Celestial Human Diagram-Chapter 127 - 115: Entering the Mountain

After ending his call with Ren Shu, Chen Chuan immediately dialed Cheng Zitong. It wasn’t convenient to discuss these things over the phone, so after confirming Cheng Zitong was in his office, he decided to head to the administration building.

After a moment’s thought, he returned to his dorm to grab the stack of documents Gao Ming had sent him. He then left the dormitory, followed the path along Spring and Autumn Lake to the administrative office building, and went upstairs to the logistics department office.

Cheng Zitong waited for him to enter before closing the door. "The commission from the Administrative Affairs Hall? The Flying Head Monster?"

Chen Chuan said, "Yes, Teacher. This time, I might encounter the Flying Head Root Source, so I came to ask if there is anything else I should be aware of."

Cheng Zitong said with a serious expression, "Let me ask you something first. Since your last commission, have you felt any physical discomfort? How is your mental state?"

Chen Chuan replied, "There seemed to be a little at first, but it was gone the next day."

Cheng Zitong studied him for a few moments. "Here’s what we’ll do. In a few days, the exchange students from Maka are visiting the Foreign Affairs Bureau. They’ll be displaying an oak leaf they gifted us, which can help heal certain injuries and revitalize one’s spirit. It’s a rare opportunity. You should go with them. I’ll find a way to arrange it."

Chen Chuan said earnestly, "Thank you, Teacher." He knew that whether he needed it or not, his teacher, Cheng Zitong, was truly looking out for him.

Cheng Zitong’s expression relaxed. "Alright. Since you say you feel fine, and as a member of the Intuition School, I trust you. Now, let’s talk about the Flying Head."

He returned to his seat, took a sip of tea to wet his throat, and began, "I know the method for dealing with a Flying Head Root Source, but I’ve never handled one myself. Therefore, what I’m about to say might not be a hundred percent accurate.

"Furthermore, some details are only known to those who have personally handled the situation; it’s hard for anyone else to grasp them. So, you must try to remember what I’m about to say, but don’t treat it as gospel. You have to adapt to the situation as it unfolds. Whatever you do, don’t just charge in blindly."

Chen Chuan said seriously, "I understand, Teacher."

Seeing that his words had sunk in, Cheng Zitong continued, "Ordinary Flying Head Monsters can be handled with simple methods, such as conventional attacks. But a Flying Head Root Source is a true aberration. It’s incredibly difficult to destroy with external attacks, so the only solution is a strategy of attrition."

"That’s right, attrition."

Cheng Zitong said gravely, "For a Flying Head, the daily ritual is like a necessary meal for a person. The key is that the ritual must take place, but the creature cannot be allowed to successfully consume the offering. Every time it misses a ’meal,’ it will grow a little weaker, until it eventually vanishes.

"However, this thing constantly assails a person’s mind. It stirs up their emotions and stimulates the body’s deepest desires. The more people there are, the more pronounced the effect. So, when you encounter this thing, the first thing you must do is be wary of your companions.

"They could stab you in the back at any moment. When dealing with this thing, it’s best to have very few people around, or better yet, just you alone. Then, you just have to keep wearing it down until it disappears completely."

’This is definitely not going to be easy,’ Chen Chuan thought. He wasn’t afraid of a war of attrition with the Flying Head, but controlling the actions of others would be difficult.

Cheng Zitong then walked over to a cabinet, took out a key, and unlocked it. After searching inside for a moment, he brought out a box, from which he took a piece of Yellow Jade. He handed it to Chen Chuan. "This should protect you for a time and help you hold on a little longer.

"But if you sense something is wrong, retreat immediately. Your safety is more important than solving the problem. As long as you’re alive, there’s always a way."

Chen Chuan took it and nodded. He wasn’t the type to stubbornly see things through to the bitter end. If it was within his capabilities, he didn’t mind resolving the issue. But if it was beyond him, he’d rather retreat and find another way.

Cheng Zitong added, "One more thing. There are countless types of aberrations; what we’ve encountered so far is just a small fraction. Xiaochuan, since you’ve decided to focus on this field, you will inevitably run into things you’ve never seen before—some without any precedent at all. You must expand your knowledge as much as possible. I’ve compiled some materials recently and put them all here. You can take them to read when you have time."

As he spoke, he walked to the side and opened another cabinet. Chen Chuan saw it was stuffed full of file folders. He knew he wouldn’t be able to get through them anytime soon and would have to go over them slowly. He pulled one from the top. "I’ll take this back to read, then. Oh, right, Teacher," he said, handing the stack of documents he’d brought to Cheng Zitong. "What’s this?" the teacher asked.

Chen Chuan said, "My cousin, Gao Ming, is a Litigation Master. This is the pre-entry assessment data he compiled for students from several Wuyi Branch academies who are entering Central City, along with his personal opinions. I was hoping you could take a look and give me some advice, Teacher."

"Oh?" Cheng Zitong said with surprise. "I’ll definitely have to take a close look at this."

After bidding farewell to Cheng Zitong, Chen Chuan left the administration building and returned to his dormitory. He used a public phone to call Ren Shu. "I’ll take the mission," he said once the call connected. "Please have Master Wei come pick me up, Mr. Ren. I’ll get ready and then I can leave."

Ren Shu, who had been waiting anxiously, grew excited. He replied at once, "I’ll have Xiaowei drive over to pick you up right away, Mr. Chen!"

’This was a major commission directly from the Administrative Affairs Hall! If they could pull this off, their company would finally make a name for itself and escape obscurity.’

Chen Chuan hung up and went back to his room to pack. He would, of course, be taking his Snow Monarch Blade and Martial Halberd. Considering that some aberrations could have unusual effects, and that his clothes were bound to get torn in a real fight, he decided to pack two extra sets.

As he was packing, there was a soft knock on the door. He went to open it and saw a young student standing outside who bore a slight resemblance to Teacher Duma. He had to be one of the Maka People.

The student offered a friendly greeting. "Hello. My name is Zu’a, and my Dashun name is Qiu Chengzu."

Chen Chuan nodded in return. "Chen Chuan. Hello, Qiu. What can I do for you?"

Qiu Chengzu said a bit bashfully, "Well, the fighting skills of us Maka People aren’t as refined as you Dashun People. Our teacher and our captain told us to interact more with the Wuyi Academy students. I was wondering if I could spar with you, Chen?" 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

Chen Chuan hadn’t expected a Maka Student to seek him out for a spar so soon. Normally, he would have been happy to oblige, even though he could tell Qiu’s skill level wasn’t very high. But right now, he simply didn’t have the time.

He said regretfully, "I’m sorry, but I have something to do today and have to leave soon. I can’t spar with you, Qiu."

"Oh, oh, that’s fine, that’s fine. It was presumptuous of me to ask." Qiu Chengzu seemed quite embarrassed, then added hopefully, "Then... could I come find you next time, Chen?"

Chen Chuan said, "We’ll see, when there’s an opportunity."

"Okay, okay." Qiu Chengzu could see that he was busy, so he quickly apologized for disturbing him and left.

Chen Chuan closed the door and resumed his preparations. Once everything was in order, he left with his blade and walked to the academy entrance. An SUV was waiting there, and the driver, Xiaowei, stood by the car door, waving to him from a distance.

He walked over, and Xiaowei opened the car door for him. After he settled into the front passenger seat, Xiaowei asked considerately, "Mr. Chen, would you like me to turn on the radio?"

"Go ahead," Chen Chuan said. ’There’s nothing else to do on the road anyway, might as well listen to the radio.’

After turning it on, Xiaowei asked what he’d like to listen to. "The news is fine," Chen Chuan said casually.

’In the Yangzhi City area, the only programs available at this time of day were Chinese opera, news commentary, and a few others. Opera was fine once in a while, but he couldn’t stand listening to it for long, which left the news as his only real option.’

The car was soon on its way, heading northwest. After about forty-five minutes, they had left the city limits. A news report came on the radio.

"’The Yangzhi City Administrative Affairs Hall recently shut down another polluting factory located by the Huo Water. This is the second factory to be closed this month, following last month’s crackdown... The Administrative Affairs Hall remains committed to creating a good living environment for our citizens...’"

’This again.’

Chen Chuan paid closer attention. They had been reporting on this for the past few days. It seemed to have originated from the incident in Wu Family Town.

Although he knew the real cause was the Flying Head Monster, he couldn’t rule out that there was genuine water pollution as well. But for the news to report on it repeatedly for over ten days—even if it was just a few sentences each time—felt like a deliberate emphasis.

’Perhaps some officials in the Administrative Affairs Hall needed to show off their achievements,’ he mused. ’After all, the new year had just passed, and it was said that some higher-up positions were due for a reshuffle around this time.’

’That sort of thing wasn’t his concern.’

He glanced outside. There had been plenty of other vehicles on the road when they left the city, but now they were becoming scarce. To one side of the road lay a relatively flat plain, and to the other, a dense mountain forest. He could see the elevation steadily increasing. "How much further?" he asked.

Xiaowei replied, "About twenty-five more minutes, Mr. Chen. We’re about to hit the mountain roads. The first section is paved, but it’s all dirt roads after that. It might get a little rough and bumpy."

Chen Chuan nodded and continued to watch the scenery outside.

He had never really been to this area before. Unlike the wilderness to the east, this area outside the city was covered in dense vegetation. He could occasionally spot small villages, but as the paved road disappeared behind them, the villages vanished from sight as well.

"Mr. Chen, we’re almost there," Xiaowei announced.

Chen Chuan glanced over and saw a conspicuous, upright signpost by the road. The vehicle turned in the direction it indicated, heading up a barren slope. This was a narrow track with a surface of dirt and gravel. The center of the path had been flattened and crushed, a clear sign that many vehicles had recently passed this way.

After about a mile, the track opened into a large clearing. A stream flowed down from the mountain and across the open space. Cars were parked neatly along the edge of the clearing, and in the center stood rows of tents, all spaced far apart in an orderly arrangement.

Chen Chuan scanned the area. From what he could see, there were at least two or three hundred people. These had to be the participants in the encirclement operation.

The SUV gradually slowed and pulled to a stop beside the other vehicles. The two men got out.

Someone saw them and immediately approached to question them. Xiaowei presented his credentials, and the man’s demeanor instantly warmed. He invited them toward the center of the camp.

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