Free Web NovelChapter 1979: Chapter 1976: Signal Lost
The rune automatically began to flicker, coating the dim car interior in a strange mystic glow. Zhang Lingyu, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly snapped them open.
Seeing the blinking rune, Zhang Lingyu was overjoyed. "We’ve got a reaction. The aura of the Yin Jade is flaring up strongly."
"So that means we’re probably very close to the Yin Jade? About how large is the range?" Lin Tian was much calmer. A reaction didn’t necessarily mean they could find it right away.
This thing was like using your phone’s map to navigate—clearly the store you’re looking for is nearby, yet you just can’t find it.
Instead of answering immediately, Zhang Lingyu asked back, "Where are we right now?"
"We just passed the toll station out of Xuanping City." Lin Tian replied.
"Xuanping City... Xuanping City..." Zhang Lingyu softly repeated the name a few times. At this moment Xiao Manxuan woke up as well.
The little girl rubbed her eyes and said instinctively, "Xuanping City? Isn’t there an ancient battlefield nearby?"
"That’s exactly what I was about to say. I didn’t expect we’d end up back at that historical node." Zhang Lingyu sighed faintly.
Lin Tian frowned, understanding what the two women meant. Historical records say that in the late Warring States Period, the six states of Qi, Chu, Han, Wei, Zhao Country, and Yan began to decline, while the Qin State grew powerful.
The Qin State began its war to unify the six states. Among these battles, one was unparalleled through the ages—the Battle of Changping. At that time, Zhao Country’s general Lian Po faced off against the Qin army with fortified defenses, and the Qin forces could not break through for a long time.
So the Qin used a stratagem of sowing distrust. Zhao Country removed the defense-specialist Lian Po and appointed Zhao Kuo as commander. Zhao Kuo abandoned Lian Po’s defensive deployment strategy and switched to offense.
The Qin State also secretly changed commanders, appointing the famed general Bai Qi. Bai Qi exploited Zhao Kuo’s weaknesses, lured the enemy deep, then cut them off and encircled them, finally annihilating them.
In this battle, they slaughtered and buried alive a total of 450,000 Zhao Country soldiers! Bai Qi spent his life campaigning on battlefields and never once suffered defeat. Altogether he annihilated over a million people, earning the title "Human Butcher," and later generations called him the "Killing God."
Regarding the Battle of Changping, later historians have many disputes. Some say Bai Qi didn’t bury the captives alive, but killed them first and then buried them; others say Bai Qi killed the captives for some particular reason.
As for what that reason was, probably only Bai Qi himself ever knew.
The reason Xiao Manxuan immediately thought of the ancient battlefield when she heard "Xuanping City" was because she’d studied it in high school history. As for Zhang Lingyu calling it a "historical node," that was because the Battle of Changping was the largest-scale war of the Warring States Period.
This battle accelerated the Qin State’s process of unifying the six states. It was a turning point in history, and Bai Qi was undoubtedly its central figure.
There was another reason: Hook Jade pieces began appearing in the Warring States Period; the Qiong Gou Jade may well have first emerged then. By the time of Emperor Qin Shi Huang, somehow it ended up in Xu Fu’s hands.
The aura of the Yin Jade had drawn them to this place. Was it really only a coincidence?
At this moment, Xu Feibai’s car also pulled up. He rolled down the window and asked in puzzlement, "What happened?"
Lin Tian said, "The Compass rune reacted, we just don’t know how far we are from the Yin Jade."
"It shouldn’t be beyond Xuanping City—of course including the counties and towns under Xuanping City’s jurisdiction," Zhang Lingyu said in an almost certain tone.
"Then what are we waiting for..." Xiao Manxuan said excitedly.
Before she could finish, Lin Tian had already stepped on the gas, speeding ahead, and soon they entered Xuanping City. Compared to Jinghua City, Xuanping City wasn’t as prosperous, but its historical depth was no less than Jinghua City’s.
At night Xuanping City also had its neon lights and nightlife, but it lacked a measure of noise and clamor—at least, driving along the streets, Lin Tian didn’t encounter Jinghua City’s level of congestion.
As they were weaving through the streets, the rune’s reaction on the Compass would appear and disappear intermittently. This situation persisted, and even Zhang Lingyu couldn’t explain it.
Following the Compass’s indications like this, Lin Tian and the others traversed the entire city and reached the outskirts. As they passed a small town, the rune’s flickering suddenly vanished.
Even the Compass needle started swinging around randomly, no longer able to indicate direction.
"Mr. Lin, the Compass seems to be under interference and cannot determine positional information." The intelligent system Little Ya spoke up.
Lin Tian and Xiao Manxuan looked toward Zhang Lingyu. The Compass was hers, and only she knew what was going on. But Zhang Lingyu just shook her head. "I don’t know either. Maybe the closer we get to the Yin Jade, the stronger its aura becomes, and the more disruptive the interference gets."
"Forget it, we’ve been driving all day. Let’s rest for the night in this town and make plans tomorrow." Lin Tian checked the time—it was already after eight p.m.—and decided to stop for the day.
The two women both expressed no objections. As for Xu Feibai, Lin Tian didn’t even bother considering him; he was just tagging along to watch anyway.
He said to the intelligent system Little Ya, "Little Ya, search for any places to stay nearby. It needs to have both food and lodging. Oh, and the environment has to be good—we can’t let the two beauties be wronged."
Hearing his last sentence, both Xiao Manxuan and Zhang Lingyu rolled their eyes at him. Even though neither of them was pampered, if the accommodations were better, they certainly wouldn’t say no.
"Mr. Lin, I’ve found one. There’s a villa on the east side of the town that should meet your criteria." Very quickly, Little Ya located what Lin Tian wanted.
Following Little Ya’s navigation, Lin Tian arrived outside a villa estate. The villa complex was built along a hillside, surrounded by lush trees, with a river looping around it. The environment was elegant.
"Little Ya, nice choice." Lin Tian praised.
"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Lin." Little Ya replied very politely.
Lin Tian parked in the lot in front of the villa estate. The three of them got out and met up with Xu Feibai, and the four of them headed toward the villa.
Hanging over the main gate of the estate was a signboard that read "Xianlin Villa."
"This villa’s got a pretty grand name." Xiao Manxuan said with a laugh.
"Grand, sure—but a bit overblown." Zhang Lingyu said lightly.
Lin Tian only raised his brows without commenting, and took the lead into the front desk lobby. The front hall was very quiet at this hour; almost no one checks in this late.
Three female attendants were sitting behind the counter chatting. The arrival of Lin Tian’s group caught their attention. The three receptionists were stunned all at once. They’d seen many guests at the front desk, including plenty of beauties and handsome men.
But the four people before them defied description as merely handsome and beautiful—especially their bearing, which the attendants had never encountered.
"Miss, do you have any vacant rooms?" Lin Tian waved his hand in front of them and asked.
Under Lin Tian’s gaze, the three receptionists’ faces flushed red, but at least they didn’t forget their job. "Y-yes... we still have vacant rooms..." One of them spoke, albeit a bit haltingly.
"Our villa has both a standard guestroom section and a villa section. Both have vacancies. Which side would the four of you like to stay in?" the woman in the middle added.
"A villa suite." Lin Tian didn’t hesitate, placing a bank card on the counter—just an ordinary card; you don’t need a black card just to spend the night.
After registering their ID information, one of the receptionists led the four of them deeper into the villa grounds.
Inside the estate it was also shaded by trees, with winding paths that led into secluded spots. Suddenly, a girl ran out from a side path with her head lowered and crashed straight into Lin Tian.
