Chapter Ninety-Two: The Yin Xuanyuan Clan

Tang Wei and Zi Xuan thus followed Long Wei into the headquarters of the security department, and no one mentioned Bai Mei again; without even speaking it aloud, everyone had tacitly agreed to leave that matter buried.

Long San naturally trailed behind Zi Xuan as well. Since his superior had personally sent him out, that was as good as a mission assigned to him. A man had to remain loyal to his post, so he obediently went along as a follower.

After that, Tang Wei and the others simply accompanied Long Wei through a token inspection of the security department. They did not take it very seriously at all, merely going through the motions so they would have something to answer with later when they reached the Xuan Yuan family. Once that was done and all preparations were in place, they set out for the Xuan Yuan estate.

This time, the treatment Tang Wei and the others received at the Xuan Yuan household was as different as heaven and earth from the last visit. As soon as they reached the foot of the mountain, they were invited to the family’s reception hall, where fine tea and fresh water were promptly served. No one knew whether the Xuan Yuan patriarch understood their purpose. In any case, he had apparently arranged for people to be waiting below. The moment the two of them appeared, they were ushered up the mountain without so much as a greeting. If he had known they had come specifically to pick a fight, who knew whether he would still have been so composed.

Only Long Wei and his two Foundation Establishment subordinates came up with them, because this scheme had been Long Nine’s idea, so he naturally came along too. Long San was now Zi Xuan’s attendant, and of course he had to stay at the back. The rest were stationed below, waiting. As soon as the signal was given, they would rush up at once to assist.

Zi Xuan sat in the very first seat. He neither drank tea nor ate the pastries; instead, he sat upright with an inscrutable expression, waiting for the storm to break. Tang Wei imitated him, putting on a solemn face, though in truth she was smiling all over inside, eagerly anticipating a show. Zi Xuan had already made things clear to her beforehand: in whatever came next, she was not to take the lead. She only needed to watch how the others performed.

Very soon, the Xuan Yuan patriarch arrived in haste after hearing the news. After some cold and barbed preliminary sparring, Long Wei from the security department took the lead in pressing the issue, with Long Nine backing him up, and they used the method they had agreed upon to force the Xuan Yuan patriarch toward compromise. The struggle between the two sides was fierce. The security department held fast to one point only: even government departments had taken the lead in accepting inspections, so if the Xuan Yuan family refused a search, that was clearly proof they had something to hide.

Tang Wei and Zi Xuan sat quietly to one side, saying nothing, only occasionally showing support when it was appropriate and letting the two Inedia stage cultivators back them up. In the end, the matter concluded with a complete victory for the security department.

The Xuan Yuan patriarch was still seething with anger, but under the circumstances he had no choice but to agree to the search. Yet the Xuan Yuan clan was still a great household; how could they allow outsiders to trample over them? After consulting the ancestor in the mountain retreat, the old ancestor himself came forward to mediate. After all, their side also had three Inedia stage cultivators. If the Xuan Yuan family’s own Inedia stage expert did not appear, they would inevitably be at a disadvantage in negotiations. Since everyone was of the same rank, it was easier to talk that way.

In the end, the security department conceded that only Long Wei and Long Nine could accompany Tang Wei and Zi Xuan in the inspection. The security department itself could only stand by as company and could not take the lead, and no one else was qualified to enter; they could only wait outside. In truth, the original arrangement had been for Long Wei alone to appear. No one knew what Long Nine later said to him, but Long Wei suddenly began arguing forcefully and insisted that Long Nine must accompany him in the inspection as well. After repeated negotiation, the Xuan Yuan old ancestor also felt that there was no need to be so guarded against a mere Qi Refining cultivator, so he ultimately agreed.

Thus the group, led by the Xuan Yuan family’s old ancestor, searched the old residence from top to bottom. Alongside them were several Xuan Yuan Foundation Establishment cultivators and the family head himself. Since an Inedia stage cultivator’s spiritual sense could cover roughly the area of an entire courtyard, they only needed to sweep each courtyard with divine perception as they went. If Long Wei hoped to find evidence of their crimes within the Xuan Yuan household, that would be a difficult matter indeed.

They spent several hours checking the hundred-odd courtyards inside and outside the Xuan Yuan estate, large and small. Even the secluded valley where the old ancestors forbade outsiders from entering was swept with divine sense, yet there was no trace of Yaya. They had originally intended to give up there, but unexpectedly Long Nine began, little by little, to lead the others toward the rear mountain.

"This won’t do. The rear mountain is the resting place of our ancestors. How could we allow you to disturb their peace? Even the clan elders are absolutely forbidden from entering it in ordinary times. The person you seek could never be hidden in there by us. That would be a great disrespect to our forebears!"

The Xuan Yuan old ancestor’s tone was resolute. He stretched out both arms and stood crosswise in front of them, blocking Tang Wei and the others no matter what.

"Xuan Yuan Patriarch, we’re only going in for a quick look. We’ll be out in an instant and won’t disturb your ancestors’ rest," Long Nine said at once.

"You junior, where do you get the right to speak here? No manners, no respect!" The old ancestor first scolded Long Nine harshly, then turned to Zi Xuan and said, "Fellow Daoists, if you force your way in, you are disturbing the peace of my ancestors! Such behavior is a direct provocation to the entire Xuan Yuan clan! No matter what, I will never permit outsiders to enter this place. If you want to go in, you can only step over my corpse!"

Seeing the Xuan Yuan old ancestor fly into a rage, Long Nine dared not truly challenge him. He could only step forward and lower his voice to Tang Wei and Zi Xuan.

"Seniors, we’re only going in for a look. How could that disturb their ancestors’ rest? If you prefer, we can even treat it as going in to pay respects. Which large burial site does not allow people to go and offer reverence? This absolute refusal is clearly just an excuse. I think they must have something to hide!"

Zi Xuan listened and found the argument reasonable, and he could not help nodding in agreement.

The Xuan Yuan old ancestor grew even angrier at that. His temper boiled over, and he rushed forward, raising a hand to slap down on Long Nine’s head while shouting, "Junior, you have ill intent! How dare you sow discord here? You are courting death!"

Long Nine’s cultivation was too low, and the Xuan Yuan old ancestor had locked him with divine sense, so he could not move at all. Just as the palm was about to take his life, Zi Xuan acted at the critical moment, blocking the old ancestor’s strike and tossing him aside, thereby saving Long Nine’s life.

When the old ancestor’s first strike failed, he immediately followed with another, intent on killing Long Nine no matter what. His attitude only drew more of Zi Xuan’s attention. To try to kill someone for no reason at all—if that was not guilt, what was it?

"Chief Long, you take him!" Zi Xuan said, pushing the Xuan Yuan old ancestor aside with a single move, intending for Long Wei to hold him off while the rest of them went in to search.

"This is indeed a core family area. Aside from the time when the clan performs ancestral rites, no one is permitted to enter at any other time. Seniors, please, for the sake of the friendship between Yun Qian and Zhe Er and yourselves, let us speak calmly and do not resort to force and damage the peace between our two families!" The Xuan Yuan family head copied the old ancestor’s posture and held both hands out before him.

Now that the ancestor had emerged from the mountain valley, and with Long Nine and the others repeatedly addressing the other side as seniors, the family head no longer dared to put on airs, nor did he dare call anyone young friend. In the cultivation world, distinctions of seniority and rank were strictly observed, and the old veterans in particular valued them more than life itself.

Once the Xuan Yuan old ancestor was tied up by Long Wei, a mere Qi Refining cultivator like the family head was no threat at all if he tried to stand in the way. Zi Xuan waved a hand and sent him flying far off to the side.

With matters having reached this point, it was impossible to settle things peacefully. The several Foundation Establishment cultivators who had entered with the Xuan Yuan old ancestor understood this all too well. Without waiting for the old ancestor’s command, they began joining forces to attack Zi Xuan.

Zi Xuan dealt with several of them effortlessly while saying to Tang Wei, "Senior Sister, you and Long Nine go in first and see what is hidden inside. I refuse to believe that a mere rear mountain is so forbidden to inspect. It is obvious there is something shameful in there."

Long Nine was not one to drag his feet. Now that Zi Xuan was backing him, what was there to fear? He immediately took the lead and headed for the rear mountain. Tang Wei naturally followed behind him and entered as well.

Inside the rear mountain, everything was exactly as the Xuan Yuan old ancestor had said: neat rows of graves stretched out one after another. At a glance, there was nowhere to hide a person, not even a larger tree in sight. Tang Wei wondered whether Zi Xuan might have been mistaken, because there seemed no way Yaya could be hidden here.

Long Nine moved about like an old hand, feeling here and pressing there, but discovered nothing unusual. Thus they could only continue deeper in.

Trailing after him, Tang Wei came to a sloping section. She did not know what Long Nine was planning to do, and, eager to press ahead, she accidentally kicked an inconspicuous round stone. With a thud, she stumbled and fell hard.

That was not the end of it. A sharp click sounded at once, and the slope slowly split open to both sides, revealing a huge cavern.

Seeing such a miraculous hidden place, Tang Wei no longer cared what had become of Long Nine. She went straight into the cave by herself. After walking only about twenty meters, she saw that the rock walls on both sides had been fitted with orderly rooms. Everything inside was tidy and clean, complete with tables, stools, wardrobes, and all the essentials.

Curious, Tang Wei stepped inside one room and touched the stone table. When she lifted her hand, it was spotless; this place must be cleaned often. She opened the wardrobe at random and found it full of household goods, all neatly sealed in plastic bags and still unopened. Looking more closely, this did not seem like a place for holding prisoners at all. Rather, it looked more like a private residence.

Leaving that room, she followed the passage farther in. The deeper she went, the more spacious the corridor became, showing no trace of stuffiness. Now and then, a faint breeze drifted through, suggesting there must be several ventilation shafts hidden in the darkness. From the look of it, this place was probably a shelter prepared by the Xuan Yuan family themselves.

Long Nine had been following Tang Wei all along. As the two of them walked on, they arrived at a large hall. Rather than a hall, however, it was almost more like an open square. If not for the style of the construction, it would have deserved to be called a plaza; it was nearly larger than a basketball court.

Tang Wei looked carefully and noticed that all the room doors they had passed were open, and only the door of the room at the far end of this hall was closed, with a lock added to it as well.

Suspicious.

Beside the locked room there was also a passage whose destination was unknown. Tang Wei did not feel like bothering with it for the moment. She only wanted to open the locked room and take a look first.

She came to the door, grasped the stone lock, and gave it a slight tug. With a click, the lock fell to the ground. Pushing the door open, she saw a little girl sitting in the middle of the room, not even turning her head. She was absorbed in playing a little game on her own.