TRYMBPIETM 10: The Ancient Tree’s Deep Shade(4)part 2

He regretted a bit. Why did he listen to Chi Qingning and choose the tricycle? For a straightforward guy like him, this was more challenging than it seemed.

Tang Qichen raised his eyes, casting a disapproving look at Chi Qingning, who was sitting across from him.

Chi Qingning: “…?” What was going on now?

The two exchanged a silent but intense stare. Meanwhile, Chi Qingzhou, only briefly glancing at the two of them—who were clearly exuding tension—shifted his focus to the mountain forest lining the dirt road.

In the distance, a hazy little building caught his eye. It seemed familiar, as though he had seen it at a friend’s funeral.

Was this place close to where his friend had been buried?

Chi Qingzhou paused, memories stirring. Shadows flickered, leaving behind a fleeting image for the live stream cameras.

He lowered his voice, murmuring, “I remember, Ah Lai hasn’t yet cultivated into a ghostly or divine form, right?”

Xing Shuangzhan, who had been sitting in the shadows, straightened up and looked toward the direction Chi Qingzhou had mentioned, understanding immediately. “No, not yet. He’s still in the early stages of the ghostly form. The Tang family has a special fate, and it clashes with your friend’s. It’s best not to let him enter your friend’s spiritual range, or he might wake up from his cultivation.”

Chi Qingzhou furrowed his brows, glancing at Tang Qichen with slight distaste.

At this moment, the tricycle suddenly jolted to a stop. Zhu Yantong pedaled a few times, but the tricycle didn’t move.

He quickly apologized to the guests and got off to check the spokes and chain. His face was a mix of awkwardness and embarrassment.

“Sorry about this, the spokes and chain broke. I don’t have any spare parts on hand. I’ll need to find a place to fix it before we can continue.”

The guests paused in surprise and quickly got off to inspect.

Sure enough, as Zhu Yantong had said, two parts of the chain had broken, and several spokes had snapped.

Tang Qichen and the others instinctively thought it might have been because of their weight. Their faces reddened with embarrassment, and they immediately apologized to Zhu Yantong, promising that once the show was over and they got their phones back, they would replace the tricycle.

Chi Qingzhou, slightly later than them, got off the tricycle. He gave the broken parts a quick glance and noticed a faint aura of yin energy lingering on them.

This wasn’t natural damage—it was clear that Zhu Yantong had intentionally summoned some minor spirits to cause the malfunction.

Zhu Yantong was a practitioner of ghost-control magic?

This didn’t quite match his appearance.

Chi Qingzhou raised an eyebrow, mixing in with the others, and casually glanced at Zhu Yantong.

Zhu Yantong awkwardly waved his hand, laughing. “It’s no big deal, just a minor issue. We just need to replace the spokes and the chain, and we’ll be good to go. I was just worried about wasting your time. You all have a task with a deadline, don’t you?”

The guests, remembering the time limit, quickly asked Lu Man, who confirmed that they were only 2.5 kilometers away from Yinping Village but only had 35 minutes left. The urgency was starting to show.

Liang Ji asked, “Does the production team have spare parts for the tricycle?”

Lu Man flipped through the vehicle’s supplies. “No suitable parts here.”

Zhong Lingshu frowned. “What do we do now? We’re stuck in the middle of nowhere with no repair shop nearby.”

Liang Ji added, “It’s unfair that the task time is still counted as two hours, even after an accident.”

Lu Man, who was unaware of Zhu Yantong’s actions, maliciously said, “I can’t make that decision. You’ll need to talk to Director Hu about that.”

The guests immediately swarmed toward the director, loudly requesting an extension of the time limit.

The director swiftly ducked into the live-stream vehicle, pretending not to be there.

The guests quickly realized his relentless pursuit of good show results and reluctantly gave up.

Zhu Yantong stood in the middle of the dirt road, seemingly confused for a moment before reacting.

“Well…,” he nervously fiddled with the hem of his shirt. “Our village isn’t far from the neighboring village, and there’s a small road here that leads there. If you walk about 200-300 meters, there’s a family that can fix tricycles.”

The group followed his gaze and saw a small path cutting through the mountains. In the distance, the trees were tall and dense, making it hard to see if there was indeed a house.

Chi Qingzhou raised an eyebrow again, his gaze toward Zhu Yantong open and playful.

This road conveniently passed right outside the Pu Luo clan’s territory.

What, did he want to disturb his friend’s cultivation?

Before Zhu Yantong could say more or offer a subtle hint, he suddenly felt a piercing gaze. He turned sharply, his eyes cold and venomous like a snake’s.

Their eyes met, and Chi Qingzhou’s face held a gentle smile, though it felt strangely devoid of warmth.

Zhu Yantong’s heart skipped a beat, and a sense of unease swept over him.

But something didn’t add up. This young man, with such a rare fate, shouldn’t know any occult arts. Why was he feeling this strange sensation?

Confused, Zhu Yantong hadn’t figured out why, but before he could, Chi Qingzhou took a step forward, casually lifting the tricycle’s cargo bed, with all the luggage piled inside, and raised it about 60 centimeters off the ground.

“No need to trouble yourselves.”

Chi Qingzhou’s smile remained warm and modest, his steps light and steady as he walked toward the others.

“Yinping Village should have a repair shop, right? We don’t have much time left, so let’s just get it fixed once we reach the village. After all, we’re so close now, and I’m quite strong. I’ll push you all there.”

He glanced at Zhu Yantong with a nonchalant expression.

Want to disturb his friend’s cultivation?

Dream on.

his was his only friend capable of cultivating into a ghostly form. He was rare and precious, and Chi Qingzhou was going to protect him well.

Zhu Yantong stood there, stunned. “…?”

The other guests: “…?”

The production team: “…?”

The main live-stream room: 【??????】