tight-lipped, saying nothing.

  "Zhou Ziran! I'm so disappointed in you!" Zhou Mingxuan finally stopped hitting him, and scolded him with a pained expression.

  Zhou Ziran still gritted his teeth and remained silent.

  Qin Hongwei glanced at him faintly, this kid's mouth was quite hard, but he was too emotional and impulsive, people like that would never achieve great things.

  Thinking of this, he glanced at Zhou Mingxuan and said, "I think I'll just send him there. After a few years, he'll definitely become ruthless and cruel enough to kill even his own relatives."

  When he heard Qin Hongwei's words, Zhou Mingxuan shuddered violently.

  He naturally knew where that place was, and if Zhou Ziran went there, he might even lose his life.

  But it's indeed a place to temper people.

  He glanced at Zhou Ziran and snorted: "Since Secretary Qin has spoken, send him over first thing tomorrow morning!"

  Zhou Ziran still bit his teeth and remained silent.

  The place Qin Hongwei mentioned is a secret institution established by the government, where there is the most rigorous and cruel training in the world. Everyone who comes out after entering will become a ruthless and bloodthirsty killing machine that recognizes no kinship.

  These people, as long as they can survive and come out, will become the country's top talents, responsible for assassinating the heads of state or important government officials of other countries. They are also responsible for collecting relevant intelligence from other countries.

  For these people, the treatment given by the country is extremely generous, but for those who go in, usually only one out of a hundred can come out alive.

  In the country, some people who have committed serious crimes are sent there for reform. In order to survive, they will stop at nothing and even ruthlessly kill their comrades-in-arms, completely annihilating humanity.

  So there, except for yourself, no one is trustworthy, sometimes even yourself can't be trusted.

  Although Zhou Mingxuan was very disappointed with Zhou Ziran, among his many children, Zhou Ziran's talent and ability were the ones he appreciated and liked the most. He really couldn't bear to see him go to his death.

  But Zhou Ziran had changed since he went to Li's village, went to Shoutou Elementary School, and met Cheng Zihan. He became indecisive and soft-hearted, which was not what he wanted to see!

  So sending him there is also feasible.

  "En." Having received Zhou Mingxuan's approval, Qin Hongwei glanced at Zhou Ziran again with a faint smile and a cold laugh before leaving their room.

  When she went out, she saw Qin Jing standing at the door with her teeth clenched, apparently having overheard what they had just said.

  "Jingjing." Qin Hongwei sighed and called out his daughter's name.

  Qin Jing looked at Qin Hongwei and asked in confusion: "Dad, why? Ziran is only fourteen years old, how can you be so cruel?"

  Qin Jing was still young, but she understood many things very clearly. She naturally knew what place Qin Hongwei and the others were talking about.

  That place is clearly a purgatory for humans and is absolutely not a place where people should stay.

  After her brother Zhi Ran went in, she was afraid that he would come out even more unrecognizable.

  "Jingjing, born into such a family, sometimes you can't choose your own future. If you weren't a daughter, your fate might be like Zhiran's. Some things are cruel and realistic, but you have to face them. I know you like Zhou Zhiran, but he has to go, and only by going can he save his life! Alright, I won't say more. It's late now, go back and rest." Qin Hongwei looked deeply at Qin Jing. He loved Qin Jing dearly and didn't want her to suffer even a bit. As long as it was something she liked, he would try his best to give it to her, letting her live in a carefree environment since childhood. But, since she was born into the Qin family, the path ahead wouldn't be hers to choose."

  Qin Jing lowered her head and didn't say a word. She took a glance at the tightly closed door, but in the end she obediently listened to Qin Hongwei's words and went back to her own room to rest.

  Zhou Mingxuan glanced at Zhou Ziran and sighed, "From tomorrow on, whether you live or die will depend on your own luck."

  Zhou Mingxuan finished speaking and left the room, leaving Zhou Ziran alone kneeling there.

  At this moment, his mind was filled with Cheng Zihan's disappointed gaze. She must be very angry with herself, and she must dislike herself very much.

  He really wanted to go find Cheng Zihan to explain, but in fact, he had indeed done those things. How could he explain? Should he tell Cheng Zihan everything? Would she still believe in herself?

  Zhou Ziran only felt a heart full of bitterness, tomorrow, he would go to that place, maybe, never come back, suddenly wanted to see her again.

  Cheng Zihan returned from the mountain, her mood has not been good since then. In addition to being disappointed by Zhou Ziran, she was also worried about the zombies in the ancient tomb on the mountain.

  Cheng Hai transplanted a few more yellow flower pear trees back, adding to the previous one, now there are five in total. After searching the entire mountain, no more were found.

  In addition to the Huang Hua Li tree, they also brought back some medicinal herbs that are unique to the mountains, as well as some other valuable and high-quality tree species.

  Cheng Hai first led people to be in charge of planting. He planted for half his life and naturally understood more about the land than Cheng Zihang did.

  Cheng Zihan has already added some Tiancan spirit liquid to the soil, so when planting trees, there is no need to worry about them not coming back to life.

  Han Yi walked over and saw Cheng Zihan lying on the table, he couldn't help but walk closer, "Zihan, what's wrong?"

  "Ah, Han Yi, how did you get here?" Cheng Zihan was startled by Han Yi's voice and jumped up, not paying attention, she bumped into him again, her head hurt so much that tears welled up in her eyes.

  Han Yi's situation wasn't much better, his chin was bumped by Cheng Zihan, but seeing Cheng Zihan like that, he couldn't help but smile.

  Seeing her in such a flustered and lovely state, he always had an inexplicable sense of satisfaction.

  "I'm fine, I'm fine. It's just that today's events made me a bit worried, and I don't know if Qin Hongwei will take any other actions. This person always makes people feel uneasy." Cheng Zihan waved her hand at Han Yi, but deliberately avoided his gaze.

  Han Yi's gaze was too eerie, as if he could easily see through her thoughts, making her feel like there was nowhere to hide.

  Han Yi sat down, looking at Cheng Ziheng, raising his eyebrows, "He won't use this trick again. Even if he doesn't think the move is outdated, the police station people won't listen to his command again. This time they returned empty-handed, I think next time he will secretly bring people to sneak into the mountain and check the authenticity of that ancient tomb. Whether there will be other moves, it's hard to say."

  Han Yi had investigated Qin Hongwei for many years and naturally understood his character very well.

  Cheng Zihan furrowed his brow upon hearing this, and Mangcang's words began to echo in his ears again. Those monsters would awaken once they had absorbed enough human energy, and the consequences were too terrible to contemplate - he feared that the innocent villagers at the foot of the mountain would all be slaughtered.

  Cheng Zihan really didn't want to be a savior, but if she clearly knew that those people would get into trouble and die, yet she couldn't bear to watch them die without helping.

  After all, those people did not offend her, they were just innocent ordinary people.

  Thinking about it made her head ache, she lay on the table with a worried face, "Let him go and check." Better for them to be eaten by zombies!

  Cheng Zihan had some vicious thoughts, but thinking about it again, she felt that something was off. If the zombies really ate them and came out, then if she couldn't deal with those zombies now, what would she do?

  It seems that in the past, zombies were afraid of black donkey hooves. Why not go buy some back? See if they're still afraid. And what about black dog blood, I reckon it should work too.

  Just as Cheng Ziheng was indulging in his fantasy, Qin Kesu's voice suddenly came out, "Cheng Ziheng, don't even think about it, it's absolutely impossible! Not even I am afraid of those things, do you think a mere several hundred years old zombie would be afraid?"

  Qin Ke's words undoubtedly gave Cheng Zihan a huge blow.

  Han Yi looked at Cheng Zihan for a while with a fierce and vicious expression, then again with a drooping face and a sulky look, and couldn't help but feel curious.

  "Zi Han, what's going on?" He always felt that since the day she came back from the mountain, she had become a bit strange.

  Cheng Zihan looked up at Han Yi, smiled wryly and continued to lie down, "I'm fine, Han Yi you go back and rest first, let me be quiet for a while."

  It's getting late and Cheng Hai hasn't returned yet, looking at the dark sky, Cheng Zihan is also worried.

  Han Yi saw that Cheng Zihan seemed unwilling to speak and did not force her, so he took his leave and left first.

  Cheng Zixi walked out of the room at this time, looking like she hadn't woken up yet. Seeing Cheng Zihan lying on the table, she also ran over and sat in a chair, lying down to look at Cheng Zihan.

  "Sister, what's wrong?" Cheng Zixi asked, tilting her head as she looked at Cheng Zihan.

  Cheng Zihan reached out and gently touched her head, saying nothing.

  Soon, Cheng Hai came back and saw that the two girls were still awake, so he scolded them a few more times.

  Cheng Zihan hastily pulled Cheng Zixi into the room.

  Cheng Zixi was originally sleepy and fell asleep on the bed for a while, but Cheng Zihan rolled around and couldn't sleep.

  She thought for a moment and then entered the Tree Spirit Space.

  Mang Cang was sitting under a big tree drinking tea and chatting with Qin Kexiu at this time, saw Cheng Zihan coming in, and beckoned to her.

  Cheng Zihan walked over and sat down, "Mangcang, Xiu, I'm almost worried to death, how can you still have the heart to drink tea?"

  "This matter doesn't require your concern, just do your own thing and many things have their own destiny. I've calculated that this disaster will be resolved by fate, a noble person destined for you will appear, and his appearance will not only resolve the current crisis but also bring you endless benefits." Ma Cang stroked his chin, this guy had recently started doing something strange, he even grew a small goatee like someone else's, looking quite peculiar.

  "Really?" Cheng Zihan was skeptical.

  "Naturally, that person will appear in about three days. You don't need to worry excessively now, just focus on making your money. There are many precious medicinal herbs left behind by the ancient civilization in the space, many of which can no longer be found nowadays. When you're bored, go dig some up and cultivate them." Mang Cang smiled at Cheng Zihan, his tone was extremely firm.

  Cheng Zihan believed in Mangcang's words. Since he said that a destined noble person would appear, then there must be a noble person.

  She's also busy preparing for exams these days, isn't the exam in three days?

  It really is a coincidence.

  With Mangcang's guarantee, Cheng Zihan finally felt at ease.

  "You should intensify your cultivation now." Mang Cang added, glancing at Cheng Zihan.

  Cheng Zihan nodded, "How should I cultivate?"

  She gave him a stern look, "Didn't I give you the secret manual for spiritual cultivation? Where did you lose it?"

  Cheng Zihan thought for a moment, then suddenly remembered something, and hastily nodded before running to the side to sit down and start cultivating.

  In the Tree Spirit space, time seemed to pass more slowly than outside. After cultivating for an evening, Cheng Zihang felt that his vision had become broader, his hearing had improved, and his perception ability had also increased significantly.

  In order not to let her family discover that she was gone early, Cheng Zihan hurriedly left the Tree Spirit Space. But in her heart, she thought, when can I directly enter with my consciousness and leave my body outside, so as not to arouse suspicion.

  But she just thought about it.

  After coming out, Cheng Zihan took a look at the time and it was not yet six o'clock, but both Cheng Hai and Li Lan were already up.

  Another day's work is about to begin.

  The village has now officially notified that as long as they finish this autumn harvest season, they can find their own jobs afterwards and do not need to complete the indicators set by the village. It is said that the province has formally issued a document.

  It's better this way, so in the future Cheng Hai and Li Lan can focus on taking care of the plantation.

  During this time, Li Lan was the only one busy with the tasks assigned by her family, but it exhausted her.

  The two of them finished their breakfast and went out directly.

  Cheng Zihan took advantage of their departure and also went out.

  She wants to go into the mountains to take a look and see where those ancient tombs are located, and also take a look at what's inside the tombs.

  In the village, he found someone to drive him and took himself to Lao Ya Mountain. Cheng Zihan did not go to inform Han Yi.

  The old crow mountain was very quiet in the early morning, with thick fog, and it was impossible to see the situation on the mountain.

  Cheng Zihan got off the car and let the driver wait at the foot of the mountain. She went into the mountain alone.

  The visibility in the mountain was a bit low, Cheng Zihans walked cautiously forward, she didn't know where the cemetery was, but there was a strange feeling in her heart that guided her forward.

  She suddenly felt a loud alarm in her heart, because that feeling of unease had suddenly become more intense.

  Cheng Zihan stopped in her tracks and looked around, feeling a bit puzzled.

  What's going on? Why did I suddenly feel so uneasy in my heart?

  Just wanted to continue forward, but found that feet can't move anymore.

  Cheng Zihan looked down in confusion and found that some strange plants had grown on the ground at some point, tying up her feet, making it impossible for her to move forward.

  It's all over!

  Cheng Zihan felt his vitality slowly leaving his body, and that damned plant was actually absorbing people's vital energy!

  Without hesitation, Cheng Zihan hastily pulled out a yellow paper from his bosom and threw it at the plants on the ground.

  A loud noise rang out, and all that could be heard was a strange and mournful cry. Those plants had indeed disappeared.

  Cheng Zihan hurriedly walked forward, still feeling a bit panicked in her heart. What the hell is this thing? Why haven't I ever seen it before? Suddenly grew out of nowhere?

  If there really is such a thing in the mountains, then it stands to reason that Cheng Hai and his group wouldn't be unaware of it since they often venture into the mountains. Could it have something to do with their special physical constitution?

  After some thought, this is the only explanation that makes sense.

  Cheng Zihan took a few more steps forward, and her keen senses detected that there were not a few of those strange vines from earlier slowly closing in on her, the rustling sounds around her ears making the quiet morning seem even more eerie and frightening.

  Cheng Zihan took a deep breath, but the snake pattern on his hand moved. It transformed into a miniature snake about the size of a thumb and looked at Cheng Zihan with confusion, asking: "Cheng Zihan, why have you come here again? I won't protect you."

  Cheng Zihan gave him a white eye, "Did I ask you to protect me?"

  The snake's mouth twitched, and it looked around again before suddenly landing on Cheng Zihan's shoulder. It hissed out a series of strange sounds from its mouth, and the rustling sound around them suddenly disappeared.

  Cheng Zihan looked at She Geng with a puzzled expression and asked: "What did you do?"

  "There's nothing, I just told them you're under my protection. If they dare to touch you, I'll eat them up, so they all ran away." She Yan said with a smug face.

  Cheng Zihan rolled her eyes and didn't believe his words, but he was definitely able to communicate with those plants.

  It's strange to say that Cheng Zihan's spiritual technique should be good enough by now, and she should be able to communicate with some plants full of spiritual energy, so why can't she?

  With doubts in her mind, Cheng Zihan continued on her way forward.

  "What are you looking for?" She saw Cheng Zihan walking aimlessly forward, and Xiang Geng finally couldn't help but ask.

  "There are several ancient tombs here, I want to take a look." Cheng Zihan said, pushing aside the branches that blocked her view.

  She heard the words and lay down, "Go ahead for another 100 meters, then turn left and go another 100 meters, then head south for 30 meters, below is a tomb. It should be a Tang Dynasty tomb, do you want to go grave robbing?"

  The snake's voice came out faintly, and it was even accompanied by a thread of excitement.

  Cheng Zihan looked at him and thought: What's wrong with this guy? Is he also obsessed with tomb raiding?

  That's right, the first time I saw him was in an ancient tomb by the river.

  "What is the origin of the ancient tomb by the river?" Cheng Zihan thought for a moment, and was also very curious about the ancient tomb.

  Who knew that the snake suddenly stopped talking and just lay quietly, as if it had fallen asleep.

  Cheng Zihan followed his instructions and moved forward with a thud, soon arriving at an open space above.

  It doesn't look like there's a cemetery here at all, but since Snake Year said so, it must be true.

  Cheng Zihan looked around and thought about how to get in.

  Since someone has been here before, there must be a hidden tomb nearby. However, Cheng Zihang didn't have any knowledge about grave robbing and only read about it in books, so he naturally didn't know how to find the hidden entrance.

  The snake that had been playing dead suddenly opened its mouth again, "Idiot, walk ten steps to the left, and you'll find the entrance. Do you think thieves' dens are something only tomb raiders would use?"

  Cheng Zihan's mouth twitched, and according to She Geng's instructions, she walked ten steps to the left. Indeed, she found a strange place. She squatted down, where there was a half-buried tombstone standing upright. Cheng Zihan reached out to sweep away the dust on top, and saw several words above, but the characters were already very blurry, and not one of them was recognizable to Cheng Zihan.

  He silently scolded himself for being uncultured, and with a push of the tombstone, he heard a few creaking sounds, as if some mechanism was turning. Then, with a loud rumble, before Cheng Zihan could even react, he fell into a dark hole.

  She just wanted to raise her middle finger and curse at the sky: Are you kidding me?!

  When her buttocks kissed the cold ground, Cheng Zihan got up with a grimace.

  The inside of the tomb wasn't as dark as I had imagined, with night pearls inlaid all around, illuminating the entire chamber. But just now when I fell down, it was pitch black in front of me, what's going on?

  Cheng Zihan got up, puzzled, and found himself in a roughly ten-square-meter empty space. The walls around him were adorned with murals depicting people's lives, likely telling the story of a general. The first mural showed him riding a tall horse, followed by a batch of soldiers, seemingly going to battle. The second mural depicted the aftermath of victory, with many prisoners kneeling on the ground, and he stood on the high wall, his cloak fluttering in the wind, surrounded by countless soldiers holding bows and arrows, ready to shoot, as if preparing to slaughter the prisoners. In the third mural, he wore a dragon robe, with countless people kneeling at his feet, holding an oddly-shaped sword that resembled a snake but didn't quite look like one upon closer inspection. The final mural showed him standing by the riverbank, with countless soldiers behind him, looking like they were being pursued, and his face wore a resolute expression. Seeing this, Cheng Zihan's heart suddenly stirred.

  These few pictures are connected together, and she feels like the person in them seems a bit familiar?

  Isn't this Xiang Yu of legend? It seems like it is, yet it doesn't seem like it is.

  Cheng Zihan furrowed her brow and skipped over these pictures, but she didn't notice that as soon as she walked past, the pictures suddenly changed! The man's face on the mural became incredibly clear, vividly lifelike as if he was about to run out of the wall!

  Cheng Zihan felt a chill behind her back, touched her nose, and continued walking forward.

  This is a narrow passageway only forty centimeters wide, with no end in sight, and only the night pearls on both sides of the wall emitting light.

  On both sides, there were still some murals, piles of human heads that made people's hair stand on end. Cheng Zihang walked with bated breath, always feeling that the figures in the murals were too ferocious and, because they were relatively close, gave people a sense that they would suddenly rush out from the stone walls. The oppressive fear lingered in his heart, refusing to dissipate.

  All the way forward, the feeling of Chen Zihans heart beating faster became even more intense.

  Finally, three paths appeared in front of me, leading to three different directions.

  Having arrived at this point, Cheng Zihan suddenly didn't know which way to go.

  Three paths did not know where they were going, but no matter which one, they made Cheng Zihuan feel a strange sense of fear from the bottom of his heart.

  It is a human instinct to have a fear and curiosity about unknown things.

  The snake came down from Cheng Zihans shoulder at this time and twisted its body in front.

  Cheng Zihan glanced at him and asked faintly, "Which way are you going?"

  The snake looked back at her and said lightly, "All three paths will eventually lead to the same place, so your choice doesn't make a big difference. Anyway, you'll all end up at the final destination."

  Cheng Zihan raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, where had she heard these words before?

  But since Snake Geng has said so, if we encounter any danger later on, we can just throw him out to block the arrows.

  Thinking so, Cheng Zihan chose the middle path and continued walking forward.

  The corridor that came in was still a narrow one, with ferocious ghost faces carved on both sides. Walking inside made people feel like there were gusts of cold wind behind their backs, and even the eerie sounds of ghosts wailing and wolves howling could be heard beside their ears.

  Cheng Zihan felt that all the pores on her body had expanded, a wave of coldness surged up to her heart, making her feet feel heavier.

  Those around were all evil spirits' faces, each one baring their teeth and brandishing their claws, looking terrifying.

  Cheng Zihan vaguely felt a chill wind blowing past her ears, but this was underground, how could there be wind?

  It must be an illusion. She comforted herself like this and continued forward.

  The corridor is very long and seems to have no end. The light here is also very dim, not as bright as the front. The night pearl is about ten meters apart, emitting a weak light to guide the road ahead.

  The further forward, the more ferocious the murals on the stone wall became.

  After walking for a while, the front suddenly became bright, and Cheng Zihang narrowed his eyes uncomfortably, looking at the strange place in front of him.

  In front of me, there was a space roughly the size of a football field. The surrounding stone walls were inlaid with night pearls. In the middle was a pool similar to an eight-trigram mirror, where the water was divided into two colors: black and silver white. There was nothing on the surface of the water, only a single wooden bridge-like path that led directly to the other side.

  Seeing that eerie pool, Cheng Zihan instinctively took a step back.

  Can't go on!

  A thought suddenly emerged in her mind and was very strong. She realized that if she continued forward, she might not be able to return.

  After some thought, Cheng Zihan decisively retreated and did not move forward again.

  A faint sigh that was almost inaudible floated through the air, like a breeze blowing across an empty valley, carrying far and wide before finally dissipating into thin air.

  Cheng Zihan returned along the original road, and she didn't touch anything inside the tomb. After returning to where she fell earlier, she looked around but couldn't find a way out.

  "Hey, Snake Geng, how do we get out?" Cheng Zihan searched for a while but couldn't find an exit. She vaguely saw a faint light coming from above, which should be the place she just fell from. Having no other choice, Cheng Zihan picked up Snake Geng and asked him.

  The snake turned its body, looked at Cheng Ziheng and shook his head: "I don't know. Once you enter the tomb, where is the logic to go out? If you want to go out, I'll transform into my true form and take you out."

  When he heard She Geng's words, Cheng Zihan's mouth twitched violently.

  But thinking about it, what She Geng said also makes sense. Who would want to come out once they've entered the tomb chamber? Except for grave robbers.

  She Guang quickly took Cheng Zihang out.

  It wasn't until after he left that Cheng Ziheng discovered that his watch had stopped working, and this watch had just been bought back for only a few days.

  As she walked down from the mountain, Cheng Zihan saw that the driver who had accompanied her was already asleep in the car. She went over to wake him up and then headed back along the road.

  "How come Zi Han went for so long and just came back? It's already past four o'clock now." The driver was also a villager, and he knew Cheng Zi Han too. Because he had been waiting for Cheng Zi Han at the foot of the mountain, he hadn't eaten yet until now, and his eyes were dizzy with hunger.

  "Four points more?" Cheng Zihan was also surprised.

  She felt like she hadn't been in for long, how did half a day pass?

  Doubts had already returned to the village, Cheng Zihan originally wanted to invite that person to eat at home, but the other party refused, so he gave up and gave the other party 20 yuan, and then went back home.

  After arriving home, Cheng Hai and Li Lan both came over in a hurry, and only felt relieved when they saw that she was fine.

  "How can you go out without saying a word? And gone for so long." Recently, because of Qin Hongwei's matter, Cheng Hai is especially worried that Cheng Zihan and Cheng Zixi will have an accident, so when he came back at noon and found that Cheng Zihan was not there, he was anxious. Fortunately, someone told him that Cheng Zihan had gone out with Li Yong, and he felt relieved.

  "When I woke up, you all had already left." Cheng Zihan said secretly sticking out her tongue.

  "Next time you go out, remember to leave a note." Cheng Hai rubbed her head and said a few more words before letting her off.

  Han Yi didn't show up at night, and Cheng Zihan only found out when he went over that he wasn't even home, with no idea where he had gone. Thinking of his current physical condition, Cheng Zihan couldn't help but feel worried.

  She inadvertently saw a note in the door seam and hurriedly picked it up, only to find out that something had suddenly happened in the Han Yi family and he was urgently summoned back.

  It seems like there's nothing wrong with her body, and Cheng Zihan can finally rest assured.

  At night, he still entered the Tree Spirit Space for cultivation. The next morning, he got up early and followed Cheng Hai and Li Lan to the plantation to work.

  The trees that have been transplanted back are all in good condition and show no signs of withering.

  Large trees are concentrated in the middle, surrounded by shorter plants. The Huang Hua Li tree is also mixed among the tall trees in the middle, but since its branches and leaves have been pruned, only a bare trunk remains, so if you're not an expert, it's really hard to tell what kind of tree this is.

  There are over a hundred workers in the plantation now, but for the time being, only trees have been planted, and others have not been planted yet.

  The greenhouse has basically taken shape and is expected to be put into use in two or three days, at which time the flowers will also be slowly cultivated.

  Due to technical issues, fully automatic irrigation technology cannot be used at present, so it can only rely on manual irrigation. Irrigating thousands of acres of land is a huge project, and Cheng Hai is more meticulous in doing things, recording the growth of trees with a notebook every day.

  Cheng Zihang set aside ten mu of land specifically for planting medicinal herbs. Cheng Haiguo happened to have three good friends who were very knowledgeable about medicinal herbs, so Cheng Zihang invited them to take charge of managing the medicinal herb fields. These medicinal herbs are some relatively common ones, such as wild Tianqi, Tufuling, licorice root, and Shishanglian.

  Because each type of medicinal material requires a slightly different growth environment, taking care of these medicinal materials requires extra caution.

  Cheng Zihan had originally planned to take out the lingzhi as well to see if it could be cultivated, but after thinking about the growth conditions of lingzhi, he gave up on that idea.

  The medicinal field had just been developed, so nothing had been planted yet. However, the three of them had already divided the ten mu of land into three blocks, each occupying one block, and announced that they would have a competition to see who could produce better medicinal materials in three months.

  Cheng Zihan didn't stop them, with competition comes pressure, and their current salary is higher than the average person. The general salary now is around 200 yuan, and those who are good at technology like Cheng Hai can earn around 600 yuan per month. Now Cheng Zihan gives each of the three a monthly salary of 500 yuan, plus some additional welfare bonuses, while others have a base salary of 300 yuan plus performance bonuses and welfare bonuses. With higher salaries, there is competition, and everyone naturally works harder.

  Cheng Zihan toured the plantation and then went to the flower market again to buy some seeds. Han Yi gave her a lot of inspiration, she knew that if she wanted to find a way to make money from the flower market now, she had to meet the needs of the largest customer group in the current market.

  Ordinary poor people can't afford to buy flowers, only those with money and a desire to show off will spend a lot of money on these plants, especially superstitious businessmen and officials, who are the best targets.

  Cheng Zihan went to learn about potted plants and root carving. In this era, the art of root carving was still very developed, and there were many craftsmen. However, later on, because many people thought that this craft was not profitable, gradually fewer and fewer people learned it. By the time root carving became valuable, there were no longer any professional root carvers left.

  There are many varieties of potted plants, and those related to Feng Shui are not uncommon. If you grasp the other's superstitious psychology, it is very simple to sell them out. However, this requires cultivating a team of professional salespeople with excellent eloquence to open up the market for Cheng Zihang.

  After some thought, Cheng Zihang had already bought a lot of plant seeds and was planning to go back and try to cultivate them.

  The owner of the flower shop was from Nanshi, he saw that Cheng Zihan had come several times, each time buying a large number of flowers and some plant seeds. He felt curious, this time seeing Cheng Zihan again, and the quantity she bought was even more, so he couldn't help but curiously ask: "Little sister, what do you want to do with so many seeds?"

  Cheng Zihan raised a pure and genuine smile, looking at the store owner, and said crisply: "Uncle, I'll buy it back home to plant myself."

  "Oh? Can you really grow them all?" The shop owner asked curiously, continuing to ask.

  Cheng Zihan nodded, "I can."

  In fact, those seeds she bought last time are still stored in the storage ring, but she has 100% confidence that these plants will definitely come alive.

  "Then can you show me the plants when they're grown? If they're good, I'll buy them from you at a high price." The shop owner had been in the flower business for so many years that he naturally saw that the seeds Cheng Zihuan took away were all expensive goods. These things, if sold to wealthy people, would be worth tens of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of yuan, as long as they could be persuaded to buy them and liked them, the price wasn't a problem.

  However, these things are not cheap when they are purchased, and if they are not taken care of properly after being brought back, their value will drop before they can be sold, sometimes even failing to recover the cost.

  He thought Cheng Zihang was just a kid and should be easy to fool, so he made such a request.

  Cheng Zihan silently looked at the store owner, what's with this weirdo deceiving little sister to watch goldfish? However, she didn't refuse, after all, now wanting to open up the market, needs a partner, even if not choosing this one in the future, stepping on him to climb up is also okay.

  "Alright." Cheng Zihan agreed succinctly.

  The other party smiled happily and couldn't close their mouth, hurriedly stretching out their hand to shake hands with Cheng Zihan, but thinking that the other was just a little kid, it seemed not quite right, so they awkwardly withdrew their hand and dryly laughed twice.

  "Right, my surname is Qin and I'm Qin Hongtao." After a moment's thought, the other person suddenly remembered that he hadn't introduced himself yet, so he hastily said.

  Upon hearing this name, Cheng Zihan's eyebrows unconsciously furrowed. Qin Hongtao? This name is so similar to Qin Hongwei's, could they be brothers?

  Why am I so deeply entangled with the Qin family?

  "Okay, Uncle Qin, my flowers and grasses have grown out. I've come to show you." Cheng Zihan didn't think much of it, assuming it was just a coincidence with the name, so he handed over the items to Qian and left the flower market.

  After leaving the store, Cheng Zihan went to other stores to take a look and bought some seeds before returning to the plantation.

  At this time, Cheng Hai and others had finished their busy work and were preparing to go home. Seeing that Cheng Zihan had returned, they brought her back together.

  In the afternoon, I went to the planting garden again, and Cheng Zihan also followed. The greenhouse cultivation base has only 10 mu of land, and the rest are waiting for flowers to be cultivated and transplanted out. Now the workers in the planting garden have started to make basic compost.

  When it's time to plant flowers, you can directly plant them without needing to fertilize separately.

  Cheng Zihan looked around, found a spot, squatted down, scooped with a small shovel, and then scattered the seeds she had bought into it.

  Taking advantage of no one's attention, she secretly took out the Celestial Silkworm Liquid and sprinkled a bit into the soil. Then, she made some marks around it to inform others that something had been planted here.

  After messing around like this, it had already been more than two hours, Cheng Zihan was so hot that she almost fainted, and then ran to a cool place to sit down and rest.

  Taking big mouthfuls of air, looking at the crowds still working under the scorching sun, Cheng Zihang suddenly felt that laborers are truly great.

  The afternoon passed quickly and by six o'clock everyone had returned to the village.

  Because the village is not far from the plantation, but also not close, it takes an hour to go back and forth, so everyone suggests building a dormitory for employees there, so that they can rest there at noon and don't have to rush back in the evening.

  As for this point, Cheng Ziheng had no objection, but now the main problem is the funding issue. The loan money has been used up, and buying a mountain also requires paying workers' wages. With 100 people, each person needs 300 yuan per month, which adds up to 30,000 yuan. It wasn't until this moment that Cheng Ziheng realized that money can't be spent recklessly.

  It seems that I have to think of a way to make money again, but the most important thing is coming soon, the entrance exam is tomorrow. If I pass the exam tomorrow, I can go directly to Wangcheng Middle School in September.

  After taking a hot bath at home, Cheng Zihan habitually walked out of the door and sat down on the stone bench at the entrance. Looking towards the wall next door, she felt a sense of desolation. Han Yi had been gone for two days, and suddenly she missed him. She wondered how that weak but kind-hearted big boy was doing now, and why he had been hastily called back.

  After sitting for a while, Cheng Zihan went back to sleep.

  The next morning, Cheng Zihan followed Cheng Hai and others into Wangcheng. The location of the entrance examination was inside Wangcheng Middle School, but unfortunately, there was only her participating in it.

  As soon as she entered the examination room, Cheng Zihansaw a row of stern-looking teachers and couldn't help but shudder. Teachers were even more terrifying than ghosts.

  Cheng Zihan silently mourned in her heart for a moment before walking over.

  The entrance exams have different levels, some can skip one level, two levels, or three levels. There are also direct jumps from primary school to junior high school, and from junior high school to senior high school. However, once in senior high school, you cannot continue to skip levels and must take the college entrance exam before continuing on to university.

  University students in this era are much more valuable than those in the future, and it's also much harder to get in. Those who can get into university are top-notch talents among millions.

  "What are you going to take?" An old woman with a dark face looked at Cheng Zihan and said in her not very fluent Mandarin.

  Cheng Zihan furrowed her brow, thought for a moment, and then said: "I'm in second grade this year, I want to take the entrance exam for junior high school."

  The woman's eyes widened when she heard this. She had been in charge of the entrance exams for so many years, but it was the first time she saw a child who spoke such arrogant words.

  She looked at Cheng Zihan with disdain, "You?"

  The distrust and suspicion in her tone were very obvious, she simply didn't believe that Cheng Zihang could get the admission.

  "En." Cheng Zihan was too lazy to bother with someone who had eyes on their butt, and only nodded slightly.

  The woman was very dissatisfied with Cheng Zihan's attitude, but as a professional teacher, she couldn't lose her dignity in such a situation and argue with a child, so she pointed to the innermost position and said to Cheng Zihan: "Then you go there."

  Cheng Zihan nodded and didn't even bother responding, directly walking over.

  The person in charge of the exam was a man around forty years old, wearing a pair of gold-rimmed glasses, looking elegant and refined. His eyes lit up behind his glasses as he saw Cheng Zihang approach, and he curled up his lips to reveal a kind smile. "Here for the entrance exams?"

  Cheng Zihan gave him a white eye. The good impression she had of him was gone because of this idiotic question. She nodded, "Yes."

  The other party was very kind and handed her the test paper, saying: "The test paper may be a bit difficult."

  Cheng Zihan picked up the test paper and took a look, almost wanting to curse.

  Who the hell has seen elementary school students take exams on advanced math that's only taught in college? Isn't this obviously a scam? She even endured Olympiad math, but what the hell is this, advanced math?!

  Cheng Zihan's life is most hated by mathematics. However, even so, using her always unskilled mathematical knowledge to solve these brain-dead problems is enough.

  In half an hour, Cheng Zihan finished the math test. Then she started doing Chinese. Compared to math, Chinese was really easy, and this time with the composition, Cheng Zihan only spent 23 minutes. Then it was English, which for Cheng Zihan had no difficulty at all, and there was also no listening section, so she breezed through it easily.

  When the three test papers were pushed in front of the invigilating teacher, Cheng Zihan saw the golden-rimmed glasses man's defeated and collapsed look, and couldn't help but hook up the corners of his mouth with a sense of triumph.

  Three sheets of paper took an hour and fifteen minutes. Cheng Zihan looked at the time and stood up, "When will there be news?"

  That man with the gold-rimmed glasses was still reeling from the blow, and when he heard Cheng Zihan's words, he looked up blankly, his mouth agape, wide enough to fit an egg.

  "When will there be news?" Cheng Zihan looked at him silently and asked again.

  "Seven, seven days later." The man with gold-rimmed glasses finally came back to his senses and said to Cheng Zihan.

  Cheng Zihan nodded, put her hands in her pockets and slowly swaggered out.

  The teaching building of Wangcheng Middle School is very new and clean, it has been built for only two years. There are not many students here, the total number of teachers and students in the school is only around 700 or 800 people.

  Wangcheng Middle School does not have a high school department, so when it's time to attend high school, you have to go to Nanshi to study. However, there are hardly any students here who can get into the high schools in Nanshi, so most of them end up going to work after graduating from junior middle school.

  Out of the examination room is a cement path with green grass on both sides, and some mango trees are planted. In between, you can also see kapok trees and iron trees.

  However, there is still a large area of empty land in Wangcheng Middle School that has not been developed. There is only one teaching building, and the resources inside are scarce. The library is also very small, about the size of a classroom, with several rows of bookshelves filled with books.

  The air here is filled with the scent of books, Cheng Zihan thought, and couldn't help but smile.

  At this time, the class just ended, and many students came out of the classroom. Many directly kicked shuttlecocks on the empty ground below, and some played with sandbags. Cheng Zihuan always thought that playing with sandbags was something only elementary school students would do, after all, she hadn't done it since she entered junior high school.

  There are also girls jumping rope on the lawn, and their figures are indeed beautiful to watch. The basketball court and football field were packed with boys and girls in just one class, most of the girls came to cheer on the boys who played on the field.

  Watching this scene, Cheng Zihan also showed a nostalgic expression. Such a simple and happy life, how long has it been since I last tried?

  Cheng Zihan felt great after leaving Wangcheng Middle School.

  The plantation is not far from school, it takes only fifteen minutes to walk there.

  Cheng Zihan walked slowly along the way, closing her eyes and feeling the warmth of the sun.

  Cheng Zihan suddenly stopped in her tracks, and abruptly opened her eyes to find a man wearing all black clothes and a hoodie standing in front of her.

  The man hung his head low, with a large black backpack on his back. When Cheng Zihan looked at this person, the image of another person appeared in her mind for the first time.

  Wearing a black suit and trousers, carrying a black backpack, with a black gold ancient sword at his waist, isn't this the image of Zhang Xiaogong from "The Grave Robbery Notes"?

  The person who had been deeply infatuated with Cheng Zihan for a long time suddenly appeared so vividly in front of him, and Cheng Zihan felt his nose burning, reached out to touch it, and was embarrassed to find that he had a nosebleed.

  It's no wonder she was excited, this person would evoke such a reaction from anyone they appeared in front of.

  The boy in front of him was expressionless, his empty eyes staring at Cheng Ziheng, his thin lips pursed, and his messy bangs drooping casually on his forehead. The sunlight shone on his body, but it made him look particularly out of place.

  "You, you, you are..." Cheng Zihan hastily wiped away the nosebleed on her face and asked the paralyzed youth in front of her, but unfortunately she was too excited and couldn't say a complete sentence.

  "Take me there." The other party simply opened his mouth and said a sentence that made Cheng Zihan confused.

  "......" Big brother, I can read minds, but the problem is that you need to have a heart first! Now that my skills are fully open, I still don't know what's on your mind! Heaven, please spare me!

  Seeing Cheng Zihan's vacant expression, the paralyzed youth also broke out in a cold sweat, then continued to mechanically repeat, "Take me there."

  "...Cheng Zihan suddenly felt like cursing, she somewhat understood the feeling of Tianzhen when he met that freak Zhang Xiaoge back then, the kind of feeling where a hundred million horses galloped across his heart in unison."

  She also has such mood sometimes.

  "Where are we going?" Cheng Zihan's mouth twitched violently for a moment before he finally asked weakly.

  "Your home." The other person finally said something different from what they had been saying before.

  Cheng Zihan almost fainted from excitement and a racing heartbeat because of this sentence.

  "Great! Let's go! Let's go!" Cheng Zihan said excitedly, then hopped and skipped ahead to lead the way.

  After walking for a while, she suddenly remembered that she still didn't know the name of this handsome guy with Bell's palsy, and turned her head to ask: "What's your name?"

  "Zhang Zhuang." The other party replied lightly. When speaking, he didn't even move his mouth, and the expression of a perennial facial paralysis was probably no more than this.

  Cheng Zihan turned around, her mouth twitching violently, and a ridiculous scene suddenly popped into her mind, causing her face to turn bright red instantly.

  Stop it, can't be too evil! Cheng Zihan, you can't lose your bottom line! Dignity must be kept!

  Taking Zhang Zhuang to the plantation, Cheng Hai and the others had not finished their work yet. Seeing Cheng Zihuan bring back a strange person, they looked at each other, with some doubts in their minds.

  This life is strange, and his body always exudes a cold and icy aura.

  "Dad, this is Zhang Zhuo. He'll be going back with us in a bit." Cheng Zihan said, noticing the confusion on Cheng Hai's face.

  Cheng Hai waved at Zhang Zhuang, but seeing his cold expression, he didn't say a word.

  Others also enthusiastically came up to greet Zhang Zhuang. Cheng Zihan obviously saw the crack in the expression of that poker face and couldn't help but feel a little schadenfreude.

  By six o'clock everyone had finished work and they all took a bus back together.

  Because Han Yi has already gone back, so the matter of buying a car is temporarily put on hold again.

  Back home, Cheng Zihan settled Zhang Zhong. Although this guy was paralyzed in the face, fortunately, he didn't pick on anything, and whatever was arranged for him would be fine, so Cheng Zihan thought it was easy to handle.

  At dinner time, Cheng Zihan went to call him and saw that he was gnawing on a cold steamed bun. His face turned black with anger, and without saying a word, he pulled him over to eat together.

  Zhang Zhong just lowered his head and looked at the hand pulling him, without saying a word.

  After dinner, Cheng Zihan originally wanted to wash a clean change of clothes for Zhang Zhuo to take a bath, but the other party directly returned to the room and slammed the door shut with a bang.

  Cheng Zihan touched her nose and was even more speechless in her heart.

  This girl shouldn't be someone who doesn't take a bath every day, right?

  The beautiful fantasy was shattered in an instant.

  The next day, early in the morning, Cheng Zihan was woken up by a knock on the door.

  Cheng Zixi and Cheng Hai were also woken up together.

  "What's going on?" Cheng Zihan rubbed her sleepy eyes and opened the door, scolding the person at the entrance in a bad mood.

  "Let's go." The other party didn't say a word and directly stretched out his hand to pull Cheng Zihan away.

  "...... Big brother, can I change clothes, brush my teeth and have breakfast first?"

  Cheng Zihan wailed in her heart, but her protests were ineffective, as Zhang Zheng directly pulled her out of the door and walked forward.

  Cheng Zihan didn't know where he was going until they left the village and got on the embankment, when she was blown awake by the cold wind.

  "Zhang Zhuang big brother, where are you taking me?" Cheng Zihuan said with tears in her eyes.

  Zhang Zhong turned his head and glanced at Cheng Zihuan with a faint look, pointing to the front.

  "......" Big brother, I don't understand sign language, can you speak human language?

  Cheng Zihan burst into tears thoroughly.

  Finally, when Cheng Zihan's legs were almost broken, she finally knew where Zhang Zhong was taking her.

  Looking at the green mountain in front of him, the 10 million grass mud horses in Cheng Zihan's heart had grown to 100 million...

  Damn it! Damn it! Can't you just tell her to come here directly? She can take a taxi! Why did she have to walk?! Do you know that her legs are almost broken now?! And she's so hungry that her belly is stuck to her back!

  Cheng Zihan sat down on the ground, refusing to move again.

  "Let's go." Zhang Zhuang didn't say another word and directly pulled her along as he walked.

  Cheng Zihan's face was filled with joy.

  "I'm hungry, I'm tired, can't you just let me rest for a bit?" After being dragged violently by Zhang Zhen for over 100 meters, Cheng Zihan finally couldn't help but protest.

  Zhang Zhong turned his head and glanced at Cheng Zihuan with a faint look, then stopped.

  Cheng Zihan had just let out a sigh of relief, but before she could even catch her breath, Zhang Zhong was already pulling her forward again.

  What I meant by taking a break wasn't just a few seconds, okay?!

  Cheng Zihan was thoroughly defeated by this expressionless and communication-impaired guy.

  Finally, Zhang Zhuang dragged him like a dead dog to the place where he had entered the underground tomb last time, and only then did Zhang Zhuang stop.

  Zhang Zhēng glanced at Cheng Zihán, who was now pale and on the verge of collapse.

  "Go." Zhang Zhuang rested for a minute and then urged Cheng Zihuan again.

  Cheng Zihan plopped down on the ground, "I'm not going anywhere! I'd rather die than move another step! You're all inhumane! Getting me up at the crack of dawn, dragging me out, and making me walk for four hours to get here. Not even giving me a chance to rest, then pulling me up the mountain... Now you want me to keep walking? Just let me go die already! I'm not taking another step no matter what! If you want to go, go by yourself!"

  Zhang Zhong looked at Cheng Zihan with a thoughtful expression, then nodded, really, one person left!

  Looking at his back, Cheng Zihan wanted to let out a loud roar, scolding him to death, and if that didn't work, at least make his ears ache.

  This son of a bitch shouldn't be her so-called nobleman destined by fate, should he? In her eyes, it's more like a jinx star!

  Watching Zhang Zhuo's figure gradually disappear from view, Cheng Zihuan finally sat on the ground and burst into tears.

  It's so suffocating and humiliating! Is there anyone who bullies people like that? Is there anyone who bullies little kids like that? Don't they know she's extremely hungry, so hungry her legs are weak and can't even walk down the mountain?

  Crying, she suddenly felt a void beneath her, and Cheng Zihang subconsciously let out a mournful cry: "Ah——" Then the whole person was like riding a cloud-soaring car, plummeting straight down.

  Great!

  The darkness in front of her eyes, this feeling, she really didn't like it.

  When her butt hit the ground, the cold and wet feeling below made Cheng Zihuan furrow her brow. Then she stood up, lifted her hand to take a look, and found that her hands were covered in blood.

  The air was thick with the smell of blood, this place was different from where she came last time!

  This idea suddenly entered her mind, and Cheng Zihans heart was in a state of panic. The inexplicable feeling of terror was very clear, making her want to run, but her legs seemed to be nailed to the ground, unable to move no matter what.

  It's all over! It's all over! If only I had followed Zhang Zhuo just now, what can be done about it now?

  "Hsss... hsss..." A strange sound suddenly came from all directions, Cheng Zihuan felt a chill run down her spine as she listened. She looked around in terror, but couldn't see anything, yet the feeling of fear was palpable. The bloody smell in the air grew even thicker.

  Cheng Zihan's heart was hanging in her throat, she seemed to feel countless corpses, some beheaded, some missing hands and feet, all slowly moving towards her.

  Cheng Zihan closed her eyes resolutely and used her last bit of strength to shout loudly: "Zhang Xiaoge, save me!"

  Digression

  Excerpt from "The Rebirth of a Noble Lady" (also known as "Reborn: The Wind and Clouds of the Eldest Daughter")

  "Yang Chenxi, I'm telling you, I can't marry you. The one I like is your second sister Yang Ruolin. She's more beautiful than you, more talented than you, and most importantly, she's kinder than you!"

  "Got it."

  "Aren't you sad? Don't you care at all?"

  "Umm... okay, I'm in agony, I'm heartbroken, I'm so sad that I've lost my appetite and can't sleep at night!"

  "Why are you still smiling then?"

  "I was only going to deceive you, but I didn't plan on deceiving myself."