Chapter 113: The Mystery of the Ancient Tomb
Under the dim light, a corner of the stone house came into view. Not seeing the gray figure, Shen Lang opened his eyes completely.
He propped himself up and sat up. It was a fairly spacious room, with walls and ceiling made entirely of stone. A wooden door stood directly in front of him, and through the pale yellow light filtering through the crack, he could vaguely see the shadows of a pair of feet—the guards outside. Shen Lang looked to his left and right; the stone room was completely empty, a veritable prison cell. Apart from him, the only other person was Zhu Qiqi, who was also staring at him expectantly.
Zhu Qiqi smiled gracefully, as light and agile as a cat. She gently rubbed against the side, as if she wanted to bite Shen Lang's ear and cuddle with him, saying, "Why did you only open your eyes now? I thought the medicine hadn't worked and you had passed out."
“Of course not.” Shen Lang smelled the scent on her body that wasn’t completely suppressed, which was much better than the putrid smell in the tomb. “However, the medicine can only suppress the poison they’ve used. We should act quickly and find the key to rescue the others while there’s only one guard outside.”
Zhu Qiqi naturally agreed with his words. She also hoped to show off her skills in front of Shen Lang, so she said, "That's easy."
After saying that, Shen Lang hid behind the door. Zhu Qiqi rubbed her throat and coughed twice, pretending to be about to wake up.
How could they let the people outside wake them up? The moment he heard the sound, he had a bad feeling. Shen Lang stared at the crack in the door, his feet turning around, and the crack widened bit by bit. In less than two seconds, the wooden door was pushed open from the outside in, and the person in shorts cautiously peeked in. His wary expression was still frozen on his face when he saw Zhu Qiqi sitting cross-legged, with a malicious smile on her face.
Before he could react, Shen Lang swiftly struck his pressure points, then delivered a swifter, faster-than-the-wind chop to the neck. The man didn't even have a chance to groan before his body, as if his bones had been removed, collapsed limply to the ground, only to be caught by Shen Lang's outstretched hand and gently laid on the ground.
Zhu Qiqi, however, was far less polite. Although she wasn't poisoned, she had heard enough of these lackeys of Chai Yuguan's talk on the way here while pretending to be unconscious. A person with a fiery temper wouldn't tolerate it, so she kicked them as she passed by. If Shen Lang hadn't stopped her, she probably would have kicked them again.
Shen Lang couldn't find the key on the man, so the man in gray probably had it with him. Considering the situation, he said to Zhu Qiqi, "If there's no key, let's find out where the others are being held."
Zhu Qiqi followed him out one after the other. Torches were stuck in the walls of the tomb passage outside the door, which only made the ghostly atmosphere more intense. Fortunately, their shadows were close together and fell into Zhu Qiqi's eyes. She felt that there was nothing wrong with going through this, and she didn't feel uneasy at all. Even if there really were ghosts here, she felt at ease.
However, after walking for a while, he searched several other stone houses, but there was no sign of anyone. They must have been moved elsewhere by Chai Yuguan's men. Shen Lang looked around the tomb passage. Every fork in the road was deep and unfathomable. If he were to search rashly, he might only cause more trouble. He was thinking to himself when, unfortunately, he heard other sounds.
With him and Zhu Qiqi here, there was no need to guess who the voice belonged to. Shen Lang covered Zhu Qiqi's mouth and led her into another side path, letting the stone wall conceal their shadows.
In Shen Lang's arms, Zhu Qiqi's heart pounded even faster, as if it no longer belonged to her. She leaned against Shen Lang's chest, more docile than ever before.
The voices drew closer; one had left, but two returned. One was the cold voice of the gray-clad man they had heard before, and the other was younger, perhaps only a year or two older than Shen Lang. In the tomb, it sounded somewhat refined, but if it was truly "refined," why was it associated with Chai Yuguan?
They were talking, the gray-clad man's voice as cold as still water, utterly devoid of emotion: "After we wake them up later, we'll have them sign and fingerprint each other's documents and write letters, making it easier to extort ransom. That young lady in red is from the 'living god of wealth's' family, so we'll ask for one million taels of silver."
One million taels?! Zhu Qiqi, who was used to spending money like water, felt that this was robbery, or rather, they were robbing her. She was so angry that her teeth itched. Then she heard a second person say, "'The Envoy of Wealth' is right. He truly deserves to be the number one among the four envoys of wine, women, wealth, and anger. I heard that the 'Envoy of Women,' 'Wonderful Gentleman,' was killed at the border a few days ago. If the 'Envoy of Wealth' had such abilities, he wouldn't have ended up like this."
He paused for a moment, then said, "I just wonder who will succeed him as the 'Envoy of Lust'?"
The man in gray replied, "It's Jiangzuo Situ. He works under 'Master Miao,' so naturally he's the one who takes over, and he's also the one who learns the martial arts that are taught to 'Master Miao.'"
The second person murmured, "I see..."
Shen Lang sensed something unusual, but the two were getting closer and closer. If they were to turn around, he and Zhu Qiqi would be completely exposed. At this critical moment, the situation was as precarious as hanging on a cliff face. After a brief moment of thought, he decided to take the gamble and mouthed to Zhu Qiqi: "Let's make our move and take them down. What do you think?"
At this moment, Zhu Qiqi felt that the two had come at a very inopportune time, but she did not forget the important matter and immediately agreed.
She wasn't one to slack off, practicing martial arts diligently for years, always putting her heart into everything she did. Even if she neglected something, she'd make up for it later. When it came to actually fighting, she never wavered or hesitated. Zhu Qiqi flipped her palm over, poised to strike. Her next move, as the footsteps drew near, seemed almost within reach, as she closely followed Shen Lang.
As beautiful as peach blossoms and as fiery as a flame, that is Zhu Qiqi; as swift as lightning, leaving no trace, that is Shen Lang!
The sudden attack caught him completely off guard. The gray-clad man was utterly horrified; his usually cold and ruthless face turned ashen. Where did these two uninvited guests come from in this trap he had created? Unfortunately, no matter how he reacted, it was useless. In the time it took Shen Lang to fly in front of him, even before his expression changed, three fingers swiftly and precisely pushed against his chest. The pain and the metallic taste of blood in his throat were indistinguishable at that moment.
The man in gray let out a heavy groan, his lungs being squeezed by the blow. Fortunately, he managed to retreat in time, his unpredictable movement allowing him to escape Shen Lang's next move.
But Shen Lang didn't make a move, just as the gray-clad man had no chance of winning this exchange. He stood where the gray-clad man had just stood, smiled slightly, calm and unhurried, it was unclear whether he took his opponent seriously or not, and then raised his hand to catch Zhu Qiqi.
Zhu Qiqi's skill was inferior to Shen Lang's, but she was still one of the best among her peers. Otherwise, her doting father, known as the "Living God of Wealth," would not have allowed her to venture into the martial world alone. However, her palm strike seemed to hit a cotton ball. Not only was she unable to exert any force, but in the process of circulating her internal energy, she was turned the tables and struck back by an even more powerful palm strike, causing her to stagger a couple of steps. Fortunately, Shen Lang caught her, and she was unharmed.
The second person, the young man who retaliated against Zhu Qiqi, was handsome and refined, with a dignified appearance. Although young, his movements were skillful, making him a formidable opponent. With a graceful flick of his wrist, it was as if Zhu Qiqi's strike was merely a way of loosening his grip, instantly igniting a nameless rage in Zhu Qiqi.
She wanted to call Shen Lang's name. No matter what, this young man would not be a match for Shen Lang. She knew this perfectly well. In short, with Shen Lang here, they couldn't lose. That's how she knew and was certain of it.
But when she spoke, her voice was drowned out. The dull, earth-shaking sounds of the mechanisms were like a mountain collapsing and crashing onto the entire ancient tomb, as if a giant hammer had fallen from the sky!
.
Then, about fifteen minutes earlier, in another room.
The hand blocking her eyes was moved aside slightly, finally allowing her to see clearly. Xie Huailing tried to shake her head, at least to shake off the dizziness and headache. But the hand seemed determined to torment her, refusing to leave even when her eyelashes brushed against it as she blinked. Finally, she leaned back in resistance, her rejection unmistakable, before the hand finally left her face, followed by a laugh.
The unrestrained laughter, though separated by distance, seemed to echo in her ear, sending a tingling, blushing sensation through her. Xie Huailing didn't need to look for the sound to know who was laughing.
The man sat right in front of her, his laughter utterly incongruous with his appearance. The young man, though seemingly refined, possessed only a face that could barely be described as handsome; he was far from dashing or debonair. Xie Huailing sat on the ground, and he too sat cross-legged, knees supporting his hands, his hands lifting his chin, exuding an air of effortless elegance. Unfortunately, his appearance diminished much of that air.
Besides, his face was deathly pale, and his abdomen was covered in a pool of crimson blood, evidence of the rampant bleeding. Bai Feifei's claw in the darkness seemed intent on piercing his abdomen, but he underestimated Bai Feifei and had to pay the price, though Bai Feifei ultimately failed, leaving only superficial wounds.
So it seems he's the one who won.
Xie Huailing had a wall behind her, so she couldn't move any further. She bent her legs and met the young master's eyes.
He seemed to want to see some fear, to see some pale face, but unfortunately, Xie Huailing was wronged and would never know how to write those six words: "Why did you arrest me?"
The young master smiled again, a smile so beautiful it shouldn't have graced such an ordinary face. He said, "You're beautiful, young lady. I liked you the moment I saw you. What do you say? But why don't you ask me who I am?"
"If I ask, will you tell me?" Xie Huailing asked.
“Of course I will answer if a beauty like you asks me,” the young master said.
Xie Huailing remained unmoved, finding the situation rather troublesome and losing all interest: "Saying something is one thing, telling the truth is another, isn't it? There are far more men in this world who are full of lies than beautiful women."
Instead of getting angry, the young master laughed heartily. To him, such a remark was no different from flirting. He said, "With such looks and intelligence, you should really come with me, young lady. How could I bear to leave you here? Why do you think I would lie?"
"The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind. It sounds a bit too funny that someone hiding in an ancient tomb, intending to reap the benefits, isn't lying."
Once she said that, the young master readily admitted it. He had no reason to deny it; he was indeed using his wits to manipulate others: "Not a word is false. But aren't you also planning to be the one to exploit others? How are you any different from me? Since that's the case, I'm serious. You might as well come with me."
Xie Huailing simply said, "No."
She could sense that the gaze fixed on her face, and the things he said about her appearance, were all true, even his desire to take her away seemed plausible. But the malice behind it was obvious; sitting opposite her was a cunning and ruthless fox.
The fox lit two lamps near Xie Huailing, illuminating the beauty and making her even more stunning. He then said, "If you don't come with me, you're doomed. You don't expect your companion to come and save you, do you? With you in my hands, she won't be able to find this place, so hoping for her is useless."
But the lamplight flickered, like fish and swallows, or perhaps reflected in a lake, bathed in the glow of the setting sun. She remained independent within it, just as he had seen her the first time he entered the tomb passage. Xie Huailing slightly raised his eyes, the words swirling around her lips, and said, "Really? Am I in your hands, or are you in mine?"
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The two honeycomb briquettes are about to start scheming against each other.
The red envelopes for those who guessed the male guest correctly have been sent out! [Thumbs up]
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