72 Chapter 72 Trading

Chapter 72

As luck would have it, she had actually heard of marrow cleansing from Zhao Tong!

Without Zhao Tong, her reaction would probably have been the same as Bai Cen's; but without a doubt, Zhao Tong wouldn't joke with people easily, much less make such a joke.

Zhao Tong's master did indeed use a special technique to cleanse his marrow, and even his appearance and physique underwent tremendous changes.

This kind of thing is inherently mysterious, and few people would believe it if it were told.

It's much more normal for such items to appear in ancient tombs.

The elixir of immortality and the miraculous cure that can heal the dead and restore flesh to bones—either of these appearing in a magnificent underground palace or tomb would be shrouded in mystery.

Those who don't believe it will never believe it, but some people will actually risk going into tombs for these things.

"Old Zhu, did you go?" Wang Sumo couldn't tell whether the method Zhao Tong's master used to cleanse his marrow came from the tomb Old Zhu mentioned.

However, if we extrapolate from the timeline, it is indeed possible.

Zhao Tong was forcibly subjected to marrow cleansing by his master twenty or thirty years ago, and twenty or thirty years ago, Su Jin came to find Zhu Weng to go down into the tomb...

That's why she asked Zhu Weng.

“Washing one’s hands of the trade means saying goodbye to the past. How can one be recalled?” Bai Cen suddenly felt that the Golden Gate, this lineage of Su Jin, was somewhat unscrupulous, lacking in chivalry and loyalty, and prone to going back on their word.

Zhu Weng shook his head: "I did refuse, but there are still quite a few people who left Sujin who are willing to go back."

"Why?" Bai Cen asked, puzzled.

Old Zhu lowered his head and smiled, "If you've spent your whole life dealing with tomb raiders and then retired from the business, you'd still be tempted if you suddenly heard about the exact location of such a top-tier tomb."

"You know, many people have been brought to the Treasure Hunt since they were old enough to understand. After spending so much time there, the Treasure Hunt has become the most important thing in their lives. They have experienced countless strange things and faced life-threatening situations, and they always hope to leave safely. But even if they do leave safely, they don't know what to do. At times like this, when they hear the news of a top-tier tomb being discovered, some people are still willing to take a gamble."

"And what about you, Mr. Zhu?" Wang Sumo asked him.

Zhu Weng shook his head: "I know the dangers and strangeness of this tomb. Although it is a large tomb, the larger the tomb, the easier it is to devour people without spitting out their bones. According to the rules of Su Jin, we can invite the old man who has retired from tomb raiding back, but if the other party is unwilling, we can refuse. However, from then on, if Su Jin finds out that the other party is doing something related to tomb raiding again, then Su Jin will hunt him down to the end."

Wang Sumo and Bai Cen exchanged a glance. The Su Jin lineage always seemed to follow the same pattern in their actions.

Zhu Weng continued, "Although I didn't go, I know who went. Some of them went for the treasure in the tomb, some went for the marrow cleansing technique, and some went for this matter."

"But soon, about the second month, the Su Jin lineage came looking for me again. This time, they insisted that I come out of the mountains—because the previous group of people who entered the tomb were trapped inside, but the tomb door had been closed and sealed off everywhere, so the possibility of opening it again was not high. However, the location they had explored still allowed them to dig their way in."

Having seen the tunnels in Liu Village, Wang Sumo and Bai Cen understood why the people seeking the gold had been constantly asking Zhu Weng to come out of seclusion.

"Did you go this time?" Bai Cen asked curiously.

Zhu Weng sighed softly: "I no longer want to get involved in the search for the gold, but some of the people who went down into the tomb that day were indeed my former comrades-in-arms. So I made an agreement with the search for the gold faction that I could help dig a tunnel to the underground palace in a suitable location, but I would not go inside. They agreed."

Su Jin wouldn't come looking for Zhu Weng without a reason. The person who built the tomb must have considered how to prevent tomb raiding. If only it were as simple as digging a tunnel to enter. Only an experienced old man would know how to avoid potential dangers in the surrounding terrain, the tomb's traps, and environments unsuitable for the living, etc.

Just getting people into the tomb to rescue someone is no easy task.

"And then what?" Wang Sumo listened attentively.

As Zhu Weng sighed, he stroked his beard and said, “Time was of the essence, and extraordinary measures were needed for extraordinary matters. Although I left Sujin in those years, I dug many tunnels under Liu Village. In addition to gaining some experience, I also asked Lao Liu to help me improve the shovel used for tomb raiding according to my habits. Many details are different from before. This reflects my experience and reflections, as well as Lao Liu’s superb skills that exceeded expectations.”

Old Zhu sighed softly: "Old Liu did those things originally to help me, but who knew that trouble would arise from within. It was precisely because of that time he helped me that Su Jin became ambitious, which led to Su Jin forcing him to join, which he refused to do at all costs. Later, Su Jin threatened that he knew about things related to the Great Tomb and that he had to be taken back. In reality, he was detaining Old Liu, wanting him to be used as a tool for Su Jin's lineage to go into the tomb."

"Back then, besides making me a shovel, Old Liu also made me a dagger that could cut through iron like mud, which attracted the covetous eyes of the Su Jin lineage. Later, Old Liu swore that he would never reveal the Golden Gate, the Su Jin lineage, or the matter of the Great Tomb; and that he would never make any more weapons or tools related to tomb raiding in his life. Su Jin didn't want to completely fall out with me either, and that's how the trouble of Old Liu being forbidden from making weapons for any martial arts sect was sown."

I see……

"Then why did Lao Liu continue to make daggers later?" Wang Sumo recalled. "Moreover, there were several large boxes of weapons stored in the tunnel in Lao Liu's house. Lao Liu did indeed violate the agreement with the Tongsu Jin lineage."

Therefore, the fact that Su Jin's lineage later came to Liu Village to cause trouble inexplicably formed a closed loop.

Old Zhu also shook his head: "Because neither that dagger nor those boxes of weapons in the tunnel were made by Old Liu."

"Old Liu's son?" Wang Sumo answered.

Zhu Weng nodded: "That's right."

Good heavens! This good son has caused his wife no end of trouble!

Bai Cen thought it was true.

"That day, the Su Jin clan came to interrogate him, and Old Liu severed his right palm, meaning he would never be able to lift the hammer used for iron smelting again, as a way of showing his resolve. Su Jin originally wanted him to work, not to cripple him. But Old Liu's resoluteness was somewhat unexpected. Fearing that they might not handle the situation properly, they took Old Liu's son as a hostage, hoping that Old Liu would come to them as a way of appeasement."

"That's still a bit too domineering!" Bai Cen sighed. "Old Liu only made a shovel and a dagger, yet he insisted on detaining people. That's unreasonable to begin with. In fact, they were the ones who were unreasonable first."

"So, Old Liu went to Guancheng to look for the gold?" Wang Sumo asked.

Zhu nodded again.

Wang Sumo asked the right question: "Uncle Zhu, what kind of help do you want us to provide?"

Yes, Bai Cen also looked at Zhu Weng.

Zhu Weng slowly said, "I think we should ask the old man and Alliance Leader Zhao to come with me to the pass to rescue Old Liu."

Bai Cen and Wang Sumo understood. One was the top ten martial arts master, the Cloud Piercer, and the other was the leader of the Rakshasa Alliance. When these two people went with you to demand the release of the person, the difficulty of the negotiation would be different.

The fact that Zhu Weng resolutely refused to descend into the large tomb behind shows that he was an extremely meticulous person.

If he goes to ask them himself, neither the old man nor Old Zhao will pay him any attention.

But they will all listen to Wang Sumo.

Zhu Weng went through all this trouble because he knew who could get someone to talk to him.

That's why Mr. Zhu went to such great lengths. Similarly, Mr. Zhu was also frank about the matter of tracing the gold, which shows his integrity. Moreover, Mr. Zhu knew that only by being sufficiently honest could he possibly achieve his goal.

“Uncle Zhu, the Eight Treasures Pavilion does not interfere in matters of the martial world,” Wang Sumo informed him.

Old Master Zhu frankly stated: "The old man has been searching for something, and I happen to know where it is; Alliance Leader Zhao wants a good knife. Although Old Liu's palm is broken, if we can rescue Old Liu and his son, the two of them will definitely forge a knife that is even better than the fish-cleaning knife..."

Wang Sumo looked at him with a smile, each point hitting the nail on the head, without missing a beat.

Zhu Weng continued, "Didn't Miss Wang want to know about Bai Xiaotong? I can tell you. Moreover, I have something else that Miss Wang should really want."

"Oh?" Wang Sumo looked at him.

Zhu Weng took out a booklet from his sleeve and handed it to Wang Sumo.

Wang Sumo took it, casually flipped through a couple of pages, and her expression grew increasingly surprised: "This is..."

Old Zhu laughed and said, "Yes, I found a rare copy of 'The Tale of Delicacies' when I went down into a tomb. Miss Wang, you can compare it with the one you have and see if there are many things in the rare copy that you've never seen before?"

Wang Sumo didn't need to look much; she knew exactly what Zhu Weng was talking about.

Zhu Weng asked intriguingly, "Miss Wang, are you going to make this deal?"

[Author's Note]

3000 words for the first update, 9000 words for the third update, 8000 words today, leaving 1000 words for tomorrow HOHO