I lent my brother 500 yuan, and he offered his wife as collateral.

……

After unfolding the map of the ancestral land's outer perimeter, Qin Feng first turned off the public projection in the lobby.

Someone in the old clan seat immediately spoke up:

Why is it closed?

"The Holy Tower has entered a temporary monitoring phase, and the status of the Ancestral Land's main hub should also be made public."

"We are legitimate witnesses and have the right to know about any potential risks."

Qin Feng ignored it and simply reduced the viewing permissions to five people.

Su Qingxue, Shen Banxia, ​​Zhou Ye, Su Lie, plus himself.

Once the coordinates are made public, a group of "old friends of the Su family" will immediately appear in Yanjing, the ancestral home.

Some people may genuinely want to help, but most just want to be the first to get a spot.

The fact that the old faction has just switched sides does not mean they are trustworthy.

They simply found the Santa to be more dangerous.

Qin Feng zoomed in on the peripheral access control diagram.

There is no record of the main gate of the ancestral site being opened. The main gate on the east side of the house is also closed.

The only entrance that was lit up was located in the most remote part of the entire ancestral land.

[Entrance Name: Guifeng Corridor]

[Permissions: Maternal Old Channel]

Current status: Awakened.

[First wake-up time: Seven days ago.]

Shen Banxia took a step forward.

"The old matriarchal system?"

"This name isn't in the remnants of the Shen family's army. I've only ever seen one escape route leading from the inner layer of the ancestral land to the outside."

Qin Feng adjusted the direction of the array patterns in the Returning Phoenix Corridor.

The entrance marker reads "Candidate Return," but the guiding direction of the underlying array patterns is outward.

Several turning points in the middle were covered by later array patterns, but the original exit was still left.

He scanned it with his divine eyes.

[Original Purpose: Emergency evacuation of the main body of the Phoenix Emblem.]

[Purpose of later modifications: To reposition the first candidate for bearer.]

[Edited 20 years ago.]

Qin Feng did not immediately announce the results of the Divine Eye.

System evidence can help him make a judgment, but it cannot be used to silence everyone.

To get the ancestral land authorities to admit wrongdoing, the original records must be found.

"Guifeng Corridor used to lead outwards."

Qin Feng pointed to the direction of the array patterns.

"Later, someone redefined the entrance and exit. What was originally used for escaping has now become a route for candidates to return."

Su Qingxue looked at the narrow passage.

"Therefore, Guifeng is not returning to the ancestral land, but leaving the ancestral land."

"That's how it seems at the moment."

"Who changed it?"

"We haven't found anything yet."

Qin Feng continued scrolling down.

After the Guifeng Corridor was awakened, the ancestral land has entered the second authentication window.

[Remaining time: 71 hours and 48 minutes.]

[Failure to complete source verification within the specified time will automatically initiate the old system takeover process.]

[The goal of taking over the old system: to restore the first rank of the Fengyi (Prince's Office).]

The next record is even more direct.

[First Candidate for Bearing: Su Qingxue.]

Registration status: Pending confirmation.

Su Qingxue stared at her own name, her hand remaining on the access control panel.

"I did not apply."

"I know."

"Submitted by Santa?"

"The Holy Tower does not have this authority."

Qin Feng checked the registration time.

The candidate pre-registration took place seven days prior, a full six days before Santa's public review.

At that time, they had not even confirmed the existence of the ancestral land as the main control point.

In other words, someone had already registered Su Qingxue before she entered the Holy Tower.

The other party also predicted that she would eventually trigger the control of the ancestral land.

This is very troublesome!

They just won against the Holy Tower, and it appears that the High Priest himself violated the rules, triggering the superior defense.

Looking back now, this step may have been within someone else's expectations.

Qin Feng didn't like this feeling.

It's not so bad that the opponent is well-hidden; the most troublesome thing is that the opponent understands the rules and knows how they will exploit them.

"Can it be withdrawn?" Su Qingxue asked.

"Not at the moment, as three valid credentials were used for pre-registration."

Qin Feng opened the activation chain.

The first voucher appeared.

[The former head of the Su family's household seal.]

[Authenticity: Passed.]

[Historical legal holder: Su Zhennan.]

Su Lie took half a step forward.

"Wasn't Su Zhennan's family head seal already taken away?"

"The current head of the family seal is in our hands," Su Qingxue said. "This is an old seal; the authority from twenty years ago hasn't been completely cleared out."

Su Lie suppressed his anger.

"People can die, but a discarded seal can still come out and harm others. Just how much trouble has the Su family left behind over the years?"

Qin Feng then opened the second voucher.

[Shen Family Zero Original Source Pattern.]

Shen Banxia suddenly looked up.

"Is the Zero Source Pattern still there?"

I quickly opened the catalog of Shen family relics, but couldn't find the corresponding number.

"This thing should be stored together with the remains of the first clansmen. The Holy Tower archives only mention the life module, not that the source runes were preserved separately."

Qin Feng said:

"Don't rush, check and retrieve the records."

A third voucher then appeared.

[Lin Wanrong's historical identity.]

Su Lie remained silent this time.

The name Lin Wanrong was too heavy a burden for him.

Twenty years ago, he thought Lin Wanrong was dead and guarded her for Su Zhennan for twenty years. Now she is still alive, and her old identity has reappeared in the ancestral land.

Su Lie didn't want to draw conclusions based on emotions anymore.

Once you've learned your lesson, you can't make the same mistake for someone else twice.

Su Qingxue put the three receipts together.

"The old family's main seal is responsible for the Su family's authority, the Shen family's source pattern is responsible for the origin of the array, and the mother's historical identity is responsible for the maternal lineage."

Shen Banxia said:

"The pieces are pieced together perfectly; none of them alone could open the Guifeng Corridor."

The more I look at it, the more uncomfortable I feel.

The Shen family's Zero Source Pattern wouldn't move on its own. The fact that it could be moved out of the Holy Tower Relics Area indicates that someone used legitimate orders from a higher authority.

That person knew where the Source Rune existed and how to bypass the current records.

Even more critically, the Holy Tower was still in the hands of the Grand Master seven days ago.

It is still uncertain whether the Grand Master is aware of this retrieval.

Qin Feng retrieved the entry records from outside the ancestral land.

There were no footprints.

There was no boundary fluctuation.

No vehicles, no flying artifacts, and no personnel were identified as passing through the outer boundary.

After Guifeng Corridor was awakened, an additional registration occurred within the ancestral land.

[The person responsible for maintenance must be present to confirm.]

[Identity Status: Valid.]

[Entry method: Internal access.]

[Registration area: Outer perimeter of ancestral land.]

Su Qingxue asked:

"No one went in, but someone was present?"

There is only one explanation.

Qin Feng arranged the records from seven days ago to the present in chronological order.

"He did not enter the ancestral land seven days ago."

"He's been inside the whole time."

Shen Banxia rubbed her wrists.

"Twenty years?"

"Not necessarily, but it won't be short."

The ancestral site has been closed for a long time, and it is impossible for a normal person to hide in the main hall forever.

There aren't many places with water sources, medicine depots, and maintenance facilities on the outskirts.

Qin Feng clicked on the hidden link in the maintenance entity registration.

Most of the content is obscured by grayed-out permissions, leaving only a location name.

【Old medical cottage. 】

Su Lie immediately said:

"I'm going to Yanjing."

"Wait a minute."

"The person is inside. If we delay for another 72 hours, the old system takeover will begin."

"If you travel from the Central Region now, the other side will know in advance."

Qin Feng glanced at the old clan seat, which was still applying to make its coordinates public.

"We haven't figured out who in the lobby has connections to the old medical clinic yet. If you make a move, the traces might disappear."

Su Lie stopped.

I wanted to take action, but Qin Feng was right.

The fact that the executors in the old medical hut could hide for so long couldn't be solely due to the closure of the ancestral land.

At least one of the following—the collateral branch of the Su family in Yanjing, the former gatekeeper, and the ancestral homeland protection line—was covering for him.

Rushing over there now will only alert people.

"Then what should I do?"

Qin Feng said:

"First, defend the Holy Tower Relics Area. Guifeng Corridor used the Shen Family's Zero Source Pattern, and the other side may still need the remaining Shen Family relics. We can't afford to lose anything here."

Su Lie nodded.

"I will guard it myself."

Zhou Ye's voice came from his personal device:

"Brother Feng, the ancestral land coordinates have been isolated in three layers; currently, only the five of you can see them. Should we synchronize them with Qian Shao and Wu Jie?"

"Qian Shao only gives the task, not the coordinates. When Wu Jie goes to check the personnel chain of the Old Medical Clinic, don't tell him the specific entrance yet."

Wu Jie is driven, but once he gets involved in the collateral branches of the family, he has to make sure that every word he says is true.

It's actually easier to act if you don't know the coordinates.

Su Qingxue sealed the candidate pre-registration separately.

"We need to complete the trusteeship of Santa Maria within 72 hours and then return to Yanjing."

"Clean this place up first."

Qin Feng turned off the Returning Phoenix Corridor Map, leaving only the countdown timer.

"The Holy Tower Archives, the Shen family's legacy, the Grand Master, and the outer seats of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion—we can't miss a single one. Since the other side acted seven days in advance, they must have left something behind."

Shen Banxia asked:

"What should we do about Aunt Lin's past identity? Should we contact her directly?"

Qin Feng thought for a moment.

"Contact her, but don't let her access the ancestral land remotely."

Why?

"We don't yet know what the old endpoint stored, nor who woke it up. Once a living person remotely connects, the old endpoint might define them in reverse."

Su Qingxue understood.

"First, make sure your mother is safe, then have her prepare the documents from twenty years ago."

"right."

Qin Feng reopened the candidate pre-registration.

Below the three certificates, there is a section for guarantee information that has not been expanded.

The parts previously covered by the old family seal are slowly unlocking as the temporary permissions for the Holy Tower take effect.

Inside the hall, the old clansmen were still arguing about whether the coordinates should be made public.

Qin Feng did not turn around.

After waiting for more than ten seconds, the obscuring layer finally disappeared.

[Confirmation of the first candidate pre-registered guarantor.]

[Guarantor: Lin Wanrong!]