Xiao Bu and Zhang Guodong also stayed behind and set up tents in the fields.
Zhang Guodong was in Fatty's tent at that moment, and it felt like he was back in college.
Zheng Le called, Ye Yun called, and finally Li Yun called, all asking if he was coming back. It's good to have women concerned about you. But with so many women, Zhang Guodong was scratching his head. He'd acted impulsively back then, and now he was burdened with a mountain of emotional debts.
"So, you're being asked to go back and pay your grain tax?" The fat man laughed heartlessly beside him, lamenting how comparisons were odious. Zhang Guodong made three phone calls in a row. Perhaps one person hasn't arrived yet?
As far as Fatty knew, Sister Xiang, Li Yun, Teacher Ye Yun, and the beautiful Zheng Le—all four women had relationships with Zhang Guodong. When luck comes to women, nothing can stop it. Two of them already have children. In this regard, Fatty was even more envious. Zhang Guodong already had a child, and he wasn't even engaged yet. By the time Fatty consummated his marriage, Zhang Guodong's child would be old enough to run errands.
Recalling his interactions with Lin Yujiao, both sweet and troublesome, Fatty's relationship with her was now limited to physical intimacy; anything more was impossible. Every time things reached a crucial moment, Lin Yujiao would gaze at him tenderly and say, "If you take me, you'll be engaged and married to me tomorrow!"
The fat man had no choice but to pull back from the brink, which put his free-spirited nature to a great test.
It's clear that Fatty's mind was very firm. His repeated postponements of the engagement greatly displeased Lin Daiyu's mother, who threatened him that if they didn't get engaged, they wouldn't be allowed to see each other again. Finally, Fatty agreed, saying that once his work in the village stabilized, he would get engaged and married immediately.
Zhang Guodong smiled slightly as he listened, sat down, and took out a small jar of fruit wine. The fruit wine that was originally brewed in Shiya Village, placed in Taoyuan, had its quality greatly improved, becoming more and more like a fine aged wine.
The wine is so exquisite that it deserves to be called a top-quality fruit wine.
"Hey, you brought wine with you? When did you start using jars to store wine? What kind of wine is this?" the fat man asked curiously.
"Waxberry wine, homemade, want some?" Zhang Guodong asked, putting on an air of "I'll drink it all if you don't." The fat man knew perfectly well that the stuff he was selling was of high quality.
Now that Jiahao's cooking is gone, the food in the village canteen just doesn't taste right, and it took him a while to get used to it. There's no way around it; if you don't eat, you go hungry. And when you're hungry, Mantou (a type of noodle) becomes roast chicken, and shredded potatoes are practically like crayfish.
"Only a fool wouldn't drink it, hehe!" The fat man poured himself a glass of wine, pale purple in color and with a sweet aroma. However, bayberries were said to be sour, so the fat man hesitated, wondering if the wine would also have a sour taste.
But Zhang Guodong greedily inhaled the aroma of the wine in his glass, then took a sip with relish, making the fat man swallow hard. The moment the fruit wine entered his mouth, Zhang Guodong understood; indeed, even the most ordinary bayberry wine would improve in quality if left to ripen in a place rich in spiritual energy like Peach Blossom Spring for a while.
This wine isn't much worse than the original, aged Monkey Wine. Come to think of it, Zhang Guodong still has most of the Monkey Wine left, which he's reluctant to drink. If he keeps it near the Spirit Gathering Array, its quality might even be better.
It's worth mentioning that the contents of this cup are not like elixirs. It's not something that can be brewed so easily. Even in the world of plant cultivation, while that wine might be rich in spiritual energy, its taste might not be comparable to that of the outside world. Zhang Guodong had tasted it at that restaurant, and the flavor was indeed not very good.
With Zhang Guodong setting an example, the fat man was not to be outdone, as if drinking less would be a sin.
Sure enough, after drinking half a glass, the fat man shouted, "Great! Good wine!"
After downing just half a glass, he immediately felt a sense of euphoria, with a slightly sweet and sour taste that was quite unique. Having grown accustomed to the spiciness of strong liquor and the bitterness of beer, the taste of this fruit wine was quite different.
Before long, the two had finished the whole bottle of bayberry wine, leaving not a drop. The fat man was still a little hungry. But Zhang Guodong wouldn't let him drink any more.
This wine isn't very strong, so it's not meant to be drunk like a cow. It's meant to be savored. Otherwise, it would be like a cow chewing on a peony, completely wasting its potential.
"Alright, go to sleep early, you might be busy in the latter half of the night!" Zhang Guodong said. Then, ignoring the fat man, he crawled out of the tent. He also had his own tent, so he was treated the same as the fat man. The others, such as Li Dinggui and the villagers, were in a large tent, while Jin Xiangyang was with several police officers.
Everyone pitched their tents around the entrance of the tomb, so they could be alerted to any disturbances.
Zhang Guodong crawled into his tent, but instead of resting, he sat cross-legged and began practicing the *Qingxuan Heart Sutra* to pass the time. The discovery of a sizable ancient tomb with numerous artifacts had undoubtedly spread. The handover was completed before dawn; no one could guarantee that things would be alright that night.
Complete. Zhang Guodong was in seclusion, but he was multitasking. He was also keeping an eye on the silk threads within a two-kilometer radius.
Who can blame him when the fat guy is his only friend and best buddy?
"The spiritual energy in this realm is indeed extremely thin."
I personally experienced absorbing the sparse spiritual energy. The refined spiritual energy I transformed into life force was so faint that even sitting there all night couldn't compare to a moment spent before Peach Blossom Spring Mountain and River Peak.
It was late at night, and many people were on edge from the start, watching for any sounds outside.
But this didn't matter. Everyone managed to stay awake until after 3 a.m., when they started to feel sleepy. This is when the body's biological clock is at its quietest and least active.
Perhaps everyone was being too cautious. With so many people around, who would dare to cause trouble? Jin Xiangyang and several officers were all carrying equipment, which was the strongest guarantee.
"You three get some sleep first. We'll keep watch; the latter half of the night is the most crucial, we can't afford to slack off!" Jin Xiangyang said wearily to the three yawning men beside him. The other three would keep watch with him, taking turns to nap later.
"Okay, I really can't hold on any longer." The three of them didn't stand on ceremony. They quickly took a nap, as they would have to get up and take turns later.
Time flew by, and it was already four in the morning. The two groups took turns working until five. In another hour, it would be dawn! Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. It seemed they had been overreacting.
Inside Zhang Guodong's tent, he suddenly opened his eyes, a look of shock appearing in them! A massive aura of life force swept across the sky, passing by in the blink of an eye—a master! Zhang Guodong instantly crawled out of the tent and rushed towards the fat man.
"Who?" came Jin Xiangyang's voice.
“It’s me! Be careful. I’ll call for your Township Head Wang to get up,” Zhang Guodong said in a low voice.
Jin Xiangyang and his men breathed a sigh of relief. Zhang Guodong deliberately made footsteps so they wouldn't hear him; otherwise, he wouldn't be a policeman at all.
The fat man was a pretty sharp sleeper. He woke up at the slightest noise outside.
"Guodong? What's wrong?" The fat man's voice came from inside the tent; he was still a little dazed.
Sleeping outside is just uncomfortable.
"Thieves might have appeared. Get ready, there could be quite a few!" Zhang Guodong quickly whispered. He glanced around. Two groups of people were crouching in their direction, numbering about twenty, far more than the people on their side. Fortunately, none of them were carrying guns, but they had plenty of machetes, iron bars, and steel bars. "Be careful! I'll be gone for a bit."
"What?" The fat man was startled. He was instantly wide awake. A thief had arrived?
But Zhang Guodong quickly left, chasing after that aura. His speed was so great that no one could see him; he vanished in the blink of an eye.
Compared to these thieves, Zhang Guodong was more interested in the person represented by that aura. Who exactly was this person? And how did they end up in the outside world?
Zhang Guodong gave chase with all his might, but in the blink of an eye, the opponent vanished, leaving only a trace of their presence. Thinking about it, it made sense; the opponent could fly, which meant they either possessed a magical artifact or could fly physically—the latter being an extremely high level of skill, far beyond what a novice like himself could match.
But Zhang Guodong refused to give up. He followed the aura. Soon he crossed the mountain, paused briefly, and then sped westward. The west was a deep forest, and Zhang Guodong's progress was not slow at all as he traversed it. But the aura of the other party continued westward relentlessly.
Is that their hideout? Or is this person rushing off to somewhere?
After following for about half an hour, Zhang Guodong was getting a little impatient. If only he had a flying artifact! He wouldn't have to go through all this trouble.
"Heh heh, old thief Lei Xuan, let's see where you hide this time! You think you can keep the Black Jade Stele all to yourself? Don't even think about it!" Just then, Zhang Guodong suddenly heard a chilling, sinister laugh. He immediately hid, holding his breath. Looking up, he saw someone seemingly standing in the night sky, perhaps the same person he had been following earlier.
Judging from that man's words, there seems to be another person hiding down there. Zhang Guodong's heart leaped with excitement. A duel between masters—not to be missed.
"Hmph!" A cold snort rang out. A clear booming sound reached their ears, and a figure soared into the sky. The speed was like thunder, and a massive aura was released, truly an aura of lightning. Zhang Guodong was almost knocked down by the pressure.
"Xingmu, I discovered this black jade tablet first, so it should naturally belong to me," the thunderous man declared.
Xingmu instantly released his full aura. It was even more exaggerated than Lei Xuan's aura, and Zhang Guodong felt extreme danger for the first time. This person's aura was extremely strange! Yes, strange!
The two auras collided fiercely in mid-air, and Zhang Guodong could feel the danger lurking within. Against such a master, a single misstep could result in an instantaneous attack!
"Everyone who sees this treasure gets a share. If you want the Black Jade Tablet, let's see who has the strength." Xingmu's cold aura subsided, and instantly a green mist surged. It contained both the aura of wood and that eerie feeling, enveloping his entire being, making him appear like an old, venomous creature!
"Crack!" Beast Xuan was not to be outdone, and countless chains of lightning appeared around his body. Surrounded by lightning as thick as a finger, he was completely unharmed.
The two sides clashed instantly! Hidden in the distance, Zhang Guodong was greatly puzzled. What black jade tablet? It had actually attracted two top experts to fight over it. Were these two the ones who caused the ancient tomb to collapse? Judging from the aura they released, they were at least level sixty or higher!
Notice: This is the second update.
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