Chapter 1178: Follow-up Chen Ling

"Long time no see, Uncle." Lu Xun looked at the somewhat unfamiliar man in front of him, his gaze complicated.

"Is that really you? You're back?"

The man immediately stood up and walked forward, scrutinizing Lu Xun. Only then did Lu Xun clearly see the streaks of white in his sideburns and the deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

"You've grown so much... Back then, you were just a little squirt." The man's tone was filled with emotion. "I heard people say that you grew up to be a scientist and even appeared on TV and in newspapers... Oh, I still have that newspaper! Wait, let me find it... I'll find it..."

The man turned and rummaged through things under the counter. Soon after, a crumpled newspaper was placed on the table. One of its pages featured an interview with Lu Xun at an astronomical observatory, along with a handsome photo.

The man's fingertips gently brushed the photo of Lu Xun on the newspaper. He then carefully scrutinized Lu Xun himself, and a look of reminiscence appeared in his eyes.

"Oh my... you look so much like your mother, especially those eyes... the older you get, the more you resemble her..."

At this, Lu Xun's brow furrowed slightly.

As if realizing something, the man immediately changed the subject.

"Xiao Xun, you've come back this time..."

"I'm here to take care of some business, and I'll leave once it's done." Lu Xun glanced at the stairs behind him. "Are there any rooms available?"

The man froze for a moment, then came to his senses.

"Oh, yes, there are... but only two rooms left. As for you all..."

The man looked at Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei behind Lu Xun, his expression somewhat hesitant.

"Two rooms it is, then." Lu Xun took out several banknotes from his pocket and placed them on the table. "Thank you, Uncle."

"Oh, Xiao Xun, what are you doing?" The man's expression changed, and he hurriedly returned the banknotes to Lu Xun. "We're family, there's no need for money... Just stay here!"

Lu Xun's brows furrowed even deeper. He pushed the money back, speaking again with an undeniable tone:

"Let's settle it as it should be."

Seeing this, a hint of bitterness flashed in the man's eyes. After struggling for a while, he put the money into the counter and handed over two keys.

"Alright then... 201 and 202. If you need anything, just call me."

"Okay."

Lu Xun took the two keys and turned towards the stairs. Seeing this, Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei followed closely behind him.

Their footsteps creaked on the old wooden floorboards. Only after they had fully entered the second-floor corridor did Yang Xiao finally ask:

"Lu Xun, you and your uncle... you don't seem very close?"

Lu Xun hummed in affirmation and spoke calmly.

"When I was young, my parents secretly ran an underground casino and made a lot of money. This Lotus Hotel was actually opened by my mother for him back then... Later, the casino was busted, and both of them were arrested and imprisoned. I was also kidnapped by a group of human traffickers.

Those traffickers were among my parents' enemies from back then, and they intended to take revenge on me. But I found an opportunity and escaped... The police initially wanted to transfer me to one of my uncles' homes. However, none of them were willing to take me in because they feared my parents' enemies in society... In the end, I had to be sent to an orphanage."

Hearing this, Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei both stood stunned. Parents breaking the law, both imprisoned, kidnapped by traffickers, no relatives daring to take him in, ultimately ending up in an orphanage... Who would have thought that Dr. Lu Xun, as he is now, had such a past?

Lu Xun seemed indifferent to his past. He calmly inserted the key into the lock and continued.

"But I don't hate them. In that situation, anyone would be afraid, and turning me away was only natural... If they hadn't all rejected me, I wouldn't have gone to the orphanage, and I certainly wouldn't have been exposed to astronomy."

"No wonder you insisted on giving him money." Su Zhiwei sighed.

"In a situation like this, being beholden to no one is indeed the best way to get along..."

Click—

The door opened, and a musty smell of old wood filled the air.

Lu Xun slowly walked inside, letting out a long sigh. "The accommodation here is even worse than I imagined..."

"Are there really other people staying here besides us?" Yang Xiao looked at the moldy ceiling in the bathroom, her brows also tightly furrowed. "I really don't know what they're thinking..."

"Dr. Su, please see which room is relatively cleaner. You can stay in that one, and Yang Xiao and I will take the other."

Lu Xun handed both keys to Su Zhiwei.

"Any room is fine for me, let's just take this one... Anyway, we're not just here for accommodation."

Su Zhiwei walked directly to the window and pushed open the old window with both hands. With a soft creak, the misty drizzle mixed with a cold wind, gently swaying the white training uniform.

From this angle, the main entrance of the Huixian Hotel on the other side of the street was clearly visible.

"Director Chen, we've checked into the Lotus Hotel next door to you."

After seeing the message pop up on his phone, Chen Ling simply replied and then put it away.

Now that Lu Xun and the others were in position, the most important thing was naturally to find Chu Changqing's location...

Chen Ling understood Ying Fu's character. Even in the extremely dangerous Wuji Realm, he kept A-Qian by his side. This indicated his habit of keeping important people or items close to him... And it was absolutely impossible for Chu Changqing to be placed in the Huixian Hotel. This meant the search area had actually become much smaller.

Of course, searching for Chu Changqing was the task of Lu Xun and the others. As for Chen Ling, he had something even more important to do now.

Chen Ling lightly peeled at his chin with his fingertips. His entire appearance transformed into that of a young man in a black Tang suit. The clothing was almost identical to Sun Bumian's, but the color was more subdued. At first glance, he looked exactly like an attendant Sun Bumian might have brought back from abroad.

"Excellent, that's the look!" Sun Bumian couldn't help but applaud upon seeing Chen Ling in the mirror.

"You're sure you can get me in, right?"

"Absolutely!"

Chen Ling nodded. He glanced at the time on the wall and slowly closed his eyes...

Moments later, he opened his eyes again. He had already spent another month studying at the Integration Sect. This time, he didn't look as haggard as before. After all, Chen Ling knew he would be dealing with Ying Fu tonight, so he had made sure to go to bed early and wake up early for two nights beforehand to adjust his schedule.

"Let's go."

Chen Ling turned and walked towards the door.

After just two steps, Sun Bumian pulled him back. The latter, wearing small round sunglasses, clicked his tongue.

"What, have you forgotten who you are now? You really don't know your place..."

Chen Ling: ...

After speaking, he put his hands behind his back. He sauntered down the corridor towards its end, fiddling with his prayer beads.

Chen Ling rolled his eyes. He silently made a note to blame Sun Bumian of the Integration Sect for this. Then, he quietly followed behind him.