Chapter 115: Hidden Tricks
Turning to the other end, both the "financial officer's" plan and Shen Lang's plan were completely shattered by the sudden loud noise, and the gestures that had just begun had to come to an end.
"The Treasurer"—whose real name was Jin Wuwang—had thoroughly investigated the tomb beforehand and naturally knew what the sound was. Seeing that Shen Lang and the other man hadn't fainted, he immediately understood that the presence of two people beyond his control often meant that more "winds" had seeped into the tomb. Fortunately, he remained calm, often to the point of being cold-blooded. He could tell from Zhu Qiqi's pale face that neither of them knew about this, meaning there must be a third group of people inside the tomb.
At this point, his plans to become a "gold and silver collector" were completely ruined. He was lucky to have survived in this ancient tomb; he had no intention of continuing the fight with Shen Lang. Shen Lang, being exceptionally clever, understood that figuring out the cause of the sudden loud noise was the most important thing. He called a truce with the two of them, and after Jin Wuwang let out a cold snort, he learned the ominous truth from him.
Jin Wuwang reasoned that since Shen Lang wasn't with the person who activated the mechanism, he might as well take him along, especially since Shen Lang knew he was no match for him. The internal injury in his chest still throbbed, reminding him of the fragility of his life. If he continued fighting Shen Lang, even if Shen Lang gave him ten moves, he would still lose. As for Bai Choufei, frankly, Jin Wuwang didn't really trust him.
Faced with Jin Wuwang's proposal for a short-term collaboration, Shen Lang did not agree immediately. He cautiously asked Jin Wuwang to first take him and Zhu Qiqi to see the mechanism, to confirm that the mechanism was indeed malfunctioning and that someone in the tomb wanted to take all four of their lives before he would discuss the collaboration. Jin Wuwang, who could not defeat Shen Lang, had no choice but to agree.
The four of them were spaced some distance apart, with Jin Wuwang and Bai Choufei walking in front, and Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi walking behind.
One of the torches ended up in Shen Lang's hand, illuminating the small area in front of him so dark that there was nowhere to hide. The ghostly shadows on the stone walls on both sides disappeared, and it looked more like an ordinary cave. Zhu Qiqi held Shen Lang's hand and walked almost close to him, not wanting to let go of his hand for even a moment. When she spoke, she whispered in his ear, "Can we really trust them?"
"If you don't believe it, there's no other way, so believe it." Shen Lang smiled faintly. Standing here, he was like a pillar of stability. As long as he remained calm and composed, Zhu Qiqi would never panic.
She was about to add, "I wonder when Huai Ling's people will come to meet us," but Chai Yu Guan's men were still walking ahead, so Zhu Qi Qi swallowed her words, bit her lip, and then smiled: "I'll listen to you. I don't trust them, I trust you."
These words were rather sarcastic. Jin Wuwang had said something earlier, which was nothing more than a comment about the affection between Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi. It wasn't exactly a compliment, and Shen Lang quickly deflected it, saying only, "He's not paying attention while leading the way, he deserves a beating."
When someone is capable, they speak with confidence.
Bai Choufei, standing beside Jin Wuwang, didn't join the conversation, but listened quietly, lost in thought, his face looking somewhat gloomy. Zhu Qiqi, who was waiting for Shen Lang and Jin Wuwang to finish speaking, caught a glimpse of this and, remembering the palm strike she had been blocked, felt resentful, thinking that he was definitely not a good person, and who knew what he was thinking. She went to tug at Shen Lang's sleeve.
Shen Lang continued talking. He knew what Zhu Qiqi meant, and he was also glancing at Bai Choufei out of the corner of his eye. He patted Zhu Qiqi's hand reassuringly.
They had been walking for about fifteen minutes. The paths all looked the same, and there was no difference between the tomb passages. It was harder to find a way out than the most bizarre maze. After who knows how many turns they had made and how many identical forks they had entered, it seemed as if the intention to prevent them from remembering the way was beginning to emerge. Finally, Jin Wuwang, who was leading the way, stopped.
The place where he stopped looked exactly like every tomb passage that Shen Lang and Zhu Qiqi had walked through, except that it was a dead end. Jin Wuwang stopped at the end of this dead end, stuck his torch into the stone wall, and scanned the area with his hawk-like eyes, saying, "This is it. The mechanism is on the wall nearby."
His statement meant that he didn't know the exact location of the mechanism either, and they would need to search together. Shen Lang didn't ask any further questions and whispered to Zhu Qiqi that the young lovers would start searching from the other side of the stone wall.
None of the stones she touched were firm; the filth accumulated underground for centuries was far more intense than anything on the surface. Normally, Zhu Qiqi would have been reluctant to touch them, but she had no choice now—she had to get out eventually. She could only try to control her expression, touching each stone one by one with her handkerchief, then squatting down to touch the stones at her feet. After touching each one, the mechanism disappeared, but she discovered others.
"Shen Lang, come and wipe my hands!" She suddenly turned around and said to Shen Lang, "Hurry up, this tomb is too dirty."
Others would only think that she was throwing a tantrum again, including Jin Wuwang and Bai Choufei. This is Zhu Qiqi's cleverness; when she really wants to tease someone, she is an extremely witty girl.
Shen Lang understood her intention. They had been together for quite some time, and Zhu Qiqi was not the type to become so picky before things were even over. She also almost never asked him to serve her. He pretended to be called over and took Zhu Qiqi's hand: "Give me the handkerchief, I'll help you wipe."
So Zhu Qiqi put a stone in Shen Lang's hand and mouthed to him: Huai Ling has been here.
The name "Huailing" could represent Xie Huailing herself and the people around her, and Shen Lang immediately understood. He didn't know how Zhu Qiqi could tell from a random stone, but she always seemed to want to be as close to Xie Huailing as possible, so it was only natural that she knew some secrets he had never heard of. Suppressing his expression, he turned the stone around in his hand.
The message here indicates that Xie Huailing has been here, or sent someone to meet her. The fact that she deliberately left this stone here means she has a clue to tell them. Considering that the person who was supposed to meet her didn't go through the tomb entrance, Shen Lang already understood the significance of leaving this stone: it was to tell them that there is another exit in the tomb, and the exit is here.
Then he thought, the exit is here, and the triggered mechanism is also here, it's really too much of a coincidence... Shen Lang felt something, and a lightning bolt in his heart connected everything. He turned the stone over and, as expected, saw several fresh engravings appear before his eyes. The dots, lines, and hooks formed the shape of a character, a dashing "计" (plan).
At this point, Shen Lang suddenly understood; there was nothing he couldn't comprehend. "Plan" was nothing more than strategy; all the changes in the tomb were Xie Huailing's schemes, entirely within her plan. As for why she did these things, why she suddenly changed the original plan… in the lower right corner of the character "plan," there was a drop of blood, placed on a stone.
He understood even more clearly that something must have happened in the tomb, and Xie Huailing himself was probably in the tomb to be able to adapt to the situation and make so many arrangements in time.
The situation was urgent, and with no further news, Shen Lang had no choice but to make a decisive decision. He turned his head away, deliberately avoiding Jin Wuwang and Bai Choufei's gaze, his lips moving but no sound coming out. Explaining things to Zhu Qiqi would take a considerable amount of time, so he chose to be brief: "These things were arranged by Miss Xie. The exit is nearby. Once the seal on the ancient tomb is lifted, we will take action immediately."
Zhu Qiqi nodded vigorously. She was willing to believe Shen Lang and Xie Huailing without asking why, but she was afraid that her movements would attract attention, so she stopped halfway through her action and slowly moved to the side to continue looking for the mechanism.
For a moment, only the breathing of four people mingled in the tomb passage. The false and fragile peace was maintained by a mechanism. As soon as the action of pressing it was completed, the next second it would be a matter of life and death again.
Zhu Qiqi, who was not good at this, was already racking her brains to find it. Her eyes felt like they were filled with tiny flying insects, and her gaze on the stone wall was dry and sore. She wanted to rub her eyes and rest for a while, but she was determined not to let the team down. She forced herself to stay awake by occasionally turning around to observe Jin Wuwang and Bai Choufei's actions. She saw that Bai Choufei was also looking at Jin Wuwang, and she was puzzled for a moment, but she couldn't figure out what was going on.
She looked again and saw Jin Wuwang's expression harden. This man was incredibly strange-looking, not handsome at all, and his triangular eyes, when focused, were terrifying enough to frighten a three-year-old. Zhu Qiqi read a different meaning in his expression. She couldn't care less about anything else; how could she not understand that Jin Wuwang had already found the mechanism?
Zhu Qiqi opened her mouth to shout Shen Lang's name, but she still remembered what Shen Lang had said and thought it was best to strike first. In that instant, Jin Wuwang pressed the button.
The mechanisms hidden within the stone walls, crisscrossing the entire ancient tomb, began to turn once more. The colossal beast made of metal flipped over, as if it were about to shake people off. Its imposing presence remained unchanged, but the people had changed. This time, no one panicked. Before the first sound rang out, everyone was already brimming with energy, hoping to gamble everything they had on this one chance!
But then again, it seems that's not the case. It's as if the ancient tomb today has been ransacked by intrigue and scheming, destined to end badly. Zhu Qiqi circulates her inner energy, intending to seek revenge on Bai Choufei, but she sees Bai Choufei behind Jin Wuwang.
Her mind was blank. In that half-second, it was as if everything was frozen in time. Shen Lang was already in front of Jin Wuwang, as fierce as a strong wind, and she seemed to realize something in the depths of her mind. The loose end of the tangled ball of yarn in her heart was gently touched.
But this is only half a second. Half a second is not enough for an ordinary person to decide life or death, nor is it enough for many people to understand the changes in the situation.
Half a second later, time continued to flow. A gentle breeze blew, foreshadowing the next unexpected event.
The torches on the wall went out.
Only four people were here, all four of them who knew were here, and the meaning of this darkness was obvious. Zhu Qiqi, briefly blinded by the sudden darkness, was disoriented and lost her senses. She then desperately tried to find a direction, to find the hidden predator behind her. Like her, things wouldn't end with the death of the firelight, just as sometimes people must die, and don't choose to live on with lingering resentment.
Here, no one pauses.
A tearing sound as flesh was pierced, followed by two muffled groans of pain that overflowed—this happened in the last half second.
Then, the deafening roar of the mechanism grew louder and louder, drowning out all of Zhu Qiqi's other hearing. She couldn't even speak in the noise, only her sense of touch remained, and she had no idea what was happening next. Time stretched on and on, as if all her senses were being filled. Vines sprouted in the darkness, and although she knew that nothing around her was still and she wanted to flow with it, she couldn't find a way out within her limited space.
Finally, a narrow passage descended, triggering the exit mechanism, and figures flew out one after the other.
Zhu Qiqi had just returned to the mortal world when she realized the lingering effects of her past life. Her emotions surged back in a delayed manner, as if she were learning to breathe for the first time in her life. She stood there and blinked.
The scene that unfolded before her eyes was nothing short of dizzying.
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I only recently figured out this bug-catching system, so now I can get feedback from everyone who points out my typos.
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