The next day dawned beautifully. The continuous downpour of the past few days finally ceased, the sky began to clear, and the sun emerged.
When the plane arranged by Hou Mingzhu arrived, Ye Tiancheng, along with his wife Hou Mingzhu, their daughter Ye Qingcheng, his good friend Fatty, and Xiao Huli, plus Fatty's partner Shao Ying, a group of six, departed from that wretched place.
Although Ye Tiancheng and Xiao Huli had already sensed that Shao Ying was problematic, possibly harboring ulterior motives while lurking around them, they couldn't afford to dwell on it at the moment, as their evidence was insufficient.
Therefore, Ye Tiancheng chose to let Shao Ying continue to accompany them, allowing him to find evidence and truly expose Shao Ying's true colors in the future.
As for the present, their priority was to head to the next location to search for the fragments of the Fuxi Qin.
The six of them boarded the plane, tracing an arc across the sky as they flew towards their destination.
After takeoff, the plane flew eastward, eventually landing on a mountaintop. There stood an ancient building, its exterior style clearly indicative of ancient architecture. Surprisingly, there were no tourists here; it was eerily quiet. This was because Hou Mingzhu had made prior arrangements, and the people here were already aware of Ye Tiancheng and his group's impending arrival and had made preparations.
Indeed, the people here had made thorough preparations. Several cars were already parked in front of the grand hall, ready to receive Ye Tiancheng and his party.
As Ye Tiancheng disembarked, he saw dozens of people standing beside these vehicles, including a black stretched Lincoln limousine. In front of these people, even more individuals were waiting for Ye Tiancheng and his group. Ye Tiancheng could tell that they were all there to welcome him, and he was being heavily protected this time.
Hou Mingzhu and Ye Tiancheng walked ahead, followed by the others. Led by these people, they arrived at the Lincoln limousine. Hou Mingzhu took the co-pilot's seat, while Ye Tiancheng got into the back. Ye Tiancheng's close friends, Fatty and Xiao Huli, took seats on his left and right, respectively.
Their daughter, Ye Qingcheng, was looked after by a servant and sat further inside, in a row behind them.
Once everyone was seated, the car started.
The Lincoln limousine moved swiftly, soon disappearing into the mountainous terrain.
The moment the car entered the mountains, everyone held their breath, nervously scanning their surroundings. They knew they were heading to the place where they would search for the Fuxi Qin fragments. They had to remain vigilant at all times to prevent unexpected situations, especially anything like what had happened before.
However, they were all seasoned veterans, and the journey was remarkably smooth.
After more than an hour, the Lincoln finally stopped on a small mountain path.
This was a very remote location, with no villages or other structures nearby. Only the undulating mountain ranges could be seen in the distance. Was this the place where the Fuxi Qin fragments were located?
With a sharp screech of brakes, the Lincoln limousine came to a halt.
The driver alighted first to open the doors. Hou Mingzhu, Ye Tiancheng, and the two bodyguards behind Hou Mingzhu got out of the car. The others remained inside.
Hou Mingzhu wore a constant smile, while Ye Tiancheng, standing beside her, had a grave expression. His eyes continuously scanned the surroundings, hoping to find some clue here.
However, they found nothing.
Apart from a few pine trees, everything else here was desolate.
After getting out of the car, Hou Mingzhu surveyed the surroundings, seemingly searching for something.
Seeing this, Ye Tiancheng quickly asked, concerned that Hou Mingzhu might be in danger alone.
Upon hearing Ye Tiancheng's question, Hou Mingzhu turned back, smiled at him, and said, "Tiancheng, don't worry, I'm fine. Let's go inside now."
With that, Hou Mingzhu led the way towards the mountain gate. Behind her followed Ye Tiancheng, his two bodyguards, and his wife Hou Mingzhu.
The mountain was covered in lush, dense trees. There was no need for a flashlight to search for people; one could clearly see if anyone was present.
Hou Mingzhu and the others ascended the mountain path step by step. After walking for a while, they reached a stone tablet.
As Ye Tiancheng approached, he was somewhat surprised, as his senses told him that this stone tablet was one of the Fuxi Qin fragments he was looking for.
Ye Tiancheng exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect this time to be so easy. Unlike before, when we had to expend so much effort, killing demons, slaying monsters, and capturing ghosts."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's words, Hou Mingzhu found it incredible. "This is also a fragment of the Fuxi Qin? How will you take it away?"
She carefully examined the stone tablet. In her opinion, it had no special characteristics and looked like ordinary rock. Furthermore, various patterns were carved on the tablet, with no discernible special features. How could it be a fragment of the Fuxi Qin?
Ye Tiancheng then explained to Hou Mingzhu, "These things cannot be judged by their surface. And it can shrink. Once the fragment shrinks, I can easily take it away."
"Oh, I see. Since you know how to take the Fuxi Qin fragment, hurry up and do it. I don't like waiting too long," Hou Mingzhu urged Ye Tiancheng to act quickly after hearing his explanation.
Their objective all along had been to collect all the Fuxi Qin fragments. With only a few estimated to be left, they were in a hurry.
After all, the situation in the Pure Land was dire, and they urgently needed to restore the divine artifact Fuxi Qin to normalize the Pure Land. It was a matter of utmost urgency.
After all, if the situation in the Pure Land continued to worsen, it would eventually spread.
"Alright, I'll get started right away!" Ye Tiancheng nodded at Hou Mingzhu's words, then walked to the stone tablet, channeled his cultivation, and recited a few incantations towards it. The stone tablet began to glow.
Subsequently, Hou Mingzhu felt a dizzying sensation. When she came to her senses, the stone tablet had vanished.
Ye Tiancheng informed Hou Mingzhu, "I've finished. I've collected another fragment of the Fuxi Qin."
"Great! Really? That's wonderful! You're one step closer to your goal!" Seeing how smoothly it went this time, Hou Mingzhu was very happy for Ye Tiancheng.
She then asked, "So, what should we do next?"
As they spoke, the two of them walked back.
Listening to Hou Mingzhu's question, Ye Tiancheng thought carefully for a long time before replying, "Although we are in a hurry, we haven't had a proper rest for a while. If we continue like this, everyone should be quite tired."
"Keeping your nerves too taut isn't a good thing, so I think we should stay here and rest for a while, recuperate, and then continue our journey."
Hearing Ye Tiancheng's suggestion, Hou Mingzhu felt that he was considering everyone's well-being, but she was also quite worried about Ye Tiancheng's situation.
Therefore, Hou Mingzhu said, "Your matters are more important, and this is such a crucial task. If we delay too long, won't that be problematic?"
Ye Tiancheng smiled and said to Hou Mingzhu, "Mingzhu, you don't need to worry too much about me. Since I've said it, it means I think it's fine, and I'm proposing it proactively. Everyone is rushing every day, and taking just a few days off occasionally is truly exhausting."
"If it goes on for too long, we will definitely not be able to cope. Therefore, proper rest is also necessary; we cannot put the cart before the horse."
"These things are meant to make things better, not to break ourselves down."
Seeing that Ye Tiancheng genuinely had no intention of forcing her, Hou Mingzhu finally felt relieved. "That's good. I'll have someone arrange for our rest here. How long do you think we should rest?"
Ye Tiancheng replied, "Let's tentatively set it for one month."
As he spoke, he paused slightly, suddenly remembering something, and reminded Hou Mingzhu, "However, don't reveal that we've found the Fuxi Qin fragment here yet. Just act as if we haven't found it."
"I have some other arrangements. And if they know my plans, and we suddenly take a break like this, people like Fatty might become uneasy. So, it's better not to say anything."
"Just make the usual arrangements for our accommodation, but ensure the conditions are better. You can all relax and have fun during this time, as there shouldn't be any major issues. After all, it's our rest period, and other things are less important."
Hou Mingzhu was slightly taken aback, not understanding why Ye Tiancheng was suddenly making such arrangements. "Do you have other things to do? Do you need any help?"
Ye Tiancheng shook his head. "It's nothing major. I can handle it myself. You all just relax and rest well, don't worry about me."
"Alright then." Hou Mingzhu could only agree.
Although she couldn't help but worry about Ye Tiancheng, since he had already said so, and there were many things she didn't quite understand, she should just fully support Ye Tiancheng. Where she was not skilled or couldn't comprehend, it was best not to cause trouble; that was true help.
Ye Tiancheng patted Hou Mingzhu's shoulder and then gently hugged her. "Rest assured, I know what I'm doing and will do my best to control and minimize any accidents."
"If I make a certain decision, it will definitely be after careful consideration, and it will be the best method and choice I can think of at the moment, so you don't need to overthink it."
Hou Mingzhu nodded, the hidden worry in her eyes slightly diminishing. "Yes, it's good that you have it under control. Remember, you still have me and Qingcheng."
Ye Tiancheng smiled slightly and gently kissed Hou Mingzhu's forehead. "Of course, I remember."
After comforting Hou Mingzhu, at a spot she couldn't see, Ye Tiancheng couldn't help but frown slightly. It wasn't because of Hou Mingzhu, but because he thought of the troublesome matters concerning Fatty and Shao Ying.
In fact, one of the reasons Ye Tiancheng made these arrangements was precisely this. He intended to use this opportunity to do something, ideally to expose Shao Ying's hidden agenda as soon as possible and eliminate this hidden danger.
Having someone with unclear motives lurking around him all the time, Ye Tiancheng simply couldn't feel at ease. This person was with his wife, child, and close friend. In such a situation, how could Ye Tiancheng not be wary?
Fortunately, he had recognized the other party's true nature in time. Otherwise, if a major disaster had occurred, even trying to mend things would have been too late, and there would have been losses.
Hou Mingzhu was unaware of Ye Tiancheng's extensive thoughts. She quietly stayed by his side and returned with him to where the car was parked. Everyone else was still waiting in the car and hadn't left.