One person: Starting with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, his grandmaster uncle emerges from seclusion.

"Also, call back the strongest young men in the clan. A true dragon is not so easy to deal with!"

……

Zhang Chulan was sitting at the stone table.

He held a soft cloth in his hand, and in front of him was half a bottle of special walnut oil.

At this moment, he was very devoutly wiping the dark purple Heavenly Ruler inch by inch.

"Tsk tsk tsk, that patina, that pattern, three hundred million..."

Zhang Chulan was wiping while humming to himself.

His greedy, money-grubbing appearance made him look just like a pawnshop owner calculating the value of antiques.

"Old Wang, look at the scorch marks on this wood. How big of a lightning bolt must have struck to create this effect? ​​It's a completely natural work of art!"

Wang Ye leaned back on a recliner not far away.

His face was still covered by that thread-bound Taoist classic.

Hearing Zhang Chulan's nagging, he turned over irritably, his voice muffled coming from under the book:

"Old Zhang, you've been polishing it all day. That ruler was originally a rather elegant object, but you've almost polished it to a patina."

"That was given to the Second Master by someone to put their mind at ease, why are you getting so worked up about it?"

"What do you know!"

Zhang Chulan carefully put down the Heavenly Ruler, picked up his teacup, and took a sip.

"This is called seeing through the phenomenon to the essence."

He moved closer to Wang Ye, lowered his voice, and adopted a detective-like expression:

"Old Wang, don't you think there's something strange about this?"

As the saying goes, when you give someone a gift, you must have something in mind. Or rather, you must have something to fear.

Zhang Chulan stroked his chin, his eyes darting around:

"They must be feeling guilty, afraid we'll dig deeper along the trail of the charity fund. That's why they're throwing out this big bait to shut us up."

"Yes."

Zhuge Qing walked over from the front hall and naturally picked up the conversation.

He sat down at the stone table, picked up the teapot, poured himself a cup of tea, and said with a smile:

"This is a delaying tactic. They want to use this ruler to buy us some peace and quiet."

"However, they overlooked one thing."

Zhuge Qing snapped his folding fan shut and tapped the table: "Our Heavenly Lord may accept gifts, but he has never said that he would not do anything after accepting them."

Just as the three young people were huddled together in the backyard, whispering and exchanging conspiracy theories.

"Click".

The sliding door to the second-floor terrace was opened.

Zhang Tianyi slowly walked out, carrying a plate of freshly sliced ​​cantaloupe in her hand.

He leaned against the railing, looking down at the three younger people huddled together in the courtyard.

"What are you talking about? It's so lively."

Zhang Tianyi used a toothpick to pick up a piece of cantaloupe and put it in his mouth, chewing until the juice was overflowing.

"Are you spreading rumors behind my back again that I'm being lenient with people because I take bribes?"

"How could that be, Master!"

Zhang Chulan immediately stood up straight, tilted his head back, and smiled with an extremely fawning expression:

"We're really discussing your diplomatic strategy! Your approach of using stillness to control movement has the Changqing Group completely under your thumb!"

Stop flattering me.

Zhang Tianyi pursed his lips, turned around, and sat down on the wicker chair at the edge of the terrace.

He gazed at the distant, vibrant autumn foliage of the Western Hills, his eyes revealing a sense of tranquility and clarity.

"Why not take advantage of this freebie that's been delivered to our door?"

Zhang Tianyi said casually:

"However, since they've adopted such a humble attitude, we should also show some martial ethics."

Let's not poke at people's lungs for the next few days; let everyone catch their breath.

Chapter 469 Everything is ready, just waiting to enter the mountain

Compared to early winter in Beijing.

At this moment, Changbai Mountain outside the Great Wall is already a scene of severe winter, with heavy snow blocking the mountain and water freezing into ice.

At the foot of the mountain, in a hot spring resort.

Snowflakes fell softly, transforming the charmingly arranged wooden villas into a fairytale world.

"call--

A figure dressed in a pure white ski suit traced a graceful line on an intermediate ski run.

Finally, it came to a smooth stop in front of the resort's rest area, splashing up a small puff of glistening snow.

Shen Yichen took off his ski goggles, revealing a gentle and refined face.

The early winter wind made his nose slightly red, but the smile in his eyes was genuine and content.

"Third Young Master, your skills are getting more and more exquisite."

Shen Feng, who had been waiting nearby, quickly stepped forward, handed over a warm, dry towel, and took the skis that Shen Yichen had taken off.

"It's alright, the main thing is that the snow quality in Changbai Mountain is really good."

Shen Yichen wiped the fine sweat from his forehead, took a deep breath of the crisp, clean air, and looked very content.

"I've been staying in the mountains these past few days, skiing and soaking in hot springs every day, and it's made me feel much better. This is what life should be like."

Shen Feng smiled ingratiatingly, propped his skis up to the side, and lowered his voice slightly:

"Young Master, the car arranged by the head of the family will be here soon."

Upon hearing this, Shen Yichen paused slightly in wiping his sweat.

He folded the towel and handed it back to Shen Feng, the nonchalant and content look on his face gradually fading.

"understood."

Shen Yichen straightened the collar of his ski suit and turned to walk towards the detached wooden cabin he had booked.

"Have the kitchen bring up that pot of stewed pork stew that's been simmering for four hours. In this snowy weather, our ancestors have been traveling all day, and they need this hot dish the most."

Inside the cabin, charcoal burned quietly in the fireplace, warming the entire room.

As evening approached, darkness fell early.

An ordinary-looking black SUV, crunching through the thick snow, stopped at the back door of the cabin.

The car door opened.

A man who looked to be around forty years old walked down first. He stood tall and straight like a pine tree, and his steps were steady and powerful.

Even though this patriarch of the Shen family was actually over a hundred years old.

But thanks to the nourishment he received from the fortune of heaven and earth through the "Divine Art," time seemed to stand still for him.

Shen Yichen was already waiting inside the door.

Upon seeing the man enter, he immediately went to greet him and personally took the coat from him and hung it on the coat rack.

"Ancestor, you must be tired from your journey."

Shen Yichen's voice was gentle and respectful.

Shen Yan let his great-grandson take off his outer clothes, revealing a navy blue sweater underneath.

He glanced up at the elegantly decorated wooden house and nodded in satisfaction.

"Yichen, this is a good location."

Shen Yan walked over and sat down on the soft leather sofa next to the fireplace.

"There's snow, there's fire, it's quiet, and it's not too conspicuous. I've always been most at ease with you when it comes to getting things done."

"You flatter me, Ancestor. In this land beyond the Great Wall, it's always better to keep a low profile."

Shen Yichen personally carried a freshly brewed cup of black tea and respectfully placed it on the tea table in front of Shen Yan.

Shen Yan picked up his teacup and took a small sip.

The warm tea slid down my throat, dispelling the slight chill that clung to my clothes.

He put down his teacup, his gaze falling on Shen Yichen's gentle face, and his tone became deep.

"Any recent developments in the Northeast region?"

Shen Yichen sat down on the single sofa next to him, leaned slightly forward, and reported truthfully:

"Reporting to Ancestor, since we took those two spirits away last time, Gao Lian has indeed increased the number of people searching the surrounding area."

"However, they didn't find any useful clues. In the past few days, the people who were investigating have been gradually withdrawn."

Shen Yichen smiled.

"After all, quite a few wild animals go missing in Changbai Mountain every day."

Without solid evidence, Gao Lian wouldn't waste too much energy on such an unsolved case.

"As for the shamans..."

Shen Yichen paused, his expression turning serious:

"Guan Shihua gave a strict order: all the temple spirits were to shrink their defenses and stay in the core area, no longer venturing out."