Xuan Ji was taken aback and almost felt flattered for a moment.

Sheng Lingyuan spoke calmly, even with a hint of gentle indifference. This tone was too familiar to him.

When they were young and quarreled, Lingyuan always took the initiative to coax him - not directly, but Lingyuan would find something else to talk about first, teasing him until he was willing to speak, and then slowly bringing the topic back.

He didn't expect to get this treatment even after making a unilateral "oath of eternal love."

He quickly caught up.

Dr. Wang brought out the top-secret files of the ancient science of cultivation. "According to the calculations from the heavy rain, there are currently 51 locations of the earth's veins in the entire region, including the continental shelf. Some areas such as Jiangzhou and Dongchuan have incomplete data," Dr. Wang unfolded a huge map, with each location of the earth's veins marked.

There were a few places with different colored markings. "Because this work has been ongoing for a long time, some of the early measurements of the earth's veins have shifted due to earthquakes and have been revised again later."

For Sheng Lingyuan, the map was completely unfamiliar.

Firstly, ancient maps were limited by the technology of their time and were not as accurate.

Secondly, the terrain and topography were constantly changing, and there were very few places that retained their ancient names.

Back when Dan Li was managing the earth physicians, there were only 36 locations of the earth's veins, and only a small portion of them overlapped with the current map. The majority of them did not appear on the map, showing how much the world had changed over time.

"I'll take a guess," said Sheng Lingyuan as he pulled out a marker and circled a few spots where the new and old earth veins intersected. He turned to Dr. Wang and asked, "These places are where the 'abnormally low birth rate' you mentioned occurs, right?"

The researcher from Gu Xiu Ke was originally studying the map, but upon hearing this, he quickly pulled out his computer and checked. He was shocked and pushed his glasses back up his nose.

"How did you know?"

Xuan Ji leaned over and took a look. "Do you suspect that an 'old acquaintance' has tampered with the earth veins? But the earth veins are not fixed in place."

Earth veins are similar to rivers, and it's common for them to dry up or change course. Even if they measured the earth veins for 20 or 30 years, there would already be displacement.

Trying to tamper with the earth veins would be like searching for a needle in a haystack. It would be more effective to just draw a cross on an empty piece of land. It's like looking for a boat with a sword, it's meaningless.

It's impossible to predict the changes in the earth's veins thousands of years from now, let alone accurately forecast the weather, which has only been possible for the past twenty years.

Anyone with a bit of common sense wouldn't even attempt such a thing.

Sheng Lingyuan tapped his finger lightly on the map, taking a moment to ponder before looking up at the researchers from the Ancient Studies Department.

"Could you please help me gather the historical records of these locations from ancient times to the present?" he asked.

The ancient studies department may not be good at anything else, but when it comes to researching - especially digging through old documents - they are like a groundhogs, digging fast and accurately.

In less than half an hour, the missing Luo Cuicui and Gong Chenggong's wanted order had just arrived at various police stations, but several places identified by Sheng Lingyuan had already been thoroughly searched by the Ancient Studies Department's bald experts.

From the era of great chaos to the present, everything from the historical evolution, ruling authority, experiences of several wars and natural disasters, to the local population, clan affiliation, and belief systems, were all well-documented.

Sheng Lingyuan took the dozen or so files and headed to a quiet spot behind the temporary office of the Ancient Studies Department. It was a small hilltop artificially built for the resort, with a serene tea room in the perfect location.

Surrounded by bamboo forests, it offered a panoramic view of the resort and a distant sight of the West Mountain. It was said to be reserved for super VIP clients.

Sheng Lingyuan's figure flashed and he landed on the mountaintop. The plants surrounding the tea room withered away instantly as he approached.

The entire hilltop was left barren and lifeless. He walked into the tea room with ease, his black mist having already "eaten its fill". The mist followed closely behind, sweeping away the dust and remnants of the decoration.

When Xuan Ji caught up, he found the small tea room spotless as if it had just been cleaned.

Xuan Ji hesitated at the door, feeling a bit uneasy.

Sheng Lingyuan and he were not speaking to each other, but it never lasted more than a night.

As he grew older, the silent treatment became shorter. By the time he was a young man, he would calm down after a few deep breaths and come over to make peace, patiently reasoning things out... as long as his bottom line wasn't crossed.

Was making one-sided oaths considered crossing the line?

Xuan Ji couldn't say for sure, but he remembered what the Emperor had said to Bi Chunsheng in a dark and solemn tone when he broke his promise in Chiyuan County: "I have always detested being bound."

"What are you doing poking around outside my door?" Sheng Lingyuan, who was behind the desk, didn't look up. "Come in."

Xuan Ji stretched his cramped calf muscles and silently slipped in along the wall.

Sheng Lingyuan tapped on the pile of papers on the table. The ancient studies department staff was afraid that this old man wouldn't be able to handle the electronic version, so they found a bunch of printers and printed out all the materials for him to review.

The emperor ordered in a calm tone, "Pick out the content about mountain gods, water spirits, and strange folk tales, and sort them by region for me."

Xuan Ji dared not speak and nervously acted as his temporary secretary.

Legends of seeking gods and worshiping Buddha among the common people were more or less the same, except for a few ethnic minority areas where the offerings were mainly from the "Buddhist, Taoist, and Confucian" schools. The rest were "City God Temples," "Goddess Temples," "Lord Temples," and some strange tales about Thunderbolt Mountain, which were all considered very niche.

Several areas marked by Sheng Lingyuan were relatively calm and had few disasters. People had lived there for thousands of years, so it was not surprising.

Xuan Ji scanned the list and didn't see any problems at first because there was no pattern.

He said, "There is the Tree Temple in the West Mountain, the famous City God Temple in Linyang, the Lady Cao Temple in the northern suburbs of Suzhi, the Qian Gong Temple, the Eight Immortals Tower...and the Biquan Mountain. Who knows what's up with the people around the Biquan Mountain. Maybe they're not very superstitious and the place also isn't a tourist city, so there's nothing special there." Xuan Ji paused and asked, "What are you looking for?"

Sheng Lingyuan replied, "Biquan Mountain? Have I heard of this place recently?"

After some thought, Xuan Ji said, "Hmm, Silver Shadow - that blind man who conspired with He Cuiyu's puppet mentioned something about a top-grade super-powered tomb being unearthed during an earthquake in Biquan Mountain. The main forces of the Storm team all went there, so they didn't have time for the Mirage Island in the South China Sea... Yes, there's information about the ancient tomb here. It's probably owned by some demon or noble."

Sheng Lingyuan listened without comment, simply nodding his head.

Xuan Ji squirmed around like he was sitting on a nail, and after a while, he found something to say, "Why are you so interested in folk rumors? Is it because the 'Temple of the Gods' reminds you of Dan Li?"

Sheng Lingyuan replied shortly, "Mm, giving offerings makes something spiritual."

"I know," Xuan Ji saw that Sheng Lingyuan was willing to listen to him, so he immediately took advantage of the opportunity and spoke non-stop, "because all things have spirits, and the power that all beings respect and worship for generations can influence the fate of heaven and earth. For example, the Vermilion Bird - both humans and demons have built Vermilion Bird temples and worshipped for generations, so this branch can become a demigod. After the clan was destroyed, the last bloodline in the clan could use the 'Great Light Sacrifice' to endow the Vermilion Bird statue with a spirit, and bring about the descent of Dan Li."

Therefore, in order to kill Dan Li, all Vermilion Bird statues must be destroyed, which is why there was a movement to destroy the Vermilion Bird temple in the early years of the Martial Emperor, which was almost inhumane.

Xuan Ji paused and said tactfully, "But... it's not something that can be easily 'endowed with spirit', otherwise, the owners of those popular emoticons that are circulating everywhere wouldn't be short-lived and unable to reach the heavens, right?"

"Very good, only with the fated opportunity of heaven and earth, and after enjoying incense for thousands of years, having influence over the fate of several clans, can it become endowed with a spirit," Sheng Lingyuan casually flipped the papers in his hand. "Those other mud sculptures and stone embryos that need people to walk for five hundred li are not recognized by anyone, at most they can attract some wood-boring insects."

He appeared calm, as if the matter of making the Mountain Vow and Sea Oath and swearing eternal love did not exist.

Xuan Ji didn't know what he was looking for, nor did he know his attitude, becoming increasingly restless.

He changed his sitting position seven or eight times, and his clothes rustled constantly.

He was like a white noise generator, tossing and turning by himself for a while, and finally couldn't help but cough, trying to attract Sheng Lingyuan's attention.

The coughing sounded like a musical piece with its ups and downs. It didn't seem like an ordinary cold or pneumonia.

Finally, Sheng Lingyuan looked up at Xuan Ji with a half-smile and asked, "What's wrong?"

Xuan Ji nervously pursed his lips.

Sheng Lingyuan threw the paper in his hand onto the table and said, "You still know how to feel guilty?"

This was a familiar but unexpected move, and Xuan Ji instinctively caught it.

After hesitating for a moment, he tentatively reached out and covered Sheng Lingyuan's hand.

The emperor did not refuse, so Xuan Ji nervously let out the breath that was stuck in his throat.

Taking advantage of the situation, he tightened his fingers and held Sheng Lingyuan's hand in his palm.