As Xie Yuchen entered the hall, the atmosphere inside was peculiar.
The usually unrestrained Fatty was visibly dejected, glumly shoving an innocent fried dough stick into his soy milk like a frostbitten eggplant.
But Wu Tianzhen was different; his deep brotherhood almost made him laugh to death at the dining table.
Xie Yuchen glanced over inexplicably, and was shocked to find that even Zhang Qiling, who always maintained a blank expression, had a slight upturn at the corner of his mouth.
Xie Yuchen: ???
"It seems you've been having quite a lively time in my absence?" He pulled out a chair, sat down, and took a sip of soy milk.
"Xiao, Xiao Hua hahahahahaha, Xiao hahahahahaha!"
It was better not to ask, but once asked, Wu Tianzhen was almost rolling with laughter. He didn't intend to tell anyone else about Fatty's secret, but the thought of the scene just now made him unable to control his amusement.
Xie Yuchen knew this was some unspoken understanding between the three of them, so he didn't ask further, simply eating his breakfast with elegant composure.
After a long while, when Wu Tianzhen finally finished laughing and was leaning on the table to catch his breath, Xie Yuchen spoke leisurely.
"Everything is ready, we can depart today," he wiped his hands, picked up a tablet, and tapped a few times, bringing up a complex map. "This is where Xie Lianhuan disappeared back then, the Emei Forbidden Land."
"I've entered it twice, and the scenes I saw both times were very different, clearly the interior of the forbidden land is constantly changing."
"The last time I went in was three years ago. In these three years, the situation in Emei has likely changed drastically, and my previous experience has little reference value."
Wu Tianzhen and Fatty collected themselves and leaned in to examine the map closely, but Zhang Qiling remained seated quietly, showing no inclination to move.
The moment Xie Yuchen uttered the words "Emei Forbidden Land," a dazzling light screen unfolded before his eyes.
This was an extremely illogical event, but Zhang Qiling inexplicably didn't feel particularly surprised or shocked.
He quietly watched the light screen, where the top line read "Changbai Mountain 100%", and below, in the large blank area, a line of large characters slowly appeared.
"Emei Forbidden Land · Unlocked"
"Little Brother, how's your meal?" Wu Tianzhen's voice interrupted Zhang Qiling's thoughts.
Wu Tianzhen had indeed noticed Zhang Qiling staring blankly into mid-air, but Zhang Qiling always liked to space out, and most of the time he looked like he was staring at something unknown, so he didn't think much of it.
"We're going to pack our gear. Xiao Hua has prepared a lot of things. Little Brother, you can go take a look and pick out some things to carry with you."
Zhang Qiling then shifted his gaze from the light screen.
He didn't know if the light screen had consciousness, but the moment Zhang Qiling looked away, it seemed to realize its bothersome nature and, with self-awareness, closed itself.
The scene returned to its original state, and Zhang Qiling didn't delve deeper.
To him, the entire world was unfamiliar, and therefore, he was very accepting of things that gave him a sense of familiarity.
Although the light screen seemed unreasonable, it made him feel familiar, and that was enough.
As he was thinking this, his vision suddenly blurred, and the light screen actually popped out again!
The light screen, which had been a calm light blue before, had now coated itself in a tender pink, looking sparkling, and even squeezed a red heart into the very center.
The light screen came and went quickly. Almost at the same moment Zhang Qiling clearly saw the heart, the light screen "swished" and disappeared again.
Zhang Qiling: ...
To be honest, he felt a bit speechless.
The equipment prepared by Xie Yuchen was very refined, with weapon bags equipped with straps to better secure them to one's body.
Zhang Qiling's primary weapon was always the Black Gold Ancient Saber, so he didn't choose too carefully, only finding a dagger to strap to his leg and a grappling hook to secure to his waist.
His overly quick selection meant he had to lean against the tree trunk in the courtyard, idly waiting for Fatty and Wu Tianzhen to finish choosing.
More accurately, it was mainly Fatty.
It seemed that in these few seconds, he had fallen in love with everything that could explode among the equipment, eagerly rummaging through it, determined to take all the explosive items with him.
Wu Tianzhen watched with trepidation. Seeing Fatty about to transform himself into a walking bomb that would explode at the slightest touch, he quickly tried to stop his irrational shopping spree.
The two of them got tangled up, and the level of danger increased exponentially.
Zhang Qiling leaned against the tree watching this scene, and a part of his heart was touched, causing him to instinctively take out his optical computer and take a photo.
The sunlight was just right, casting diagonally down, illuminating the faces of Fatty and Wu Tianzhen. The light seemed to be frozen in this photo, making everything appear very warm.
Zhang Qiling stared at it for a while, then saved it to his album.
His optical computer album was empty, and now it finally contained a photo.
"Zhang Haike is outside, it looks like he wants to see you."
At some point, Xie Yuchen, who had finished packing his gear, walked over and saw Zhang Qiling closing the optical computer screen, saying softly.
...Zhang Haike.
Zhang Qiling suddenly remembered that since he was discharged from the hospital, he hadn't seen Zhang Haike for a long time.
He didn't have a bad impression of this person, so he nodded to Xie Yuchen in thanks, then glanced at the still-wrestling Wu Pang, and quietly left the courtyard to go to the main entrance.
Zhang Haike hadn't brought anyone with him, standing alone at the entrance, looking somewhat haggard.
Upon seeing Zhang Qiling, his eyes lit up: "Clan Leader, are you well?"
"Mm." Zhang Qiling said no more, and silence fell between the two.
Zhang Haike seemed hesitant, as if something was weighing on his mind, repeatedly showing signs of wanting to speak but holding back.
Zhang Qiling did not urge him, but simply watched Zhang Haike quietly.
But in the end, Zhang Haike still said nothing. He just sighed and took out a strangely shaped metal object, about the length of a finger, from his embrace.
"...Clan Leader, we cannot accompany you to the forbidden land. This is a signal enhancer developed by the clan. With this, you won't encounter signal interruptions in the forbidden land."
"If you encounter unexpected situations, you can also seek help in time."
As Zhang Haike said this, he noticed Zhang Qiling staring at the device and quickly added, "Don't worry, there are no monitoring devices inside. You can let that Xie Yuchen check it."
After a moment of silence, Zhang Qiling reached out and took the equipment, stuffing it into his pocket.
He stuffed it in somewhat carelessly, as if he didn't care at all, but Zhang Haike understood that Zhang Qiling meant he trusted him, wouldn't have it checked, and was willing to carry the device.
Zhang Haike breathed a sigh of relief. He looked at Zhang Qiling for a while longer, and finally bid farewell.
Only after leaving the scope of the Xie family did Zhang Haike look back.
Zhang Qiling was no longer at the entrance.
...The blood test results from the hospital came out. Zhang Qiling was indeed of the Zhang family bloodline, and after tracing it back, he could even be considered Zhang Haike's clan brother.
His clan brother...
Zhang Haike recalled Zhang Qiling's quiet demeanor, unburdened by anything, remembered the dangerous forbidden land, and the clan leader who emerged covered in blood.
His eyes turned sharp.
He had always been reluctant to participate in the clan's power struggles, but now, he suddenly had an ambition.
...He wanted to clear out a clean Zhang family for Zhang Qiling.