Chapter 965: Hidden in Plain Sight

"A sin, a sin. This is a holy Buddhist site, please put away these worldly goods, female benefactor. I will do my best."

"Impossible. I always keep my word on things I've agreed to; there is no reason to take back money once it's been given out."

Shi Youxuan: "Abbot, just take it. You don't need to be polite with her. She loses more than a hundred or eighty thousand playing mahjong in a single night. She only took out this little bit of money to save my father, and she still has the nerve to show off?"

"Who's showing off? Who's showing off? If you're not showing off, have you taken out a single cent yourself..."

"You're shameless. My father's money is my money. What are you acting so rich for with my money?"

Seeing the two were about to argue again, the abbot hurriedly stopped them: "Two benefactors, please do not make a scene. I will go contact the Immortal Aunt."

The abbot went to the next room and dialed Zhu Qingxiang's number: "I'm sorry, the user you have dialed is powered off..."

It was not strange for it to be this way; it had already been half a month that Zhu Qingxiang had been out of contact.

If it were anyone else, he wouldn't be so anxious, but the key was that these people who came today were not only wealthy but also too rowdy.

The women were arguing in the back hall, and the pilgrims outside didn't know what was happening; it didn't look good or sound good.

But since he hadn't made contact, he could only bite the bullet and inform them.

He returned quickly after going out, looking troubled: "Apologies, I couldn't make contact."

Ji Yingjie: "Where does the Immortal Aunt live? Give us an address, and I'll go find her."

"If I can't find the Immortal Aunt today, this dead girl is going to eat me alive!"

The abbot said: "His whereabouts are uncertain; no one knows where he lives."

"Who are you trying to fool? 'No one knows'—could he be living in the sky?"

The abbot nodded seriously: "More or less."

"The place where he lives is very mysterious; no one can find it."

"Let's go."

Ji Yingjie pulled the two of them and left.

The three exchanged a look, and simultaneously thought of one place—the Swamp!

That abandoned Underground Palace.

The Underground Palace was built by the Ji Family, and when Rong Huaying was in the Ji Family, she was responsible for managing the database.

She should be very familiar with these things; the place that no one can find can only be that place.

Hidden in plain sight.

The more dangerous a place is, the safer it often is.

Ji Yingjie decided on the spot to go to the Swamp to find him.

Nianyin stopped her: "Mother, you cannot go. The situation there is complicated, and we don't know what Zhu Qingxiang has remodeled it into. You cannot go; it is too dangerous."

"Less nonsense. Are you trying to be the master over me?"

"I wouldn't dare."

"If you wouldn't dare, then move aside!"

Ji Yingjie insisted on going, and Nianyin could not stop her, so she prepared to call her subordinates, the bodyguards, to go together.

Ji Yingjie stopped her: "No need for others. I don't trust anyone who isn't from the Ji Family. Just the three of us is enough. When we arrive, the three of us must not separate. If you can't even protect the two of us, you aren't worthy of being a member of my Ji Family."

"Yes, this subordinate will certainly protect you and the young lady with my life."

Mother had accepted her again; Nianyin was overjoyed, as happy as could be.

But Shi Youxuan still felt it was inappropriate: "There are only three of us. What if the other side has many people? It's too risky."

Ji Yingjie: "It won't happen. You haven't seen that brat, so you don't know. Living like a rat for many years has made his nature timid and cautious. He won't let anyone know where he is hiding. The fewer people who know, the safer it is."

Fine, she admitted that her aunt had a point.

"The three of us are enough. If you don't want to go, you don't have to. Nianyin and I can catch him just the same."

Shi Youxuan:...

I'm going too.

Marsh.

The three of them carried computers and backpacks, stopping in front of a mound of earth.

The surroundings were vast and boundless; there were nothing but reeds.

Shi Youxuan felt something was wrong: "This isn't right. I didn't see this place the first two times I came."

Ji Yingjie: "There's a lot you haven't seen. Last time you were lucky to discover that entrance. There are several other entrances to the Underground Palace, designed according to the Eight Trigrams position map in the Book of Changes."

"Divided into the eight directions of Qian, Kun, Zhen, Xun, Kan, Li, Gen, and Dui, each place has an entrance, and each place could also be an exit..."

Shi Youxuan:...

Only today did she realize she had underestimated the Ji Family, and also underestimated her aunt.

Her aunt was not only overbearing and unreasonable, but also possessed so much genuine knowledge.

She rattled on for a long time; Shi Youxuan didn't understand much of it, as she hadn't studied it, but it felt very impressive.

"Stunned, aren't you?"

Ji Yingjie was very smug.

Nianyin had already opened the computer and started operating it.

Soon, the seemingly plain mound of earth actually "grew taller."

Then it slowly moved to both sides, and an exit appeared in the middle.

The exit didn't have an elevator, but rather a staircase.

"Mother, you and the eldest sister wait above for a moment; I'll go down and take a look first."

After Nianyin finished speaking, she had already gone down.

Three minutes passed.

There was not a sound from below.

Shi Youxuan was worried and took out her phone, preparing to call Nianyin.

Ji Yingjie held her hand down: "There is no signal."

Shi Youxuan:...

Right, no signal.

So are we just going to wait here?

"Little Aunt, I'll go down and take a look."

"No need. If she is in danger, you going down is just throwing your life away. Wait and see."

Ten minutes passed.

There was still not a sound from below.

Now, not only Shi Youxuan, but even Ji Yingjie was starting to lose her composure.

She kept raising her wrist to check her watch; this entrance only stays open for fifteen minutes, and in one more minute it will close automatically, at which point it will be difficult for Nianyin to get out.

Forty-five seconds.

Thirty seconds.

Twenty seconds.

Fifteen seconds.

Finally, Nianyin appeared at the top of the stairs and waved at the two of them excitedly: "Come down, there's no one here."

The two of them quickly went down through the entrance, and just as they got down, the entrance slowly closed, and the lights inside grew a bit brighter.

The lights here use a Solar Energy Circulation System; they don't need to be charged and are always on.

"Why did it take so long?" Ji Yingjie asked, dissatisfied.

Nianyin said respectfully: "I had to make sure it was safe down here before I could let Mother and Miss come down."

Ji Yingjie still had a sour look on her face and lectured her: "You haven't been out long, yet you've already forgotten the rules of the Ji Family. One moment you say 'Big Sister', the next 'Miss'—have you forgotten how to address us?"

"Yes, I will call you Big Sister."

Nianyin was scolded, yet she was beaming with joy.

"Big Sister" is the title she was given after being recognized as the Clan Leader's foster daughter, indicating they are family, which is why she is allowed to call her that.

"Miss" is the recognition of Shi Youxuan's status in the Ji Family; those who are not the closest to the Ji Family must call her Miss.

Although Mother did not say it explicitly, it was equivalent to a tacit admission that she is still a member of the Ji Family.

Nianyin was in the lead, and Shi Youxuan wanted to bring up the rear, but she was pushed to the middle by her Little Aunt: "You aren't familiar with the underground palace, so why are you trying to be a hero? You're overestimating your own abilities."

Shi Youxuan:...

It was clearly for her own good, but she just couldn't say nice things nicely.

The three of them were highly tense, but after walking for a while, Ji Yingjie's expression relaxed somewhat.

She mocked Zhu Qingxiang: "I overestimated that brat from the Zhu Family. I originally thought he could modify the mechanisms here, but it turns out he was just using this place to hide."

The underground palace was not very large, and they soon searched the entire place.

Finally, they arrived in front of a door, but it would not open.