Chapter 1091 1090: Tracking
Dusk.
Near Xuan Mountain Ranch.
A shiny black SUV was parked in an inconspicuous corner, its headlights off, making it hard to discern against the backdrop of the dark night.
The people inside the car controlled a drone, which slowly lifted into the air, hovering above the tent, revealing the situation below.
Six fifteen.
A group of people emerged from the tent and began checking their belongings and packing their luggage.
Six thirty.
The group boarded their vehicles and set off, driving along the highway towards Jiangdong.
Once they confirmed the route, the black SUV also started its engine and followed behind.
...
Yang Chen sat in the car, looking at a printed photo, scrutinizing it with a magnifying glass.
This photo was taken from the Twin Dragon Jade Pendant, densely showing patterns and writings.
These things are finer than strands of hair, recorded on such a small Twin Dragon Jade Pendant, a feat that even today remains unachievable.
This made Yang Chen marvel at the strength of the ancients.
Even after enlarging it to a printed photo, Yang Chen still needed to use a magnifying glass just to barely make out the words and patterns on it.
The characters were in Small Seal script, which Yang Chen could barely decipher, but mixed in were some unknown characters that were clearly different from Small Seal, leaving Yang Chen at a loss and making them hard to identify.
There were also some chaotic lines that gave Yang Chen a headache.
"Take a look." Yang Chen handed the photo to Meng Po.
He couldn't quite understand it.
Meng Po took the photo, placed it on her knee, and began examining it carefully.
After a while, Meng Po slowly said, "Our people rarely study these things, and with such limited time, we probably can't figure much out. But the Xiang family on the other hand, they are experts in these studies and must be familiar with them. Besides, that half of the Jade Pendant has been in their possession, they must have researched it extensively. We can't match them."
Yang Chen looked at Meng Po helplessly.
Meng Po blushed, hurriedly passed the photo back to Yang Chen, and awkwardly said, "I didn't understand it either…"
Although Meng Po spoke Flame Country's language well, it was all taught by Yang Chen. In terms of understanding Flame Country's culture, Meng Po is far less knowledgeable than Yang Chen, not to mention ancient knowledge.
Yang Chen asked her just to try his luck.
Though Meng Po's earlier words left Yang Chen without any reason to refute.
The Xiang family had been exploring ancient culture, engaging in grave-robbing activities, where knowledge of these was certainly deep.
And according to Zhang Qicheng and Zhang Shaoting's research, they could only find the mapped location but couldn't understand the meaning of the chaotic lines.
The Xiang family had studied them for a long time.
Driving all the way.
They finally reached a stop around four o'clock in the morning.
Qingshan Town.
The Xiang family was familiar with this place, having arranged accommodation and meals in advance.
Having traveled all day, Yang Chen's team was exhausted, so they ate a little bit and went right to sleep.
The Xiang family, however, still looked energetic.
They were used to a routine of working at night and resting during the day.
After dinner, Xiang Xingyu, Elder Xiang Jixian, and Acupointing Hand Xiang Nancheng gathered in a room for a secret discussion.
"This Jade Pendant is indeed the one old Master Zhang brought out from the tomb back then!" Xiang Jixian said solemnly.
Xiang Xingyu nodded slightly, "Yes, which means we must succeed this time!"
"Are the people at the rear here yet?" Xiang Nancheng asked.
Xiang Xingyu glanced at his watch and nodded, "About there."
Xiang Jixian was still worried and instructed Xiang Xingyu, "Go out later and check with them for information, just in case! This operation cannot afford any mistakes!"
"Understood!" Xiang Xingyu nodded.
Immediately, the three of them took out the photos again for careful study.
Eight o'clock in the morning.
Xiang Xingyu changed into a casual outfit, wearing a baseball cap, and left.
Along the way, Xiang Xingyu walked and paused, buying something now and then, seemingly out for a stroll.
Finally, he reached a row of lodgings at the east end of the town and entered one.
When he came out again, it was already an hour later.
...
In Yang Chen's room.
Night Fire returned and quietly said to Yang Chen, "Boss, just as you suspected, there is indeed another group!"
Yang Chen nodded slightly, having already anticipated this, he just needed Night Fire to confirm.
"Alright, go rest first, we set off again this afternoon."
Night Fire nodded and went under the covers to rest.
After all, the lodgings weren't very good, and five or six people squeezed into a room.
Outside, a slim figure walked back to a black SUV with her head down, took off her hat, and revealed a stunning face.
It was Left Envoy Yang.
This SUV was large; the rear was flat, serving as a bed.
Clearly, Left Envoy Yang was resting here and hadn't found accommodation.
She took out a tablet, uploaded some data, and opened the photos.
The photos were surprisingly of Yang Chen's team entering the lodging, and of Xiang Xingyu leaving the lodging to a different one across the town.
Among them, everyone in the other lodging was photographed by Left Envoy Yang.
"The first group has twenty people, mostly experts. The second group has thirty people, all combat personnel! Looks like they intend to capture everything in one operation! What kind of item could make the Xiang family, known for their credibility, do such a thing?" Left Envoy Yang murmured.
After all, in grave-robbing, it's impossible for the Xiang family to know every tomb's location.
These actions require partnering with others, yet grave-robbing is a perilous endeavor, and if unfamiliar, there's no way to collaborate. Therefore, the Xiang family values their reputation highly, making them very credible in the industry, and everyone is willing to work with them due to their professionalism and safety.
But now, the Xiang family's actions seem unrelated to maintaining credibility!
"Yang Chen… truth be told, I'm really curious about what's underground. Since you're going, I might as well follow and see." Left Envoy Yang said with a smile.
Yang Chen surely hadn't imagined that Left Envoy Yang would leave her busy Nine Venerables Group work and forego opportunities to reunite with her parents to secretly follow their team!
If Yang Chen knew about this, he would undoubtedly be shocked.
But as fate would have it, Yang Chen wouldn't know… because they were all sound asleep.
As the sun sank and the evening glow rose, it was once again time for them to set off.
The group who had been hungry all day gobbled their food, and Yang Chen prepared the night's meal.
After all, they were engaging in nighttime activities, missing three meals during the day, so the night's food couldn't be skimped, or else they might not keep up physically.