The weeks following Wang Ben's return were consumed by analysis.
He spread the materials across his private quarters, comparing the intelligence he had gathered from the Yue Clan expedition with the data from his grandfather's anchor network. Formation diagrams, energy signatures, detection parameters. The patterns aligned in ways that felt too precise to be coincidental.
[ANALYSIS: Cross-reference of Yue Clan data and Li Cheng anchor network]
[Correlation detected: 73% signature match]
[Yue Clan detection parameters: Seeking Ice/Dark energy combination, pre-dynasty origin markers]
[Li Cheng monitoring parameters: Tracking Ice/Dark energy combination, ancient containment signatures]
[Inference: Both parties are tracking the same phenomenon from different perspectives]
[Note: Li Cheng's anchor network was designed to monitor rather than locate. This suggests he knew WHERE the target was and wanted to track its ACTIVITY rather than find it]
Grandfather knew the location, Wang Ben realized. He wasn't searching. He was guarding.
The insight changed everything. If Li Cheng had already found what the Yue Clan was desperately seeking, his disappearance took on new meaning. He hadn't been lost in the Blackwood. He had been leading enemies away from something they couldn't be allowed to find.
Wang Ben marked the relevant passages in his notes, preparing for the meeting that would determine the expedition's future.
...
Elder Wang Hongwei was waiting in the private conference room when Wang Ben arrived. The formation delegation's quarters were nearby, but the elder had chosen neutral ground for this conversation.
"You requested this meeting," the elder said as Wang Ben closed the door behind him. "Your message suggested urgency."
"The intelligence I gathered connects to my grandfather's work. I believe I know what he was monitoring in the Blackwood."
Wang Ben laid out his analysis, explaining the correlation between Yue Clan search parameters and Li Cheng's anchor network configuration. The elder listened without interruption, his expression growing more serious with each revelation.
"You're suggesting Li Cheng found the Yue Clan's Founding Site," Elder Wang Hongwei said when Wang Ben finished. "And that he spent years guarding it rather than claiming it."
"His personality supports it. From what my mother told me, my grandfather was always more interested in preservation than exploitation. If he discovered something dangerous, his first instinct would be containment, not use."
"That aligns with what I knew of him." The elder's voice carried old grief. "Li Cheng believed some powers should remain buried. He often said the ancient cultivators sealed certain things for good reasons."
"The Yue Clan doesn't share that view. They want to recover what their ancestors left behind, regardless of why it was sealed."
"And your mother's connection to their bloodline makes this personal." Elder Wang Hongwei's gaze was knowing. "You learned more than intelligence in Frozen Jade territory. You learned family secrets."
Wang Ben didn't deny it. "The Yue Clan hunted bloodlines that displayed elemental flexibility. They called it contamination, marked them for death. Mother was one of those they tried to eliminate, but my great-grandmother Xu Lanying hid her before the purge could claim her."
"And now those purged bloodlines are exactly what they need to access their founding site." The elder's laugh was without humor. "The irony of fate never disappoints."
"I need to investigate the deeper Blackwood. Find what my grandfather was protecting. Understand why he died for it."
"You're asking the Wang Clan to support an expedition that could expose secrets your grandmother spent her life hiding. Secrets that could put your mother at risk."
"I'm asking you to trust me." Wang Ben met the elder's eyes directly. "The Yue Clan is still searching. They'll find the Blackwood connection eventually. Better we understand what's there before they do."
...
Lin Suyin arrived as the incense burned low.
The tension between her and Elder Wang Hongwei was subtle but unmistakable. The Silent Path and the Wang Clan had different interests, different priorities, different definitions of what constituted acceptable risk.
"The expedition requires proper support," Lin Suyin said. "Silent Path resources can provide equipment, intelligence, combat capability. But we expect access to whatever is discovered."
"Li Cheng's work belongs to his family," Elder Wang Hongwei countered. "His anchor network, his research, whatever he was protecting. That's Wang Clan business, not Silent Path property."
"Li Cheng is dead. The war changes everything. If the Founding Site exists within the Blackwood's borders, it becomes a strategic asset, not a family heirloom."
Wang Ben watched the negotiation, understanding that he was witnessing larger forces clash over territory that was nominally his to explore. The Silent Path wanted access. The Wang Clan wanted protection. Neither was wrong, but neither was entirely right either.
"What if I propose a compromise?" He interrupted before the argument could escalate further. "The expedition operates under my command, with combined resources from both parties. Whatever we discover, I decide how to handle it initially. After assessment, we determine appropriate disclosure together."
"You're qi condensation," Lin Suyin pointed out. "The deep Blackwood is dangerous beyond your current capability."
"Which is why I won't be going alone." Wang Ben kept his voice steady. "Your scouts can provide combat capability. But leadership isn't about being the strongest fighter. It's about understanding what we're looking for."
"And you understand that?"
"I've already proven I can read my grandfather's formations. During the first expedition, I was the one who deciphered them." Wang Ben met her eyes directly. "I have the formation training to understand what we find, and I'm the only one here who's actually navigated his work before. Anyone else leading this expedition would be starting from nothing."
Elder Wang Hongwei nodded slowly. "The boy speaks truth. Li Cheng's methods were... particular. Even I struggled with his notation system, but Wang Ben has shown he can work through it."
Lin Suyin considered for a long moment. "Three conditions. First, the Silent Path provides two scouts for the expedition. Second, any discoveries with strategic military value are shared with fortress command. Third, you report to me directly throughout the operation."
"Two conditions in response," Elder Wang Hongwei countered. "First, family artifacts and personal effects of Li Cheng belong to the Wang Clan regardless of location. Second, if the site proves connected to Li Mei's bloodline, Wang Ben retains the right to determine disclosure."
Lin Suyin considered, then nodded. "Acceptable."
"Then we have an agreement." Wang Ben looked between the two of them, feeling the weight of conflicting obligations. "How soon can we prepare?"
"Three days for supplies and personnel," Lin Suyin said. "The fortress can spare you for two weeks at most. The war doesn't pause for personal quests."
...
The war's demands pressed harder with each passing day.
Reports from the front lines showed enemy probing attacks increasing in frequency, testing the kingdom's defensive network for weaknesses. Iron Gate's fall had taught the Frozen Jade Kingdom where to apply pressure, and they were applying it systematically.
"Casualties are climbing," Commander Feng informed the war council. "We're holding position, but the attrition rate exceeds replacement. Another six months of this intensity and we'll be forced to consolidate defenses."
Wang Ben listened from his position among the formation specialists, his tactical mind cataloging the implications. The fortress was bleeding strength slowly, each attack taking lives that couldn't be replaced fast enough to maintain full capability.
"The Blackwood expedition," the commander continued, "is authorized despite these pressures because the strategic intelligence may provide alternatives to our current approach. If what lies within those forests can shift the balance, we need to know."
No pressure, Wang Ben thought dryly. Just find something to save the kingdom while you're exploring ancient mysteries.
...
After the meeting, he sought out Liu Feng among the formation teams. His friend had grown more skilled during Wang Ben's absence, his work on defensive arrays showing the improvement that came with constant practice under pressure.
"You're leaving again." Liu Feng's voice carried resignation rather than surprise. "The expedition everyone's whispering about."
"For two weeks. Maybe less if we find what we're looking for quickly."
"What are you looking for?"
"Answers." Wang Ben didn't elaborate. "Keep the arrays running while I'm gone. The sector seven modifications need daily calibration."
"I know my job." Liu Feng's expression softened. "Be careful in there. The Blackwood doesn't forgive carelessness."
"I've noticed."
...
The cultivation session that night marked a significant milestone.
[CULTIVATION SESSION: Pre-expedition preparation]
[Duration: 6 hours]
[Qi absorbed: 534 motes]
[Qi retained: 80 motes]
[Retention efficiency: 15.0%]
[Elemental composition:]
[- Earth: 207 motes (38.8%)]
[- Metal: 141 motes (26.4%)]
[- Fire: 98 motes (18.4%)]
[- Water: 54 motes (10.1%)]
[- Wood: 34 motes (6.3%)]
[Environment: Azure Dragon Fortress (Mixed signatures)]
The numbers were satisfying, but Wang Ben knew better than to let satisfaction breed complacency. The Blackwood would test him in ways that cultivation sessions couldn't prepare for. He needed every advantage he could develop.
...
The final preparations took place in the fortress armory.
Wang Ben selected equipment with the practical consideration of someone who had learned hard lessons about operating in hostile territory. Formation tools for analyzing what they might find. Emergency supplies for extended survival. Communication crystals for maintaining contact with the fortress.
...
The expedition team assembled at dawn three days later.
Wang Ben stood at the forest's edge with his assembled group: two Silent Path scouts whose names were given as Wei and Chen, and Lin Suyin herself, her presence indicating how seriously the Silent Path took this mission.
"The first anchor points are familiar territory," Wang Ben said as they prepared to enter. "Beyond them, we follow my grandfather's trail markers. I learned to read them during the first expedition."
"And if the trail runs cold?" Lin Suyin asked.
"Then we improvise." Wang Ben stepped into the forest's shadow, feeling the wood essence rise around him. "This time, we find answers. Whatever it takes."
The trees swallowed them, and the expedition began.