144: Chapter 144 Jade Plaque Resonating

On Tuesday morning, when Chen Zhen arrived at the classroom, the number on the joint exam countdown on the blackboard had changed to "5".

Zhang Meng was slumped over his desk, truly asleep this time, with a small patch of drool on his textbook.

Chen Hao was doing problems in the front row, having already gone through five sheets of scratch paper.

Su Xiaoya was not looking at English; she was studying math, her brows furrowed even tighter.

Chen Zhen sat down and pulled the plan sheet out from his drawer.

Below "Weekend, South Mountain," he added a line: "After the joint exam, Nancheng."

Nancheng is in a neighboring province, a three-hour high-speed train ride away.

The System did not give a task, but Old Lin's notebook mentioned that there is a mountain in the outskirts of Nancheng, which locals call "Fu Mountain," sharing the same name as the "Fu Mountain" in Ya'an.

It was no coincidence.

He folded the paper and tucked it into his textbook.

The first class was English.

The English teacher was lecturing on composition, and the blackboard was covered in Advanced sentence structures and connecting words. Chen Zhen wasn't listening; he was mentally mapping out the route to Nancheng.

Take the high-speed train to Nancheng West Station, then charter a car to Fushan Town, and from Fushan Town, head further into the mountains.

Old Lin's notes said that the Fu Mountain is located fifteen kilometers north of the town; there are no roads, so hiking is required.

He noted down this information.

The bell rang for the end of class, and Su Xiaoya turned around. "Chen Zhen, what are your plans after the joint exam?"

"I'm going out for a trip."

"Where to?"

"Nancheng."

Su Xiaoya paused. "Nancheng? What are you going there for?"

"To see a friend."

Su Xiaoya stared at him for two seconds. "Since when do you have a friend in Nancheng?"

Chen Zhen didn't answer.

Su Xiaoya waited for two seconds, sighed, and turned back.

At noon, Chen Zhen didn't go to the cafeteria.

He left the school gate and walked toward the Old Street.

When he passed the appliance repair shop, the door was closed, and a note was posted on the rolling shutter: "Owner is busy, closed for three days." He glanced at it and continued walking.

The door to the Bookstore was open, and Grandpa Wu was eating a boxed lunch behind the counter.

Seeing Chen Zhen enter, he put down his chopsticks. "Here again?"

"Grandpa Wu, I want to look up some information."

"Look up what?"

"Nancheng. Fu Mountain."

Grandpa Wu stared at him for a few seconds, then stood up and walked to the bookshelf, pulling out a thick booklet from the top shelf.

The booklet had no cover, the paper was yellowed, and the edges were badly worn.

"This was left by Old Gu. He recorded some things about Nancheng."

Chen Zhen took the booklet and opened it.

Inside were handwritten notes, the handwriting was scrawled but legible. Flipping to the middle, there was a page titled "An Examination of Nancheng's Fu Mountain."

"Fu Mountain is located in the northwest of Nancheng, about thirty li from the city. The mountain is not high, but it has many caves. The locals call it 'Ghost Mountain,' saying there is something strange inside, and those who enter often get lost and never return. I went to explore it in the summer of 1985 and found a stone tablet on the mountainside, carved with runes similar to those of East Mountain and North Mountain. It is a pity that the stone tablet is damaged and the runes are incomplete. There was a stone box under the tablet, which was already empty. I suspect someone took it before I arrived."

Chen Zhen stared at the four characters "stone box empty" for a long time. Someone had taken it first. Who?

He continued reading.

"According to the local elders, during the Great Leap Forward in 1958, an outsider came here and took something away. The person's surname was Shen, and he claimed to be an archaeologist."

The surname Shen.

Shen Zhiyuan.

Or Shen Zhiqiu.

He closed the booklet and returned it to Grandpa Wu.

"Thank you, Grandpa Wu."

Grandpa Wu waved his hand. "Go on, go on, don't hold up my meal."

Chen Zhen pushed the door open and left.

In the afternoon, at the Secret Base.

Chen Zhen pushed the door open, and Zhou Rui was crouching in front of the blackboard, holding the two jade plaques in his hand.

He heard the movement and turned his head. "Master, if these two jade plaques are placed next to the Talisman Array, the strength of the Talisman Array will increase."

"I know."

Zhou Rui stood up and handed him the jade plaques. "Is there any news from Nancheng?"

"Yes. Fu Mountain has a stone tablet, but the stone box has already been taken. In 1958, by someone surnamed Shen."

Zhou Rui paused. "Shen Zhiyuan?"

"Possibly. It could also be Shen Zhiqiu."

Zhou Rui was silent for a few seconds. "Then are we still going?"

"Going. The stone box is empty, but the stone tablet is still there. The runes are still there."

Chen Zhen walked to the center of the array, sat down, and used Internal Vision on his Dantian.

The seed was still spinning, and that pattern was still glowing.

He took out the two jade plaques and placed them in front of him, reaching out to touch them as he injected spiritual power.

The two jade plaques lit up and resonated with the Composite Rune Array.

The system panel popped up a notification.

[Composite Rune Array · Strength +5% · Current 310%]

[jade plaque resonating · Progress 2/4]

He withdrew his hand.

That jade plaque in Nancheng, whoever took it, must be found.

It wasn't in Shen Zhiyuan's belongings, and Shen Zhiqiu is already dead, and it wasn't on him either. Where is that jade plaque?

Chen Zhen stood up and walked to the blackboard, staring at the Composite Rune Array.

Four jade plaques: East Mountain, North Mountain, West Mountain, South Mountain.

He had three—North Mountain, West Mountain, and the one from East Mountain was inside the seed.

Only South Mountain was missing.

Nancheng, Fu Mountain. He had to go.

At night, Chen Zhen returned home.

His father was watching the news in the living room, and his mother was washing dishes in the kitchen.

He changed his shoes, entered the house, and walked to the kitchen doorway.

"Mom, I'm going to Nancheng after the joint exam."

His mother turned around and looked at him. "Nancheng? What for?"

"To see a friend."

His mother stared at him for a few seconds. "A boy or a girl?"

"A boy."

His mother nodded and turned back to continue washing dishes. "Then be careful. Come back early."

"Okay."

Chen Zhen returned to his room and closed the door.

He sat at his desk and took the plan sheet out of the drawer.

He added a line after "After the joint exam, Nancheng": "Find the jade plaque."