Chapter 122

Wang Shan finished his breathing exercise, the medicinal power of the thirteen Second-tier Essence Spirit Pills had completely dissipated, his Body Refining ninth level realm was as solid as a mountain, and he even faintly touched the threshold of the middle stage.

He opened his eyes; inside the cave there was only the sound of water and the steady breathing of Li Hu and Zhang Mei.

These past few days, his nerves have been wound too tight; it's rare to have a moment of peace.

But this peace, to him, always felt like the calm before a storm.

Grandchildren…… Zhitai, Zhitao…… where exactly are you?

He had called out in his heart more than once; the only responses were the system's cold alert tone and the cold water droplets on the cave wall.

Just as Wang Shan was preparing to examine that mysterious black jade slip again, the system's voice sounded in his mind without warning:

【Ding! Detected an extremely weak special spiritual energy fluctuation……now conducting data comparison……】

Wang Shan's heart jumped; a special spiritual energy fluctuation? Could it be that old bastard Wan Tianjue is up to something new again?

【Data comparison complete. This spiritual energy fluctuation matches the retained spiritual power samples of Zhuren's blood relatives—Zhitai and Zhitao—with a similarity as high as 98.7%.】

"What?!"

Wang Shan sprang up from the stone platform, the movement so large it startled Li Hu and Zhang Mei beside him.

"Brother Wang, what's wrong?" Li Hu rubbed his eyes, looking bewildered.

Zhang Mei also gripped her bow warily.

Wang Shan's chest heaved violently, not from fright but from an indescribable excitement. He almost shouted: "System, say it again! Whose spiritual energy fluctuation is it?"

【Repeat: This spiritual energy fluctuation highly matches the retained spiritual power samples of Zhuren's blood relatives—Zhitai and Zhitao.】

【Supplementary explanation: The signal source is extremely distant from the current position, the fluctuation is weak and intermittent, likely due to strong interference or energy depletion.】

"Zhitai! Zhitao!" Wang Shan clenched his fists, his knuckles whitening from the force, his eye sockets even growing hot.

It really is them! They're still alive!

"Brother Wang, you… you found your grandson?" Li Hu understood, his eyes widening in surprise.

Zhang Mei also smiled: "Great, Brother Wang!"

Wang Shan nodded firmly, his voice carrying a barely perceptible tremor: "Mm, the system said… it sensed their spiritual power, though it's weak and far away."

He took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing his surging emotions, and told the system: "Immediately analyze the signal source and mark the approximate direction and distance for me!"

【Attempting to locate……signal interference too strong, cannot pinpoint precisely. Preliminary judgment: the signal source lies in the southeast direction of the Man Yun Mountain Range, straight-line distance estimated over three hundred li, with a huge margin of error.】

Southeast direction…… three hundred li away.

Wang Shan looked toward the depths of the cave; that place led to the unknown, but now, that direction carried an added weight of concern and hope.

"We can't keep hiding like this." Wang Shan said in a low voice, "We need to take the initiative and search!"

"Brother Wang, we'll go with you!" Li Hu declared immediately, his face full of vigor, "I might not be much help in finding people, but I can fight and run errands!"

Zhang Mei also said seriously, "Elder Brother Wang, we'll follow your lead."

Wang Shan looked at them, a warm current flickering in his heart: "Good. However, this is no trivial matter; deep in the Man Yun Mountain Range, dangers abound, and the Wan Family's pursuers are hounding us like flies."

He pondered for a moment, then said to the system: "Exchange a few 【Third-tier Long-distance Transmission Talismans】; I want the kind that are highly concealed and hard to detect."

"【Exchange three 【Third-tier Hidden Trace Transmission Talismans】, deducting 450 Spirit Plant Points.】"

Better safe than sorry. If we can really find them, it would be good to make contact in advance.

"For them to survive in such a dangerous place and still emit spiritual power signals, they must be hiding in an extremely concealed spot." Wang Shan analyzed, "They might even… be trying to find a way to contact the outside world."

While thinking, he unconsciously rubbed the black jade slip he had obtained from the Wan Family Cultivators' storage bag.

Just then, the system issued another prompt:

"【Warning! Detected weak resonance reaction between the host's current contacted item (unknown black jade slip) and the target Spiritual Power Fluctuations (Wang Zhize, Wang Zhitao)!】"

Wang Shan's body jolted; he abruptly lowered his head to look at the Black Jade Slip in his hand, his face filled with disbelief.

"What are you saying? This Black Jade Slip…… resonates with the spiritual power of Zhize and them?"

How is this possible!!

This Black Jade Slip belongs to the Wan Family Descendants, etched with ancient, incomplete Yushou Sect Runes—how could it be related to his grandson?

Could it be……

A ridiculous yet heart-pounding thought popped into his mind.

"Brother Wang, this jade pendant…… is there a problem?" Li Hu saw Wang Shan's expression was off and asked cautiously.

Wang Shan clenched the Black Jade Slip tightly in his hand, his eyes complex: "The problem is huge. This thing might be related to my grandson."

"Ah?" Li Hu and Zhang Mei stared at each other.

"Wan Family……" Wang Shan narrowed his eyes, a flash of cold light passing through, "If my grandson's disappearance is related to the Wan Family, or if they… because of some inheritance of this Yushou Sect……"

He dared not think further.

The joy of having found a clue to his relatives was now mixed with deeper worry and anger.

"It seems our score with the Wan Family is getting more complicated." Wang Shan's voice turned cold.

He suddenly recalled the so-called Ancient Yushou Sect Runes that Wan Tianjue had discovered beneath the cliff, as well as the suspected relics there.

If the runes on this Black Jade Slip are related to those relics, and they also resonate with his grandsons……

Just how many secrets does the Man Yun Mountain Range still hold?

What role do his grandsons play in this? Are they forced into it, or is there some other opportunity?

"System, can you analyze the specific cause of this Black Jade Slip's resonance with their spiritual power?"

"【Insufficient information, cannot be parsed. The Black Jade Slip's rune system differs from the host's known Yushou Sect Inheritance, being older. The resonance phenomenon may stem from Bloodline Connection, specific technique influence, or unknown artifact sensation.】"

"Bloodline Connection…… specific technique…… unknown artifact……" Wang Shan muttered to himself.

The Wang Family's cultivation method has nothing special; could it be that Zhize or Zhitao, by chance, cultivated some technique related to this Black Jade Slip? Or perhaps they carry something that can resonate with this Black Jade Slip?

"No matter what, we must find them as soon as possible!" Wang Shan made up his mind.

He raised his head, his gaze sweeping over Li Hu and Zhang Mei: "From now on, our primary objective is to search toward the southeast direction, while also being more vigilant about the Wan Family's movements…… and any clues related to this Black Jade Slip and the Yushou Sect."

Long-awaited news of relatives shot into his weary body and mind like a shot of adrenaline; that weighty sense of responsibility also turned into greater motivation.

Zhize, Zhitao, wait for grandfather!