<h4>Chapter 1182: Chapter 1189: Zhu Qing (Part 2)</h4>


    It wasn’t long before Ling Chen returned to the base with the assassin. It was alreadyte at night, and except for the security personnel on duty, everyone else was resting. Ling Chen didn’t wake Hu Fei and the others but instead took the assassin directly to his bedroom.


    "What do you want?" The assassin asked warily, watching Ling Chen with a cold voice. The fact that he didn’t lock her in a cell but instead brought her to his room made her uneasy. It waste at night, and she was on his turf. If Ling Chen forcibly did something to her... The thought made her even more anxious.


    Ling Chen nced at the assassin and saw her vignt eyes, clearly understanding her thoughts.


    "Don’t worry." Ling Chen slightly raised the corners of his mouth and said with a smile, "I’m not interested in you, so you don’t have to be afraid of me."


    Not interested? Hearing this made her feel even more ufortable. Why? She had the looks and the figure, and in her family, she was considered a top beauty, with countless men pursuing her. Hmph! Why was he not interested in her?


    Sensing the anger in her eyes, Ling Chen found it odd. He had already said he wasn’t interested, so why was she angry?


    Forget it! Ling Chen couldn’t be bothered to guess her thoughts. He rummaged through the drawer to find a few items, then turned back to her, and said, "Take off your clothes."


    Take... take off her clothes? If it weren’t for Ling Chen being beside her, she would’ve thought she heard wrong.


    Seeing her sitting there motionless, Ling Chen couldn’t help but urge, "What are you still standing around for? Hurry up and take off your clothes."


    "You... you bastard, you pervert, Ling, I... I would rather die than let you seed." The woman said indignantly.


    Ling Chen was slightly taken aback, then realized the misunderstanding in his words, and with a wry smile, said, "Aren’t you overthinking this? I never meant to bully you; I just noticed your arm is injured and wanted to help treat it. Well! Since you don’t want me to touch you, you can handle it yourself." With that, Ling Chen ced the disinfectant alcohol and bandage in front of her and retreated to sit on the bed.


    Seeing the bandage and disinfectant, the woman realized she had misunderstood Ling Chen, blushing slightly and lowering her head in embarrassment.


    While she treated her wound, Ling Chen asked, "What’s your name?"


    "Zhu Qing."


    "Zhu Qing..." Ling Chen nodded, smiled, and said, "Nice name."


    "You... you..." Zhu Qing hesitated for a moment, unable to help but ask, "Why are you doing this? I’m your enemy, you..."


    Before Zhu Qing could finish, Ling Chen slightly smiled and responded, "You might be mistaken; in my eyes, you’re not an enemy. Although you’ve injured many of my men, I know you only meant to stop them without intending to kill. However, misunderstanding aside, I want to understand why you’re preventing me from finding the tomb? Regarding Ling Gengqiu, do you know some secrets I don’t?"


    "I’m the Guardian of the tomb," Zhu Qing said.


    "Guardian?" Ling Chen was taken aback and asked curiously, "Who would hire an assassin to guard a tomb?"


    Hearing this, Zhu Qing’s face suddenly turned sullen, and she said angrily, "Don’t use the term ’assassin’ to describe me; it’s an insult."


    "Aren’t you an assassin?" Ling Chen asked puzzledly. When he fought with Zhu Qing, her techniques were clearly special methods used by assassins. Moreover, such skills could only be acquired after years of training. So, in his eyes, Zhu Qing was not only an assassin but an elite one trained from childhood.


    "I’m an assassin, not a killer." Zhu Qing corrected.


    Assassin? Ling Chen was confused. Is there a difference between assassins and killers?


    Noticing Ling Chen’s confusion, Zhu Qing patiently exined, "Killers work for money; they have no morals or rules. As long as there’s enough profit, killers can do anything, including killing the elderly, women, and children. But we assassins are different. We follow rules, do not kill recklessly, and don’t do things against our conscience. And the most important difference between us and killers is loyalty."


    "Assassins and killers have one thing inmon: serving their employer. Once we take a mission, whether it spans decades or centuries, as long as our descendants remain, they’ll continue to carry it out without abandoning it midway."


    Hearing this, Ling Chen immediately realized the crucial point.


    "Was it Ling Gengqiu or Guo Qiang who hired you to protect the tomb back then?"


    "Guo Qiang." Zhu Qing replied, "Guo Qiang was a friend of our Zhu family’s ancestor. All our family’s weapons were crafted by Guo Qiang. At the end of his life, Guo Qiang asked our ancestor from the Zhu Family to protect the safety of a tomb. To this day, this mission has been passed down to me."


    Ling Chen nodded, as expected. This tomb was built by Guo Qiang; only he knew its location. So, Ling Gengqiu wasn’t involved in this matter. However, Ling Chen still found it strange. Since Guo Qiang asked the Zhu Family to guard the tomb, it indicated he didn’t want it to be disturbed. Yet, he left clues about the tomb at his death.


    Guo Qiang’s actions seemed contradictory; why? Ling Chen sighed helplessly at the thought. Guo Qiang had been dead for so many years, and perhaps only he knew the reason.


    "Lady Zhu, I think you should know that Ling Gengqiu is my ancestor."


    "That doesn’t matter to me. Since we’ve taken the task, we’ll continue until the end, unless you kill me." Zhu Qing said firmly.


    Ling Chen shrugged and said, "Alright, in that case, I can only be impolite. Before I uncover the tomb, you’ll stay here. After it’s over, I’ll decide what to do with you."


    "You can’t do this. It’s been hundreds of years; since he’s your ancestor, he should rest in peace without being disturbed."


    "Lady Zhu, some matters aren’t that simple. It’s an internal affair of the Ling Family, and you don’t need to know about it."


    Ling Chen called over a few subordinates, arranged a room for Zhu Qing, and considering her skills, he increased security to prevent her escape.


    After resting overnight at the base, the next day, Ling Chen and Hu Fei drove to the vicinity of the city government.


    Upon entering the shop, Ling Chen chatted briefly with Beison, inquiring about the excavation progress. After working day and night, the tunnel was very close to the tomb. If all went well, they would find the tomb’s location today.