"Teacher, who are you talking about?" Liang Yu asked, looking up in confusion.
But Professor Li didn't answer. Instead, he picked up his phone and started dialing.
"Hmm, I don't think I have his number."
"No, it's more accurate to say he doesn't have a mobile phone at all."
"But I've kept Min Ziqiong's number. I hope he stays in Jianghai, and I hope Min Ziqiong can still find him!"
Professor Li murmured to himself, praying.
He found Min Ziqiong's number and nervously, yet excitedly, pressed the dial button.
Meanwhile, in Jianghai City, inside the villa on the mountaintop.
Min Ziqiong was somewhat bewildered. As soon as she stepped out that morning, she noticed a distinct improvement in the villa's environment.
Though she couldn't pinpoint exactly what was better, the feeling of physical and mental comfort was something she had never experienced before.
It was as if she were... in a celestial realm, a paradise.
The mental exhaustion she had suffered from searching for Nannan disappeared after just a few breaths of air!
Her body was filled with renewed strength, and her spirit felt exceptionally vibrant.
Having been expelled from the Min family had left her feeling dejected, both outwardly and inwardly, on the verge of becoming a common woman.
But now, everything had changed!
It was as if the formidable businesswoman who had once dominated the business world, leading a small company of the Min family to become a unicorn enterprise worth tens of billions in the Dragon Country, had returned!
"Is this the true purpose behind Ying Chen buying this villa?"
"This villa actually possesses an extremely powerful feng shui magnetic field, but it was not properly utilized, thus becoming a place of malevolent energy. After Ying Chen's renovation, it has suddenly returned to its original state, transforming into a spiritual sanctuary akin to a paradise on earth?"
Min Ziqiong's eyes flickered a few times, and based on mere clues, she had deduced the truth of the matter.
Ding-a-ling.
Just then, Min Ziqiong's phone rang.
She glanced at it and saw it was Professor Li.
However, Min Ziqiong didn't answer. Instead, she took the phone and walked towards Ying Chen's residence.
Because she knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that Professor Li wasn't looking for her. He was using her as a stepping stone to find Ying Chen.
"Mr. Ying, are you there?"
Min Ziqiong gently knocked twice on the door and asked.
But there was no response from inside.
"Did he go out?"
Min Ziqiong murmured to herself and then pushed the door.
To her surprise, the door wasn't locked and swung open as she pushed it!
And then she saw Ying Chen, bathing in a tub!
Min Ziqiong's face instantly flushed red. Flustered, she stammered, "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to... It's because Professor Li called... If this is inconvenient for you now, I'll leave..."
Unexpectedly, Ying Chen slowly opened his eyes and extended his hand: "Hand it over."
Without any attempt to cover himself, he presented his upper body, shimmering with a golden halo, to Min Ziqiong!
Min Ziqiong, her face burning with shame, dared not look further. She cautiously stepped forward and handed him the phone.
Then, as if she had done something wrong, she fled the scene swiftly.
Ying Chen watched Min Ziqiong's retreating back, his eyebrows slightly raised: "Isn't she already a mother? Why does she act like a young girl who has never experienced the world?"
"However, her demeanor has changed significantly. It seems the first wave of spiritual energy from the Duotian Qilu Array has begun to take effect. While this spiritual energy is negligible to me, for mortals like her, it's no less than a complete cleansing and transformation of their marrow."
With that, Ying Chen pressed the call button.
Ying Chen didn't reject these "ingenious tools"; instead, he found them quite interesting.
Although high-level Daoists could achieve far more efficient communication methods, such as telepathy, where a mere thought could resonate with another's soul, conveying complete and specific intentions, achieving a state of "understanding beyond words."
But that ultimately required a certain cultivation level. This thing called a mobile phone, however, could enable anyone, even those without any Daoist cultivation, to send messages across vast distances.
This was truly magical.
The decline of spiritual energy and the collapse of Daoist magic were not entirely bad things.
At the very least, it forced humans who couldn't cultivate onto a different path, illuminating another technological tree.
As soon as the call was connected, Professor Li's voice came through.
"Hello, is this Miss Min? Could you please help me find Mr. Ying? I have something important to discuss with him..."
Upon hearing this, Ying Chen calmly replied, "I am Ying Chen. Have you thought it through?"
Professor Li on the other end of the line seemed completely unprepared for Ying Chen's accurate guess of his purpose.
He was so shocked that he was speechless for several seconds before finally replying, "Yes, Mr. Ying, I have thought it through."
"After I returned this time, I realized how ridiculous and meaningless my so-called persistence was."
"The circle I belong to is so dark and boundless. I am like a single seed fallen into the ocean, utterly incapable of breaking free from its confines. I can only be swept along by the currents, drifting aimlessly until I perish in the sea."
"Instead of dying silently like this, instead of sinking forever into darkness, I would rather summon the courage to fight. Let this seed of mine take root, sprout, spread, and grow along the ocean, until it becomes a towering tree, until it breaks through the boundless darkness!"
"So, Mr. Ying, can I become your seed?"
Ying Chen chuckled upon hearing this.
After chuckling, Ying Chen nodded: "Of course."
"From now on, you are my seed. I will provide the soil and nutrients you need to grow, and you will repay me with flowers and fruits."
"The first handful of soil I offer you is—the whereabouts of the Youxi Sword!"
The Youxi Sword was the sword of Bai Qi.
It was also the most direct proof of Bai Qi's identity.
Upon hearing these four words, Professor Li became immediately excited.
"The Youxi Sword actually exists!"
But then a question arose in his mind: "If the Youxi Sword exists, it should be in that true tomb of Bai Qi! Could it be..."
"Heh, being in a tomb doesn't mean you can find it; being able to find it doesn't mean you can awaken it. If you hadn't agreed to become my seed, you would never have known these things," Ying Chen replied with a mocking smile.
Professor Li was stunned.
He almost blurted out: You cunning old fox! I never expected you to have such a hidden hand, you almost tricked me!
"The sword's location is..."
Ying Chen slowly spoke a series of words.
While shocked, Professor Li firmly committed these words to memory.
If Ying Chen hadn't told him, he would likely never have discovered where the Youxi Sword was hidden in his lifetime!
"Oh, Mr. Ying, there's one more thing. My excavation application for the Wei River area was rejected..."
"As expected. Human nature has always been this way, unchanging throughout the ages. Just call the Ma family directly; this small matter shouldn't be beyond their capabilities."
With that, Ying Chen hung up the phone without waiting for a response.
Holding the phone in his hand, a playful smile appeared on Ying Chen's face.
Perhaps to outsiders, a bookworm like Professor Li had no value.
He wasn't worthy of being Ying Chen's seed.
But only Ying Chen knew that Professor Li held immense value for him!
Whether Ying Chen could truly recover his former realm depended entirely on Professor Li!
Not to mention that, in Ying Chen's calculations, Professor Li's future role would far surpass that of many aristocratic families, acting as a "first move" on the chessboard!