Luring the Snake Out of Its Hole?

Several days later, Chen Han opened a book he had found in Qing Xue's shop, a pastime for his leisure hours.

The book was titled Green Oriole Ethereal Records, which, to put it plainly, was the travel diary of a female Gu master named Qing Ying.

It contained not only methods for cultivating various Gu insects and techniques for using them, but also records of the strange sights she encountered along her journey.

It even detailed how she was nearly ambushed by crocodiles while crossing a river, the excitement of seeing a shooting star for the first time, her romantic feelings upon meeting a handsome man, the schemes of villains, and her subsequent revenge.

Reading this book, Chen Han felt as if he were traveling the world alongside the protagonist, experiencing all the dangers and joys of the road.

It truly broadened Chen Han's horizons.

No wonder they say one should read ten thousand books and travel ten thousand miles.

Chen Han was very interested in this "book," and what left the deepest impression on him was the scheming between people.

As Qing Ying traveled the world, she met all sorts of people, and several times she nearly lost her life because she trusted others too easily.

Later, she vowed never to trust anyone again without absolute certainty.

Yet, she still suffered a great loss once; she had been traveling day and night when she encountered a villager.

She asked the villager, "Big Brother, where is there an inn? I've been traveling for many days, and I'm tired and thirsty; I just want to get a good night's sleep."

The villager replied, pointing the way, "There's one over there. I'll take you."

After thanking him, Qing Ying followed him to the inn.

She rented a room and slept soundly, but when she woke up, she discovered that all her money was gone, and her body had been violated.

She immediately grabbed the innkeeper and held a sword to his throat, only to learn that this inn specialized in robbing travelers; they had drugged her, and seeing her beauty, they had been overcome by lust.

The villager who pointed the way had also taken a cut of their spoils.

Hearing this, Qing Ying was incensed and immediately went on a killing spree, slaughtering everyone in the inn, and naturally, she did not spare the villager's family either.

Later, she wrote in her diary, "Never trust others easily, and never let things go according to their wishes."

This entry left a deep impression on Chen Han, though he only half-understood the meaning and had not fully grasped the lesson from this story alone.

Closing the book, Chen Han tidied his attire.

Today, he was going into the city, not for anything else, but to keep abreast of recent news.

If the front line were to suddenly collapse one day and the entire city fled, leaving him behind to foolishly cultivate... that would be a disaster.

Arriving in the city, Chen Han did not go to the Chen Mansion, but instead wandered the streets of the inner city, occasionally sitting in a teahouse to listen to a storyteller recount recent major events.

There was nothing to worry about at the Chen Mansion; he had already introduced Li Muyun to Shen Yue, even though the little girl had looked at Li Muyun and him with a very strange expression, as if they owed her money.

But since it was just a daily chore like delivering meals, she wouldn't be petty enough to let Li Muyun go hungry.

Chen Han sat in the teahouse, no longer appearing as a young man, but as a middle-aged martial artist with sharp, angular features and prominent cheekbones, exuding a murderous aura.

This art of disguise was something Chen Han had learned from the book, following the steps described by Qing Ying.

Ordinary people couldn't tell, but it wouldn't fool experienced martial artists with keen eyes.

This skill was not simple, and it had taken Chen Han quite a while to master.

At this moment, the storyteller finished his tale about his cousin and the widow next door, shifting the topic to recent major events:

"They say that a few days ago, someone discovered a rare deposit of White Iron Ore in the wilderness. It's an excellent auxiliary material for forging swords. Although our country doesn't favor the use of swords, our neighbors are different."

"Over there, even little children can dance with a sword."

"If all this White Iron Ore were mined and sent to the neighboring country, it would be a massive deal. Just yesterday, the city's wealthy families gathered to discuss this, and the Xuanyuan Family, the richest in the city, ultimately took the lead."

"The Xuanyuan Family is heading the mining operation, but that is the wilderness, where exotic beasts and raptors exist. Since a large group makes for a big target, the miners must be elite and strong. Therefore, they must be in their prime, preferably young Transformation Realm martial artists."

Chen Han blew on his scalding tea, "Being in one's prime is fine, but I doubt the whole city could scrape together fifty young Transformation Realm martial artists."

The storyteller continued, "Guess how much these people earn in a day?"

"They are Transformation Realm masters; it must be twenty taels of silver."

"Twenty taels? What are you dreaming about? I couldn't earn twenty taels even after five years of carrying water. Why would they get twenty taels a day?"

"You country bumpkin, what do you know? How much of the world have you seen? The masters in the city spend two hundred taels on a single meal."

"You're talking nonsense, there's no way..."

The scene erupted into a clamor.

Hearing that a meal could cost two hundred taels, Chen Han was also taken aback, even though he had heard rumors in his past life that a steak for the upper class could cost a fortune.

"Hahahaha, poverty really limits your imagination! Look, it's this much."

As he spoke, the storyteller held up five fingers.

"Damn, fifty taels!"

"I knew the Transformation Realm masters had status."

"No..."

The storyteller said, "It's a full two hundred and fifty taels."

For a moment, the scene went silent, and even Chen Han choked on his tea.

To be honest, he was genuinely tempted.

Qing Xue's entire family fortune amounted to only a thousand taels of silver, yet if he wanted to, he could earn that much in just five days.

They say a man cannot get rich without a windfall, but damn, mining is even faster than a windfall; and that's just for a laborer, not to mention the boss.

No wonder mine owners in my past life were richer than banks; this money comes in faster than robbing one.

Chen Han muttered a complaint, already considering whether or not he should go earn some extra cash.

His current resources were nowhere near enough to reach the next realm, and when the time came, he would have to find another quick way to make money; he couldn't just go around killing people and looting their assets every single day.

The wilderness was full of exotic beasts, and the deep mountains where he currently resided were not without them either, though their numbers were relatively smaller.

Besides, even if he did encounter an exotic beast, he wouldn't need to win the fight, nor would he need to outrun the beast; he only needed to outrun his colleagues to survive.

The benefits outweighed the risks—this was doable!

Chen Han decided on the spot to go sign up.

But just then, he suddenly thought of something and sat back down.

Do not trust others lightly, and never act according to another's wishes.

What if this whole thing is a trap? A trap designed to lure me out.

Chen Han's first reaction was that it was impossible, absolutely impossible.

Who was he, anyway? He didn't have that kind of influence to stir up such a storm across the city.

But the timing of this opportunity was far too coincidental; it had appeared exactly during the few days Chen Han had gone off the grid. And the requirements—ideally a young martial artist at the Transformation Realm—were practically a tailor-made job for him.

Chen Han murmured to himself, "What if, just what if this person is actually trying to lure me out on purpose?"