Chen Lin took the jade slip and checked its contents.
The other party actually carved a three-dimensional image in the jade slip, which was as lifelike as a living person. It was the tavern proprietress!
He thought quickly in his mind how to use this matter to rescue Luo Qinglan, while he continued to ask questions.
"I dare not disobey the commander's order, but I am unable to leave this place now. Can you send me out?"
The silver-armored woman nodded and said, "Okay, but to prevent you from leaving and not coming back, we need to sign a contract."
Chen Lin's expression changed slightly, but he had no reason to refuse.
The content of the other party's contract was simple. It only stipulated that he had to come back and report once within a hundred years regardless of whether he found the person or not. If he found the person, he would pay the reward and the contract would be terminated. If he did not find the person, he would continue to look for him.
There are no other restrictions.
Seeing this, Chen Lin did not hesitate and signed the contract readily.
The other party just said that he could find the proprietress to ask for information, but did not say that he must get a method to make the other party leave this place. This did not matter. As long as he took out Gu Lianfeng's token, the contract would be completed.
He also felt that the way the tavern owner left here must be related to Gu Lianfeng, but he had not yet found out who this Gu Lianfeng was.
"Okay, this place is in chaos now, and there is a risk of death at any time. Do you have anything else to do? If not, I will send you out."
The woman in silver armor was a little impatient.
Chen Lin hesitated again and again, but still did not tell anyone about Luo Qinglan.
Not to mention that the other party and Luo Qinglan are two opposing camps. Even if they are not, mentioning Luo Qinglan now is tantamount to leaving a hostage for the other party. With Luo Qinglan's strength, he is definitely no match for this person.
Anyway, he can come back anytime after he leaves. At that time, there is no need to hand in the task to him first. It will not be too late to decide what to do after understanding all the circumstances.
After thinking it over, Chen Lin immediately said, "Your Excellency the Commander, I have nothing else to do. I just need to go back to Guqian County. I have two companions there. They have not been fully assimilated yet, so we need to take them out together."
"Can."
The silver-armored woman looked at Chen Lin expressionlessly.
Then he added: "But I want to remind you that the strange power here comes from a higher level interface, which is beyond our understanding. Even though you don't show any signs of assimilation now, as long as you are infected with the strange aura here, you will definitely be assimilated. It's just a matter of time."
After a brief pause, she thought for a moment and said, "Your situation is somewhat special, but your two companions probably won't be like you. It doesn't make much sense to leave or not. It's better to stay here. After assimilation, you can still remain immortal. When you find Qiu Mufan, you may be able to give them a glimmer of hope!"
Chen Lin's face showed a look of struggle, then he nodded and said, "Commander, you are right, let them stay here first!"
He didn't actually mean to go back to the county to pick someone up, he was just pretending.
It doesn't matter whether He Chengfeng accepts it or not. As the other party said, there is still a chance if he stays here. If the assimilation symptoms worsen after he leaves, there will be nothing he can do. But he can call Xiaocao back at any time.
But this situation must be made public, otherwise if the other party investigates him, there will be loopholes.
"Okay, this is my token. No matter which area you enter the fairyland from next time, you can use this token to seek help from the nearest government. Then you can contact me. My name is Nan Mochu!"
Handing the token to Chen Lin, the woman in silver armor waved her hand to grab Chen Lin to her side, then turned into a beam of silver light and shot away.
…
At the edge of the ruins, Chen Lin fell out.
He immediately gathered his spirit and soul, suppressed the magic power that suddenly returned to normal, and then observed carefully.
Although it has been some time since we entered the ruins, we don't know whether the demon bear has left. The other party has the strength of the sixth level and can break the void. As long as we sense his presence, it will catch up immediately.
After waiting for a long time and finding nothing unusual, Chen Lin breathed a sigh of relief.
At the same time, there was a look of surprise in his eyes.
No one knew what level of cultivation the silver-armored woman had, but her skills were truly amazing. She treated the folded and dislocated space at the edge of the ruins as nothing and easily sent him out.
Normal golden elixir does not have such ability.
However, the other party said that anyone who entered the ruins would be corroded by the strange power of rules inside. This situation needs to be carefully confirmed. He doesn't feel anything now, but he can't be careless.
After thinking for a while, Chen Lin began to determine the direction.
He didn't dare to leave the ruins too far, so he just stayed close to the edge of the ruins to check. If the demon bear appeared, he would immediately hide inside the ruins.
After checking for a long time, he finally determined the approximate location. He did not dare to use the communication talisman, for fear that the energy fluctuations would attract attention. He first set up a small teleportation array underground in a hidden location on the edge of the ruins, and then moved forward carefully, close to the ground.
He did not go to the temporary cave to look for Zhou Shiwu, but returned to Baiyu City first.
Humans and demons cannot coexist. Because of mutual hunting, the relationship between humans and demons is not harmonious. No matter how powerful the demon bear is, it dare not cause trouble in Baiyu City.
There are also powerful Void Refining experts in Baiyu City, and there are quite a few of them.
Even so, Chen Lin did not go directly into the city. Instead, he scouted around the outskirts and only entered the city after making sure that the evil bear was not around.
He found a high-end inn and rented a quiet independent room. Then he entered the demon world and summoned Xiaocao and Fat Tiger to his side.
"Tell me about your respective situations. Xiaocao, you go first."
After bringing the two loyal companions back to reality, Chen Lin immediately asked.
When Xiaocao sensed that the suppression of the strange rules had disappeared, she knew that they had left the ruins, but she did not ask more questions. Instead, she replied, "Master, there is no situation over there. I have been staying in the inn in the county town with He Chengfeng without moving."
Chen Lin nodded and looked at Fat Tiger again.
Fat Tiger still looked dull and said mechanically, "Master, not long after you left, the monsters around the ruins started to riot for some reason. Zhou Shiwu and I felt something was wrong. We sent you a message but got no response, so we went out to look for you. Zhou Shiwu was attacked by a monster and seriously injured. He was found by the Baiyu City Monster Hunting Team and brought back to the city. I stayed in the cave, waiting for the master to come back and for information from the old cultivators, but none of them came out of the ruins."
"Zhou Shiwu is injured?"
Chen Lin frowned.
Needless to say, the monster riot was definitely related to the monster bear.
He had already understood most of this matter before entering the city. There were quite a few rioting monsters, but they had been suppressed by the monks from several surrounding cities, and the monster bear did not show up.
However, a sixth-order monster is impossible to be killed. When it reaches the realm of refining emptiness, unless its strength is much greater, it will be difficult to kill it even if several monsters of the same level surround it. The ability to break the void is very suitable for escape.
Of course, those with Dao rhyme are a separate matter. The power of their Dao magic is enough to kill an ordinary Void Refiner with one strike. They are extremely powerful, otherwise they would not be listed separately.
There were no unusual signs in the city, so Chen Lin asked Fat Tiger to send a communication talisman to Zhou Shiwu.
Soon, he received a reply from the other party, and it turned out that he was living in the yard he had rented before, and his injuries had not yet fully recovered.
Instead of letting the other party come to find him, Chen Lin sent Fat Tiger into the Demon Realm and helped him guard the Demon Realm storage bag in the woods. He took Xiaocao for a walk around and then returned to the rented yard.
"This subordinate greets the master!"
Zhou Shiwu was very excited when he saw Chen Lin, and then asked with concern: "Master, there has been no news for such a long time, but has he entered the ruins of the ancient country?"
Chen Lin nodded.
The other party has a soul contract with him and will not betray him, so there is no need to hide it.
Zhou Shiwu's eyes lit up, and he immediately asked, "Master, have you found the person you were looking for?"
If Chen Lin achieved his goal, he would not take any more risks, and he could practice with peace of mind. He did not have much time left, and he was injured this time. If he delayed any further, there would be no possibility of forming a pill.
Chen Lin shook his head. "Not yet, but I have some clues. I have some things to do this time, and I will have to go in again in a few days. You can just rest and recover here. By the way, pay attention to the movements of a sixth-level golden demon bear. This demon has a grudge against me, so you must pay close attention to it."
Zhou Shiwu was stunned for a moment, then agreed respectfully.
After leaving some pills for the other party, Chen Lin went straight to the Xianling Tavern.
As expected, the pub was closed and the proprietress was nowhere to be found.
After he emitted colorful light from the wine jug, the other party bluntly said that they wanted to close the tavern, but Chen Lin was still a little disappointed.
This person is extremely mysterious, and he must hold the secret to solving the problem of being assimilated by the rules of the ruins. Not only does the silver-armored woman need it, but he also needs it. Although he has some confidence in his situation, it is better to be safe than sorry. If he is really assimilated, it will be no joke.
I asked around in the shops, but no one knew where the tavern owner had gone.
Chen Lin thought for a while and came to Ruyi Pavilion.
"Senior Chen, there has been no news from you for such a long time. Have you entered the ruins?"
When the female shopkeeper saw Chen Lin, she was immediately surprised. She led Chen Lin into the quiet room and started asking questions.
Chen Lin is still short of the reward she promised for the second batch of old cultivators. She has been trying to find out their whereabouts these days, but Zhou Shiwu doesn't know either, which makes her very anxious.
Chen Lin did not tell the truth, but said in an ambiguous way: "Something happened, so it was delayed. I should still owe the shopkeeper some rewards from the old cultivators, so I will pay it all off this time. In addition, the shopkeeper has also taken on a lot of responsibilities these days, so this bottle of elixir is to compensate for your mental loss."
After making up for the owed pills, Chen Lin took out another bottle of Baili Dan and gave it to the other party.
The female shopkeeper's original resentment disappeared immediately and she thanked him profusely.
"Does the shopkeeper know the proprietress of the Fairy Tavern well?"
After solving the remaining problems, Chen Lin asked.