Qiu Xiaozhu slightly furrowed her brows after hearing Ye Qiu.
She knew that the Ye family had made many enemies, and that the destruction of the Ye family in the past had mostly been the fault of the Nine Heavens Alliance.
However, the great families of Yanjing had also played their part in the revenge.
What she couldn't accept, however, was Ye Qiu's suspicion about Ling Jun. So, she opened her mouth and said:
"You are mistaken. Your junior brother Ling Jun is not like that.
"He has never asked me anything about you, not even mentioned your name.
"Since we arrived here, he has been training with me every day. Besides, if he were really your enemy, the first thing he would have done upon arriving here would have been to expose your identity."
Upon hearing Qiu Xiaozhu's words, Ye Qiu thought for a moment and breathed a sigh of relief.
Indeed, if Ling Jun were someone sent by Tang Yu or a disguised spy, he would have done everything to attack him.
He wouldn't have been there, quietly training with his aunt every day.
"Alright, Aunt, I've been too paranoid," said Ye Qiu, giving a bitter smile. "If there's nothing else, I'll go rest and heal."
"Take good care of yourself and don't keep thinking about strange things. The Nine Heavens Alliance is the safest place, so stay calm here," answered Qiu Xiaozhu softly, worried about him.
Hearing that Ye Qiu had been pursued by his enemies for so many years, Qiu Xiaozhu couldn't help but feel some sadness.
If her sister were alive, who would allow her son to suffer so unfairly?
Ye Qiu nodded with a smile, then turned to return to his room and rest.
Since he was punished by the Second Elder and sent to meditate near the waterfall, he now lived there to avoid dealing with others.
When he returned, the Third Elder was already waiting for him.
Seeing the Third Elder, Ye Qiu showed a somewhat annoyed expression and quickly walked toward him to ask:
"Third Elder, how can I help you?"
"Nothing, relax," said the Third Elder, shaking his head. "Seeing your face, it looks like you've been hurt quite a bit."
"It's just minor wounds; the worst part is the plan that was interrupted. That's the most problematic," replied Ye Qiu, his face darkening instantly.
Becoming an elder was a crucial step for him, as the ascension ceremony involved entering the ancestral tomb.
By taking this opportunity to enter, he could explore the reactions of the Nine Dragons formation and prepare his plan for the Great Ancestral Ritual.
"It's a pity. Who would have thought that Xiaozhu would train a [Celestial] level expert? Your luck wasn't so good."
"If they had fought first, you could have taken advantage and gained without effort," commented the Third Elder with a light exhale.
"And now what do we do? If we can't enter beforehand to explore the reaction of the Nine Dragons formation, won't we be losing our guarantee?" asked Ye Qiu, frowning, cursing Ling Jun in his mind.
That guy, couldn't he have delayed his advancement a bit?
"After Ling Jun's ascension ceremony, I'll take you in," said the Third Elder calmly.
"Won't we be discovered?"
Ye Qiu's face darkened a little.
Both the Nine Heavens Alliance and the Qiu family existed to protect the Nine Dragons formation.
If he entered without permission and a tomb guardian elder discovered them, the consequences would be severe.
"Don't worry. The tomb guardian elder is one of us," replied the Third Elder with a slight smile.
Ye Qiu took a deep breath and felt relieved. After agreeing on a date, the Third Elder left.
Ye Qiu returned to his room to focus on healing and preparing for his upcoming plans.
At that moment, Tang Yu, following the Great Elder, was already walking along the Path to the Qiu family's ancestral tomb.
On both sides of the Path were statues of the Qiu family's ancestors, each representing a past generation.
The Qiu family's ancestral tomb was not an ordinary tomb but a massive mausoleum.
Tang Yu had already realized that it was surrounded by mountains, which made the feng shui excellent, a natural tomb.
Seeing the curiosity on Tang Yu's face, the Great Elder smiled and said:
"Are you wondering why the Qiu family's ancestral tomb is of such scale?"
Tang Yu nodded and answered:
"Yes, was the Qiu family once royal?"
Tang Yu was indeed quite curious.
"No, not really. To be precise, this isn't even considered our ancestral tomb," said the Great Elder, smiling.
"The true owner of this tomb is Zhang Zhong. Our Qiu ancestors were placed here by Master Zhang as tomb guardians. Over time, they settled here, founding the Qiu family."
The Great Elder explained with a smile.
Now that he was an elder, there were some things he needed to know.
For the Nine Heavens Alliance, protecting this mausoleum was their only mission, a mission that hadn't changed in hundreds of years.
"Zhang Zhong?" Tang Yu thought for a moment but quickly recalled that mysterious figure from history, about whom there was little information available.
What he did know was that his disciple, Liu Bowen, was extremely famous.
In popular stories, Liu Bowen was considered a great prophet and sage.
And Liu Bowen's knowledge of astronomy, geography, the art of shadows and light, and the division of stars had all been taught by Zhang Zhong.
The Great Elder, thinking that Tang Yu didn't know about Zhang Zhong, started to tell him a bit more about him.
After explaining, he smiled and said:
"Zhang Zhong retired here and secretly built this tomb, also leaving a formation. The Qiu family has protected this formation for generations, for hundreds of years."
"What kind of formation? What is it for?" Tang Yu knew it was the Nine Dragons formation but didn't fully understand its purpose.
What he did know was that something so important had made Old Dragon King risk so much to obtain it.
Its importance was, without a doubt, unquestionable.
"It's called the Nine Dragons formation, and it is said that Emperor Ming asked Zhang Zhong to build it to ensure the imperial lineage would endure for a thousand years," replied the Great Elder with a smile.
"But hasn't only less than three hundred years passed?" Tang Yu scratched his nose, curious.
"Yes, I don't understand it either, but this formation is truly magical. When you enter, you'll know," said the Great Elder with a somewhat enigmatic expression.
What he knew about the Nine Dragons Matrix was very limited.
After all, the Qiu family was only responsible for guarding the tomb; they couldn't actually go and investigate the formation left by Zhang Zhong, as that would go against the rules of their ancestors.
When they reached the entrance of the tomb, a skinny old man was sitting in front of the door, half asleep.
Hearing their steps, the old man lifted his head, looked at the Great Elder, and then stared at Tang Yu, surprised.
"Is the new elder this year an outsider's disciple? How rare."
"Next year it might also be an outsider's disciple. Open it, please," replied the Great Elder, smiling.
The old man stood up and took out three keys.
There were nine locks on the stone door, and after unlocking several of them, the door finally opened.
Tang Yu secretly observed the old man from the corner of his eye, surprised.
This guy… looked a lot like Old He, could they be brothers?
Once inside the tomb, Tang Yu couldn't help but ask:
"Great Elder, who was that old man earlier?"
"He's one of the Tomb Guardians, there are twelve in total, but it's usually us old folks who prefer doing this work because it's easier. If you want, you can do it too."
The Great Elder explained with a smile.
Tang Yu realized that the Great Elder was joking.
At sixty or seventy years old, wanting to be a tomb guardian?
And me, being young, standing here as a tomb watcher? Wouldn't that be like I had stopped fighting for decades?
"Forget it, I'm young, I prefer to do the heavier and harder work," said Tang Yu, rejecting the offer.
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