On the early morning of the fourth day, at dawn, people from Crown Prince's Residence arrived.
Chen Jieqi didn't ask any more questions, changed his clothes and followed him out the door.
When Crown Prince's Residence arrived, Xue Qinghe had prepared refreshments in the side hall, and Chen Jieqi sat down opposite her.
"Found it?"
Xue Qinghe glanced at him and didn't answer immediately. She picked up the teapot and poured him a cup.
"Found it." she said,
"But you probably don't want to hear it."
Chen Jieqi didn't speak, just looked at her.
Xue Qinghe pulled out a folded piece of paper from the paperwork, unfolded it, and spread it on the table.
There is a sketch drawn on the paper, the terrain of East Foothills of Tiantou City, the location of the mine is marked in a red circle,
There are several lines marked around it, such as the direction of underground passages or mineral veins.
"This mine is not an ordinary iron mine." Xue Qinghe pointed at the red circle,
"One hundred and twenty years ago, Heaven Dou Imperial Family was mining here. When they dug thirty feet underground, they unearthed something."
She paused.
"A Stone Gate."
Chen Jieqi's eyes narrowed slightly. "Stone Gate?"
"Hmm. Stone Gate is engraved with runes. It is not the writing of the world, nor is it the ordinary Soul Tool inscription.
The miner at that time didn't know him. He invited the royal family to come and see it, but he didn't know him either.
But everyone can feel that there is something behind Stone Gate."
Xue Qinghe's voice lowered,
"It's not a Soul Power fluctuation, it's something older and heavier, like a heartbeat."
Chen Jieqi was silent for a while.
"Stone Gate is on?"
"Can't open." Xue Qinghe shook his head,
"The royal family sent several groups of people down there, even Titled Douluo went there. Some people said they needed a specific key.
Some people say that the seal is too strong and breaking it will cause collapse. After two years of trying, nothing was found.
Later, the mineral veins began to dry up, and the matter of Stone Gate fell into disuse. It was sealed in files, and fewer and fewer people knew about it."
She looked at Chen Jieqi.
"Until you take the land."
Chen Jieqi picked up the teacup and took a sip.
"Evil Soul Master wants that Stone Gate?"
"It's not Stone Gate." Xue Qinghe's fingers tapped twice on the table.
"It's the thing after Stone Gate. As for what it is, it's not written in the file.
But I found some through other channels."
She sat up straight, her eyes falling on Naaru Brand whose eyebrows were looming between Chen Jieqi.
"The runes engraved on that Stone Gate are... similar to your brand."
You can hear a pin drop instantly in the room.
Chen Jieqi closed his eyes, raised his hand, and touched the center of his eyebrows with his fingertips. The mark was slightly warm, as if he was responding to something.
Then he opened his eyes and looked at her,
"You mean, that Stone Gate, or the thing behind Stone Gate, might be related to my Martial Soul?"
"It's not 'related'." Xue Qinghe corrected him,
"They are of the same origin. At least judging from the rune patterns, they are the same power system."
She pushed another piece of paper over, and several lines of twisted lines were printed on the paper, like some kind of ancient writing or totem.
Chen Jieqi glanced at it, and his pupils suddenly shrank. The direction, arc, and turning of those lines were indeed exactly the same as the lines on his eyebrows.
It's not exactly the same, but the "skeleton" is the same thing.
"I've had people compare it." Xue Qinghe said,
"The imprint pattern left when you released Martial Soul is of the same origin as the runes on Stone Gate.
In other words, the light flowing from your body comes from the same source as the thing behind Stone Gate."
Chen Jieqi was silent for longer this time.
He thought of many things, including the golden ray of light that did not belong to the holy light that appeared on the mark between his eyebrows.
Thinking of the "Xiao Wu's Soul Beast attraction of my own Martial Soul aura",
When I think of the mine, the ultimate restraint of his holy light on those three Soul Master is not a matter of strength, but of source suppression.
"What is that thing behind Stone Gate...?" he asked.
"I don't know." Xue Qinghe shook his head,
"It's not written in the file, and the channels I checked directly said that 'that thing' has been sealed for more than a hundred years.
No one has opened it, and no one has seen its true identity, but one thing is certain..."
She looked at him, her eyes darker than before.
"Evil Soul Master wants it, and they may have discovered that you are the key."
Chen Jieqi's body trembled slightly.
"Key?"
"Your light has the same origin as Stone Gate. If you get close to that Stone Gate, the seal may react automatically.
It might even turn on."
Xue Qinghe's voice is calm, but every word carries weight.
"The three people who went to the mine may have just gone for reconnaissance at first, but they didn't expect to be restrained by your light.
That kind of restraint is not an ordinary attribute restraint, it is source suppression.
After they return, as long as someone looks up the ancient books, they can guess the relationship between you and Stone Gate."
Chen Jieqi picked up the tea cup and took a sip, although it was already cold.
"So they won't leave."
"No." Xue Qinghe said.
"And next time we come, there won't be just three Soul Ancestor."
Chen Jieqi put down the cup and raised his head to look at her.
"Brother Xue, when you checked these, did you expose yourself?"
Xue Qinghe was stunned for a moment, and then the corners of his mouth turned up slightly, as if he thought his question was a bit unnecessary.
"My name is Heaven Dou Crown Prince. I'm checking the properties under my name. What can I expose?"
Chen Jieqi did not answer the call. He knew that what she told was not the truth. Some information could not be found in Heaven Dou Crown Prince's intelligence network.
She can find the comparison of runes and the conclusion of "same origin", she must have used Spirit Hall's channel.
That is the identity of Qian Renxue, not Xue Qinghe.
But he didn't ask further questions.
"Then what should I do next?" he asked.
Xue Qinghe stood up and looked at him,
"What do you want to do?"
Chen Jieqi hesitated for a moment,
"Stone Gate, I still need to see it with my own eyes." He said,
"But I won't go alone this time."
Xue Qinghe frowned slightly, "Are you planning to..."
"Please grandpa accompany me for a walk." Chen Jieqi said,
"With Titled Douluo holding the battle, Evil Soul Master doesn't dare to act rashly, and based on his experience, he might know something about the situation.
Secondly, even if Stone Gate is in any danger, grandpa can still tell me the truth."
Xue Qinghe looked at him for a while, and the worry in his eyes faded a little, replaced by a complex emotion.
It seemed like he was relieved, but also like he had something to say but didn't say it.
"... that's fine," he finally said, "When?"
"Just these few days, wait until grandpa is free." Chen Jieqi stood up,
"First find out the situation of Stone Gate before making a decision."
Xue Qinghe nodded.
"Be careful," she said, her voice very soft.
Chen Jieqi glanced at her, turned around and left.
When he reached the door, he stopped again and did not look back.
"Brother Xue."
"Huh?"
"Thank you."
Then he opened the door and left.
After Chen Jieqi left, Xue Qinghe sat in the side hall and didn't move for a long time.
She picked up the cup of herbal tea and took a sip, the bitterness melting away on her tongue.
She didn't tell him everything.
Among the information from the Spirit Hall, there was one thing she didn't dare to mention: the runes on the Stone Gate,
Not only are they "same origin", but according to the records in the Angel Clan ancient book, that rune belongs to a god belief system that has long since disappeared in history.
Temple of Light.
If the Martial Soul of Chen Jieqi really has the same origin as the Stone Gate, then its origin... is not "Mutated Martial Soul"
It can be explained in four words.
Xue Qinghe closed her eyes and remembered the first time she saw him. He was eleven and a half years old, with silver hair, golden eyes, and a light golden mark between his eyebrows.
At that time, she only thought that this man was not simple, but now she knew that he was not just simple.
The light on his body is the same as that of the disappeared temple.
He is going to test that Stone Gate. With Dugu Bo by his side, it should be... okay.
She couldn't tell for sure,
She could only wait.
She opened her eyes, spread out a new piece of paper, and started writing a letter.
This time, it's not for the intelligence network, nor for the Spirit Hall.
It's for that person, the person who once told her, "Some paths are not chosen by others for you."
She needs answers.