"Take today’s incident as an example..."

"Did you feel satisfied when you put Old Hou in a difficult position in front of everyone? You certainly felt satisfied. But what was the cost?"

"This time he backed down due to various pressures, but it doesn’t mean he will always back down."

Qi Yun looked up at Old You, waiting for him to continue.

Old You leaned forward slightly, speaking in earnest, "I just want to remind you, never assume such concessions are inevitable..."

Qi Yun nodded, "I understand your meaning, Uncle."

Old You patted his shoulder, saying no more.

Although the two hadn’t directly interacted much before, Shao Yuewen was the link between them, including the security company set up for those gun licenses and helping Zhang Dayong out of trouble, all with Old You’s influence.

So his words were not shallow by any means.

The group didn’t continue discussing that topic, but instead talked about trivial matters, as if the banquet was really just to foster relationships.

After the meal, Old You and Shao Yuewen left in one car, while Qi Yun got into Ji Hongzhang’s car.

In the back seat, Qi Yun loosened his collar and asked Ji Hongzhang, "Uncle, what was today about?"

Qi Yun wanted to ask about the purpose of today’s meal; compared to Old You, whom he seldom interacted with, he had more trust in the relationship with the Ji family.

Ji Hongzhang turned his face, gave Qi Yun a meaningful smile.

"With your intelligence, you should be able to guess."

Qi Yun squinted his eyes, pondered briefly, then answered, "He stepped from the shadows into the spotlight... does he have something in mind?"

Old Ji nodded with satisfaction, "Exactly, he sees opportunity in you."

"Old You is not simple; though he’s generally low-profile, he’s actually quite strategic."

Qi Yun smirked, "Am I really capable enough to help him?"

"You are," Ji Hongzhang’s tone was very certain, "You may not realize your bargaining chips are quite significant."

Qi Yun knew what he meant by bargaining chips, yet he was reluctant to get involved, so he didn’t pursue the matter.

"Uncle, with him?"

Ji Hongzhang lightly shook his head and explained, "We simply share common goals regarding certain matters."

Qi Yun understood and refrained from further questioning.

... 𝒻𝘳ℯℯ𝑤ℯ𝒷𝘯ℴ𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝑐ℴ𝑚

The next day, a private jet landed at Chang’an Airport. After resolving the turmoil caused by Wei Zhe, Qi Yun hurried to meet Yao Yuzhong.

Colleagues of Guo An were already waiting by the runway. They picked up Qi Yun and his companions and took them directly to their office in Chang’an.

Arriving at the interrogation room door, Qi Yun paused and asked the liaison officer, Captain Wang, "Has he said anything these past two days?"

"No," Captain Wang shook his head, "According to your instructions, we haven’t conducted any intentional questioning, just temporary detention."

"Alright, thank you for your efforts."

Qi Yun pushed open the iron door of the interrogation room, seeing Yao Yuzhong leaning back in his chair, asleep.

Hearing the commotion, Yao Yuzhong slowly opened his eyes and upon seeing Qi Yun, his face showed a complex expression.

Qi Yun sat opposite him, scrutinizing the old tomb raider who twice escaped his grasp and now voluntarily surrendered.

Yao Yuzhong looked much more haggard than before, seeming different, with an air of relieved composure in his eyes.

"Old Yao, let’s talk."

Qi Yun lit a cigarette, without ceremony, directly addressing the matter, "What are you up to?"

Yao Yuzhong stayed silent for a moment, seemingly organizing his words.

"What I told you over the phone was all true; the reason I ran was because I wanted to see the tomb and confirm it was indeed King Zhou You’s tomb."

"Now that my wish is fulfilled, I’m willing to go back to prison, or if you want to execute me, I accept guilt."

Qi Yun gazed at him for a long time, then took out a box from his pocket, opened the lid, revealing a pendant, a dragon-shaped pendant, exactly what Yao Yuzhong claimed he took from King Zhou You’s tomb.

This pendant was entirely jade-white and felt icy cold, with finely carved dragon patterns on the surface, each scale clearly defined, the dragon’s head slightly raised, exuding an indescribable dignity.

In ancient times, the dragon was an emblem of imperial power and destiny, so when Yao Yuzhong said he found the pendant in King Zhou You’s coffin, Qi Yun had no doubt.

But... after careful observation, Qi Yun couldn’t discern anything extraordinary about the pendant, it merely seemed to be just a pendant.

"Old Yao, are you fooling me with those words?" Qi Yun returned the pendant to the box, his tone slightly scrutinizing.

Yao Yuzhong smiled wryly, "Director Qi, at this point, what would I gain from lying to you."

Seeing his expression appeared genuine, Qi Yun temporarily suppressed his doubts and then asked, "Can you tell me what’s special about this pendant?"

"Special...I don’t know,"

Yao Yuzhong’s voice was somewhat hoarse, "In the tomb, under dim lighting with just the headlamp...I opened the coffin, expecting to see King Zhou You’s skeleton, but found this pendant instead."

"When I took this pendant...it seemed to move."

"Move?" Qi Yun raised an eyebrow.

"Yes, not actually move, probably... it was a play of light? Or maybe I was seeing things?" said Yao Yuzhong rubbing his temples, "It felt like the dragon’s lines came alive, the eyes...yes, the eyes seemed to flash."

"It was very faint, but I saw it clearly at the time. Then, my head felt a bit dizzy, there seemed to be a low wind sound by my ears, mixed with indistinct voices..."

Qi Yun listened quietly, his brow furrowing deeply; before venturing to Kunlun, he’d surely have thought Yao Yuzhong was speaking nonsense, but now...his understanding of the world’s boundaries had expanded.

Those ancient ruins, strange energy fields... all proved that phenomena and ’objects’ existed that defied conventional physical laws and could not be fully explained by current science.

"Is there anything else you’d like to say?"

Yao Yuzhong hesitated, finally shaking his head slowly.

Qi Yun stood up and left the interrogation room.

After instructing Captain Wang, he went downstairs and dialed Qin Sizhi’s number.

"Hello, Mr. Qi."

"Master Qin, where are you?"

"I’m at home preparing ingredients for that batch of snake gall wine; Mr. Qi, you’ve come to Chang’an?" Qin Sizhi, aware of Yao Yuzhong’s circumstances, guessed Qi Yun’s arrival when he received the call.

"Yes, send me your address, I’ll come to see you."

"Alright, I’ll send it right away."

...

Qin Sizhi’s home was in a relatively secluded alley in the old city, a quiet spot amid the lively surroundings.

When Qi Yun arrived with Xiao Wu and Brother Quan by address, Qin Sizhi was already waiting at the courtyard gate.

"Mr. Qi, please come in." Qin Sizhi guided the three into the courtyard.

The courtyard was small but well-kept; a few bamboo plants grew by the wall, looking quite elegant. The house was traditional wood construction with a sense of history.

After settling in the courtyard, Qin Sizhi’s apprentice Jin Bao served tea.

"Master Qin, you have seen that pendant brought out from the tomb by Old Yao, right?"

"I have seen it." Qin Sizhi knew Qi Yun’s purpose for coming and responded while seated, "Old Yao stayed at my place overnight; I’ve examined that pendant carefully, contemplating it thoroughly."

"During the Western Zhou period, kings and nobles loved jade artifacts; that pendant is of superb quality, impeccable craftsmanship, fitting royal standards, and highly likely to be a Western Zhou burial item."

Qi Yun nodded, all within expectations. What concerned him more was whether Qin Sizhi noticed any special features of the pendant.

"I just met Old Yao; he mentioned he felt the pendant seemed to move while he was in the tomb. Do you think that’s possible?"