Chapter 1178: Follower Chen Ling

"Long time no see, Uncle." Lu Xun looked at the somewhat unfamiliar man, his gaze complex.

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

The man stood up immediately and walked over to look at Lu Xun carefully. Only then did Lu Xun clearly see the gray hair at his temples and the deep wrinkles at the corners of his eyes.

"You've grown so big... Back then, you were just a little tyke." The man's tone was full of emotion. "I heard people say you grew up to be a scientist and were even on TV and in the newspapers... Right, I still have that newspaper! Wait, let me find it... let me find it..."

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

The man's fingertips gently rubbed the photo of Lu Xun on the newspaper, then he looked carefully at the real Lu Xun before him, memories surfacing in his eyes.

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

Hearing this, Lu Xun's brow furrowed slightly.

The man seemed to realize something and immediately changed the subject.

"Xiao Xun, you're 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 left?"

The man was stunned, then came back to his senses.

"Oh, yes, there are... but there are only two rooms left. You guys..."

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

"Two rooms will do." Lu Xun took a few banknotes from his pocket and placed them on the table. "Sorry for the trouble, Uncle."

"Oh, Xiao Xun, what are you doing?" The man's expression changed, and he hurriedly tried to return the money to Lu Xun. "We're family, why do you need to pay... just stay for free!"

Lu Xun's brow furrowed even tighter. He pushed the money back and said again, in an unquestionable tone:

"Business is business."

Seeing this, a flash of bitterness crossed the man's eyes. He struggled for a long time before putting the money into the drawer and handing over two keys.

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

"Mm."

Lu Xun took the two keys and turned toward the stairs. Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei followed closely behind.

Their footsteps creaked on the old wooden boards. Once they were completely inside the second-floor hallway, Yang Xiao couldn't help but ask:

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

Lu Xun hummed, saying calmly:

"When I was a child, my parents secretly ran an underground casino and made a lot of money. This Lotus Hotel was opened by my mother for him... Later, the casino was busted, both of them were sent to prison, and I was kidnapped by a group of human traffickers.

Those traffickers were enemies of my parents, planning to take revenge on me. I found an opportunity to escape... The police originally wanted to transfer me to the homes of these uncles, but because they feared my parents' enemies in society, none of them were willing to take me in... In the end, they had to send me to an orphanage."

Hearing this, Yang Xiao and Su Zhiwei were stunned. Parents committing crimes and going to prison, being kidnapped by traffickers, no relatives willing to take him in, and finally ending up in an orphanage... Who would have thought that the current Dr. Lu Xun had such a past?

Lu Xun didn't seem to care about his own 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 human nature... If they hadn't all rejected me, I wouldn't have ended up in an orphanage, and I wouldn't have come into contact with astronomy."

"No wonder you insisted on paying him," Su Zhiwei sighed.

"In this situation, being even with each other is indeed the best way to get along..."

Click—

The door opened, and a musty smell of old wood rushed out.

Lu Xun walked in slowly and sighed, "The accommodation conditions here are even worse than I imagined..."

"Besides us, is there really anyone else staying here?" Yang Xiao looked at the moldy ceiling of the bathroom, his brow also furrowed. "I really don't know what they were thinking..."

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

Lu Xun handed both keys to Su Zhiwei.

"Either is fine, I'll take this one... Anyway, we aren't here just to stay."

Su Zhiwei walked straight to the window and pushed it open with both hands. With a creak, the hazy mist and rain mixed with cold wind blew in, causing her white training suit to flutter gently.

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.]

Seeing the message pop up on his phone screen, Chen Ling replied briefly and put it away.

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

Chen Ling understood Ying Fu's personality. Even in the extremely dangerous Wuji Realm, he kept A-Qian by his side, which meant he was accustomed to keeping important people or things with him... And Chu Changqing definitely wouldn't be kept at the Huixian Hotel. This way, the search area had actually narrowed down significantly.

Of course, searching for Chu Changqing was the task for Lu Xun and the others. Chen Ling had more important things to do now.

Chen Ling tore gently at his chin, and his whole body transformed into a young man wearing a black Tang suit. The clothing was almost identical to Sun Bumian's, but the color was more understated. At first glance, he looked exactly like a servant Sun Bumian had brought back from abroad.

"Not bad, that's the vibe!" Sun Bumian couldn't help but applaud when he saw Chen Ling in the mirror.

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

"Absolutely!"

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

A moment later, he opened his eyes again. He had already spent another month studying at the Fusion School. This time, compared to before, he wasn't as haggard. After all, Chen Ling knew he had to deal with Ying Fu tonight, so he had specifically gone to bed early and woken up early for the past two nights to adjust his schedule.

"Let's go."

Chen Ling turned and walked out the door.

After taking only two steps, he was pulled back by Sun Bumian, who was wearing small round sunglasses and clicked his tongue.

"What, forgot your current identity? You really have no sense of awareness..."

Chen Ling: ...

After saying that, he put his hands behind his back, twirling his prayer beads while swaggering toward the end of the hallway...

Chen Ling rolled his eyes, silently noting this grudge against the Sun Bumian of the Fusion School, and followed quietly behind him.