The Longevity Technique cannot be found, and upon returning to the family, they will face the consequences.
"Third Brother, let me speak to him."
Fifth Brother of the Qin Family said.
Upon hearing the result, anger filled his heart.
But emotions could not resolve the problem.
He must find out exactly where the issue lies.
Third Brother of the Qin Family took a deep breath and handed over the phone.
"Ji Ming, did you not find that item?"
"Yes, Fifth Uncle, I am sorry." Qin Jiming wished he could find a crack in the ground to hide.
The family had given him immense support.
In the end, he deeply disappointed them.
"Tell me, what exactly happened."
Suppressing his anger, Fifth Brother of the Qin Family said calmly, "Tell me everything that happened today, one by one."
"Yes."
Qin Jiming immediately recounted all the places he visited.
"So, you spent an entire day without any discoveries?"
"Yes, that’s right."
Qin Jiming assented, "I kept my eyes on the jade all day, not daring to relax or be careless, but after an entire day, there was no reaction from it."
"Alright, can you swear to the ancestors that every word you said is true?"
Fifth Brother of the Qin Family suddenly asked.
The eyes of Third Brother of the Qin Family showed surprise at his words.
Does this mean Fifth Brother does not believe Ji Ming?
Swearing to the ancestors is no joke; for the Qin Family, it is even more formal than swearing to heaven and earth.
Nonetheless, the matter deserves such seriousness.
Upon hearing this, Qin Jiming immediately swore, "I, Qin Jiming, swear to the ancestors that if any of my words just now were false, let me be struck by lightning and perish horribly."
"Xiaohao, you swear to the ancestors too."
"Yes, Dad."
Qin Hao repeated the earlier statements, with only the names changed.
Seeing this, several members of the Qin Family squinted their eyes.
Clearly, the oath was demanded by Fifth Uncle on the other side.
Not just Qin Jiming and his son, but likely the remaining people could not escape it either.
This way, it could reveal who is lying.
With this in mind, their eyes scanned each other.
"Alright, hand the phone to the next person."
Fifth Brother of the Qin Family nodded.
Given that Qin Jiming and his son dared to swear such a severe oath, it indicates they did not lie.
It seems the issue does not lie with them.
Next person took the phone, though his account was slightly different from Qin Jiming’s, the meaning was similar.
After finishing, he didn’t even need a reminder to swear an oath.
"It’s not him either."
"Then it must be one of the remaining individuals."
"Hmph, acting innocent now, but wait until it’s his turn. He will be scared then."
The remaining individuals exchanged glances and felt somewhat vindicated.
But as time ticked by.
The eventual result shocked everyone, including the elderly Qin Family members on the phone.
Since everyone claimed the jade in their hands showed no reaction.
Furthermore, each of them swore to the ancestors.
"This..."
Qin Jiming and the others stared at each other.
Every one of them dared to swear to the ancestors?
No one lied?
How could this be?
If someone did lie, they must be stubborn and unwilling to admit it.
But these people grew up with such heavy influence; even with ten guts, they wouldn’t dare to commit such a heinous act.
Or.
They thought of one possibility.
That Fifth Uncle’s divination was flawed.
Not that his divination was inaccurate.
But is it possible that during the divination, the target was in the vicinity, but soon left?
Because of this, they searched all day for nothing?
On the other side of the phone.
Third Brother and Fifth Brother of the Qin Family exchanged glances.
They also realized the matter might not be so simple.
The juniors would not dare to lie to the ancestors, nor would they.
"You should come back first."
After a moment of silence, Fifth Brother said, "It’s so late, that woman wouldn’t be foolish enough to come out now."
"Yes."
Everyone felt relieved.
Frankly, with so many Fierce Beasts out in the wild, even they faced risks.
Otherwise, they wouldn’t gather and act collectively.
"Fifth Uncle, I’m deeply sorry for failing your expectations." Qin Jiming murmured.
"Alright, we can discuss this more when you return."
Fifth Brother of the Qin Family ended the call.
Qin Jiming quietly put down the phone and sighed.
"Do you think any of us dared to lie to the ancestors?"
One person questioned suspiciously.
"What do you mean by that?"
"Lie to the ancestors? That’s suicidal!"
"Isn’t it you who lied?"
Instantly, everyone glared at him.
"Me? Impossible."
The person raised both hands, shaking his head vigorously, "I wouldn’t have the guts to do that, just curious, if none of us lied, where is the problem?"
As his words fell, the atmosphere grew subtle.
"Enough."
Qin Jiming frowned and said, "The matter is already done, discussing this now has no meaning. Let’s go back and see what Fifth Uncle says."
"Tch."
Several individuals scoffed.
The root cause was Qin Jiming.
If he hadn’t abused his authority, taking out the Longevity Technique for his son to view, they would not have been deceived by that woman and caused such a huge incident.
"Let’s go."
With that, they ignored Qin Jiming and his son, heading towards Rong City.
"Dad, I’m sorry, it’s all my fault."
Qin Hao cried in remorse, "If not for me, you wouldn’t have been implicated, nor needed to..."
"Alright."
Qin Jiming patted his shoulder, smiling slightly, "You’re my son, who else would I help? Besides, I have some responsibility too."
"But..."
"Let’s discuss this back with the family."
Qin Jiming sighed, "The urgent matter is to quickly retrieve the Longevity Technique; the longer it drags on, the worse for us."
In Rong City.
Fifth Brother of the Qin Family sighed, "If none of them lied, then the problem lies with me."
"Old Five..."
Third Brother’s face changed, wanting to say something but was interrupted.
"Enough, Third Brother, there’s no need to comfort me. I’m confident in my divination, but I missed something."
"What?"
"People can run."
Fifth Brother smiled wryly, "That woman fears our pursuit; she’s been fleeing constantly. After my divination yesterday, we should have gone immediately, but I was careless, thinking today would be timely, missing the chance."
"It’s not your fault."
Third Brother nodded, "That woman, so young, yet deceitful like a fox. It’s normal she escaped, but she won’t escape a second time."
"Indeed."
Fifth Brother’s eyes gleamed, "I’ll divinate again later, find where she’ll be tomorrow. Then we’ll all move out, catch her and retrieve the item."
"Good."
Killing intent flashed in Third Brother’s eyes.
That woman caused such trouble for the Qin Family.
When caught tomorrow, they’ll make sure she’s neither able to live nor die peacefully.