Chapter 116: The Yang Family's Ancestral Craft
Chen Dong's brow furrowed. He had given that old man a clear enough warning during the day. The man had understood; otherwise, he wouldn't have retreated so easily. But why come back to kidnap Wang Xue now? 'Does Wang Xue have something they absolutely must have? To provoke me over her… that old man should know how to weigh the pros and cons.'
Without overthinking it, Chen Dong rushed directly to the Yang Family Villa.
Yang Rong sat in the living room, her face streaked with tears. As soon as she saw Chen Dong, she hurriedly explained, "I was just about to take the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill when I heard a noise. I rushed to my mom's room and only saw the back of that old man from earlier. I tried my best to chase him, but I couldn't catch up at all!"
Chen Dong gave a slight nod to show he understood.
That old man possessed formidable True Qi; he was certainly no weakling. Yang Rong had only just become a Grandmaster. Even if her True Qi reserves were already at the level of a Mid-grade Grandmaster, trying to catch up to that old man was wishful thinking.
Chen Dong went into Wang Xue's room to investigate for a moment, then said to Yang Rong, "Alright, don't worry. Leave the rest to me. From the way they acted today, it doesn't seem like they want to harm your mother, so you don't have to be so upset. I'll go get her back."
Wiping her tears, Yang Rong nodded at Chen Dong. She was out of options and could only place her trust in him.
After leaving the Yang Family Villa, Chen Dong followed the faint aura in pursuit.
In a remote, forested wilderness, six members of the Nanchuan Yang Family surrounded Wang Xue.
The old man spoke. "Tell us the location of that place, and we'll let you go. We don't wish to offend that mysterious Tributor of yours."
Hearing his grandfather say this, Yang Lin asked resentfully, "Is he really that strong?"
The old man nodded gravely, then turned back to Wang Xue. "You should know that we have plenty of ways to make you talk. It would be best for you to cooperate. Also, after you tell us, you'd better take what you know to the grave."
Her face pale with fear, Wang Xue nodded repeatedly.
Afterward, the six of them took Wang Xue and sped through the forest for more than two hours. When they reached a mountaintop, Wang Xue pointed to a ravine below and said, "This is it. I don't know anything beyond this. I've never been inside."
The old man took out a Compass and surveyed the surrounding landscape. After a moment of observation, he said, "This should be the place. The grand configuration is hidden within these mountains, its layout infinitely complex. The peaks rise in layers, and the esoteric dance of yin and yang is in constant flux. If this woman hadn't pointed it out, I wouldn't have noticed it at a glance even if I'd come here myself."
The man in the suit, who looked like a successful businessman, asked, "I've been looking for a while, but I don't see anything special about it."
The old man chuckled. "Your skill is still lacking. Besides, it's nighttime, so it's normal that you can't see it clearly. This is a hidden, gestating nexus nestled among the overlapping peaks. It can't be found through ordinary methods of locating dragon veins; this is a place where yin dragons converge. Look at those mountains over there—the yang landscape nurtures the yin. Now look at these mountains here—the yin terrain is born from the yang. This is definitely the place. Let's go down!"
The man in the suit nodded thoughtfully.
The farmer-like man asked, "What do we do with the woman? Should we just kill her?"
The old man shook his head. "Bring her along. After all, she's a daughter-in-law of the Yang Family."
The man with the murderous aura said, "It's bad luck to bring a woman into a tomb!"
Hearing this, the old man nodded. "Old Fourth, you take her back."
The scoundrelly-looking man grumbled, "I knew it. I always get stuck with this kind of job!" With that, he hoisted Wang Xue onto his shoulder and sped back the way they came.
The remaining five men descended into the ravine and soon found the Yang Family's special marker. A small entrance appeared before them.
The old man said grimly, "Same old rules. Let's get to work!"
The farmer-like man laughed heartily. "It's been a while since I've had to get my own hands dirty. With the family prospering, my skills have gotten rusty!"
The man with the murderous aura warned, "Take this seriously. According to the information from Yang Yushan, this tomb isn't simple. Besides, Yang Yushan and Yang Anfu are nowhere to be found. They're probably already trapped inside."
The farmer-like man's dismissive expression vanished. "If it were simple, they wouldn't have contacted us."
The old man also spoke up. "Although none of us rely on this for a living anymore, this is how the Yang Family made its fortune. Besides, Yang Yushan's message also said that if we can fully explore this tomb, the Yang Family's resurgence will be guaranteed."
At this, everyone's expression turned serious. The man with the murderous aura and the farmer-like man led the way into the tomb. The man in the suit was in the middle, and young Yang Lin brought up the rear, while the old man remained outside to provide support.
The Nanchuan Yang Family's ancestral trade was tomb raiding; in fact, they were the Southern Sect of tomb raiders. Given their wealth, they had long lost interest in ordinary tombs, but this one was different. In his message, Yang Yushan had stressed that this might be the tomb of a High-Grade Martial Artist. He had even found some pills, rotted by time, in a single side chamber.
This news sent a shockwave through the main branch of the Yang Family. They immediately summoned the family's Grandmasters to handle this tomb with the utmost seriousness. But then they suddenly lost all contact with Yang Yushan. Left with no other choice, they first sent Yang Jie to investigate the situation.
Upon learning that Yang Yushan and Yang Anfu had vanished suddenly, they concluded that the father and son couldn't resist entering the tomb themselves. They didn't dare investigate their disappearance for fear of leaking news about the tomb. A High-Grade Martial Artist's tomb might contain something that could allow a breakthrough to the next realm—an artifact that even the super-clans coveted. News of it absolutely could not get out.
That was why they didn't dare to interrogate Wang Xue, the only one who knew the tomb's location, in public. Their only option was to abduct her by force in the middle of the night.
As the old man was scouting the area, he failed to notice that Chen Dong was already hidden not far away.