The formation opened?
Tian Jing and Li Zheng Guo exchanged a covert glance. This Sun Liyang was clearly no easy opponent. What would happen after they entered the formation was unknown.
With both groups of investigators staying behind, the small villa where they lodged was bustling with activity every day.
The number one courtyard was also abuzz with excitement.
Facing Sun Liyang, who insisted on contesting everything, Wan Zhong Shan frowned. "Let's go to the number two courtyard."
Jiang Chang Rong's eyes darted around. "Right, right, we're all tired of the food from the number one courtyard. Let's try the number two courtyard, and in a few days, we can try the number three courtyard. I'm really curious, how different can five restaurants be?"
"Right, right, right, let's go to the number two courtyard."
Sun Liyang curled his lips. "Thank you for your concession, Director Wan."
Wan Zhong Shan nodded faintly. After exiting the number one courtyard, he said in a low voice, "He's deliberately trying to drive us away. Don't get into any conflicts with them."
Jiang Chang Rong and the others nodded.
"This is their usual tactic to provoke people. We can endure it, but it's very frustrating. And Xie Wensheng, too. If he had opened the outer formation three days earlier, we wouldn't be in such a passive position."
"No."
Wan Zhong Shan shook his head. "You're mistaken about Xie Wensheng. It wouldn't have helped even if it was three days earlier. Sun Liyang has been wanting to take over this case for a long time. He thinks this is a golden opportunity to make a significant contribution."
...
Li Zheng Guo's plan for the back mountain was temporarily shelved because human resources were needed to build the mountain road.
However, if the back mountain issue wasn't resolved, it would be problematic to bring in manpower.
Moreover, Sun Liyang sternly warned the villagers, prohibiting them from entering the back mountain, and even their firewood collection was being monitored.
This made the villagers very unhappy.
As time went on, conflicts arose, and the atmosphere became tense.
Amidst this tense atmosphere, good news came again from the back mountain: the inner formation had also been opened.
Sun Liyang took only one subordinate with him, leaving three people to guard the villagers.
Wan Zhong Shan also left three subordinates behind, fearing that Sun Liyang's subordinates might clash with the villagers.
However, he didn't expect that Sun Liyang's subordinates wouldn't clash with the villagers, but Sun Liyang himself would.
The incident began with the opening of the inner formation.
They took a helicopter into the mountain range.
As they entered the formation and approached the maze, they saw two graves, one black and one white. Even before entering the maze, Sun Liyang's expression was somewhat unusual.
He even asked if he had seen anything.
Under a clear sky, the quiet maze was silent; there wasn't even the chirping of insects. What could be seen?
When they entered the maze and heard Xie Wensheng explain that the black and white graves on the black and white fish eyes were the passage to the private vault, Sun Liyang stopped him from entering.
Wan Zhong Shan thought that as long as his side was involved, the items would ultimately be handed over to the state.
So he waited outside.
Who would have thought that not long after, Sun Liyang and Xie Wensheng would walk out from the outer edge of the Tai Chi symbol?
With an extremely grim expression, he declared that he was going down the mountain to arrest Tian Jing.
When pressed for the reason, Sun Liyang refused to say, only that there were three skeletons in the private vault—one large and two small—and no gold or silver treasures.
Wan Zhong Shan was stunned. No gold or silver treasures?
He didn't believe it and asked Xie Wensheng to take him into the private vault to see.
Outside the cave vault door, he saw thick dust and scattered wooden planks inside the cave.
"What are those?"
"Energy ash and box planks."
"What does that mean?"
"It means the energy is gone, the materials that made up the energy have turned to ash, and the boxes that held the items are also severely damaged."
Wan Zhong Shan was surprised. "Are you saying that all the gold and silver treasures turned into energy and then dissipated?"
"Yes!"
"Didn't you tell Director Sun?"
"I did, but he didn't believe it and insisted that it had been transferred."
"This is bad, let's get out of here."
Upon reaching the ground, the helicopter was gone, clearly having taken Sun Liyang down the mountain.
He stomped his foot in anger. Having two responsible persons for one matter was troublesome.
Fortunately, the helicopter pilot quickly came to pick them up.
When they descended the mountain, Sun Liyang's men had not only handcuffed Tian Jing but also the three people Wan Zhong Shan had left behind, claiming they were obstructing official duties.
Naturally, they were handcuffed and sent to the capital for interrogation.
Sun Liyang ordered his subordinates to escort Tian Jing back to the capital, prohibiting any visits.
Wan Zhong Shan tried to persuade him but failed. He could only say to Tian Jing, "Without substantial evidence, he will release you."
Tian Jing shrugged indifferently. "I have the right to find a lawyer, don't I?"
"Yes."
Tian Jing nodded. "That's good. I thought that under this Director Sun, I wouldn't even have basic human rights."
She actually admired Xie Wensheng greatly for dismantling the formation.
In Chen Yao Shi's past life, this formation was also opened by the state, but it was opened with the blood of the Chen family.
It was likely that the Ministry of Public Security wasn't in charge of this matter.
The villagers were not happy and blocked Sun Liyang and his men, forbidding them from handcuffing people without evidence.
Sun Liyang declared that the villagers were obstructing official duties, and severe cases would be punished by law.
The villagers were indignant, accusing him of violent law enforcement.
As the two sides were about to come to blows, Wan Zhong Shan and Jiang Chang Rong restrained Sun Liyang. "Are you crazy?"
Sun Liyang roared in anger, "You're the one who's crazy! Letting a criminal run free—your time as director is over."
Wan Zhong Shan shouted at him, "Whether my time as director is over is not for you to decide."
"Now, you've arrested someone, so go back and interrogate them. If you can't produce evidence in the end, then your time as deputy director is truly over."
Sun Liyang shook off his restraint. "The evidence is in my mind. It's just that you're blind and can't see it."
Wan Zhong Shan didn't understand.
Tian Jing and Li Zheng Guo, however, understood that Sun Liyang must have seen something in the formation.
It was just unclear why he was so certain that she had transferred the gold and silver treasures and harmed Chen Yao Shi.
The members of both groups were left behind, with only Sun Liyang and Wan Zhong Shan escorting Tian Jing away.
Wan Zhong Shan told Li Zheng Guo to take his men and Xie Wensheng back to the capital, otherwise, it would be difficult to get Tian Jing released anytime soon.
Li Zheng Guo shook his head. "There's no need."
Being released only implied that her suspicion hadn't been cleared.
Sun Liyang's so-called evidence in his mind clearly intended for more people to enter the formation and see the same result he had seen.
The more people who entered the formation, the more comprehensive the analysis of the anomalies within it would be, and the sooner Tian Jing's suspicion could be cleared.
Furthermore, he wanted to understand the rules of the formation.
Why was it that among several people who entered at the same time, only Sun Liyang saw something?
Tian Jing was taken away as a prisoner.
Da Mai held the weeping Li Weili and restrained Li Weixin, who was trying to chase after them.
"Aunt will be out soon. You two need to be good."
Li Zheng Guo handed over the village matters to Vice Village Chief Ou and Secretary Yang and returned to pack his luggage.
Li Wei Hao, pulling his younger brother, followed behind his father. "Dad, didn't you say you were going to send us to join the army? Why haven't you sent us yet?"
Li Zheng Guo turned and patted his two sons on the shoulders. "You've grown up. You know you want to strive for a better future to protect your mother and me."
"But you and Xiao Bo are still children. Wait another three years, until you're 18, and then Dad will send you in."
"Dad is lying."
Li Wei Hao was no longer a child. "I'm different from Xiao Bo. We don't need to go through the normal enlistment process. We want to join the army now."
Once they joined the army, their parents would be military dependents, and no one would dare treat military dependents like this.
Facing two stubborn faces that strongly resembled their mother's, Li Zheng Guo couldn't refuse.
"Alright, Dad will take you. Once we meet them, you'll have to handle it yourselves. Dad won't help you."
Li Wei Hao pursed his lips. "And Yan Yan. You need to help persuade Uncle's wife. Yan Yan doesn't like studying. If it weren't for waiting for us, he would have run out to roam the martial world long ago."
Li Zheng Guo dropped the clothes in his hands. "I'll go now. Make sure that kid doesn't sneak off."
Since learning martial arts, his nephew's temperament had become increasingly wild, and it worsened during puberty.
If Ouyang Meihua wasn't so busy, that kid would have been beaten three times a day.