Looking into the old village chief's bloodshot eyes, filled with pleading and begging for relief, the two of them couldn't bring themselves to refuse.
“Village chief, this thing is too valuable, we can’t…” Su Tang spoke first, trying to decline.
Village Chief Batu burst into tears instantly.
"Divine Messenger! We beg you! Our village of Langcuo, with its hundreds of inhabitants, can no longer bear such a heavy blow."
As he spoke, he suddenly knelt down again with a thud.
"Village Chief, please get up!" Su Tang quickly helped him up, her mind racing. "How about this, let's take a look at this map first, and then you can let us... discuss it privately, okay?"
"Of course, of course." The village chief knew that this matter could not be forced. He wiped away his tears, stood up, and walked unsteadily out of the stone house, leaving them alone.
The stone house fell silent instantly, with only the crackling sound of the campfire breaking out.
"What do you think?" Su Tang looked at Qin Ye and threw the question at him.
Qin Ye did not answer immediately. His tall figure cast a long shadow in the firelight, and his expression was serious.
Su Tang sighed softly and began to analyze the situation herself:
"This Ah Yun is definitely not an ordinary person in terms of skill."
"Her fighting skills are extremely tricky and deadly; she has received professional training."
"Behind her... there is likely a huge interest group or some secret organization that we can't afford to offend."
She paused, her eyes fixed on Qin Ye, her tone carrying a hint of worry and anxiety that she herself was unaware of:
“I’m not afraid of trouble, you know that. I’m just thinking that we just got our marriage certificate and finally settled down… I don’t want you to get involved in any danger because of this.”
The sacrifice of her best friend from her past life is a pain that will never fade in her heart.
She was afraid, truly afraid of experiencing that kind of loss again.
As Qin Ye listened to her words, a soft spot suddenly appeared in his heart, and a warm current surged through him.
He turned around, strode up to Su Tang, reached out his uninjured hand, pulled her into his arms, and hugged her tightly.
"Silly girl." His deep voice sounded above her head, tinged with a mixture of amusement and indulgence. "In your eyes, is your man really that incompetent? He can't even protect his own wife?"
His tone carried a hint of slight dissatisfaction at being looked down upon, but more than anything, it conveyed a sense of determination.
“I am a soldier. Protecting my country and its people is a mission etched in my bones. This map is not just a treasure map now; it concerns the lives and livelihoods of hundreds of people in Langcuo Village. If we just leave it here and walk away, what difference is there between that and pushing these villagers back to the wolves?”
"As for that A-Yun and the organization behind her, you don't need to be afraid. With me here, the sky won't fall. Even if it does, I'll hold it up for you."
Su Tang's heart was completely filled by his clumsy yet incredibly sincere words.
Yes, how could she forget that she's not alone anymore? And her husband is a man who can stand by her through thick and thin, a pillar of strength for her.
"Okay." She nodded heavily, her eyes welling up with tears. "I'll listen to you. No matter what lies ahead, we'll face it together."
A faint smile finally appeared on Qin Ye's lips.
The two reached an agreement and went outside to find the village chief who was anxiously waiting outside. They solemnly accepted the animal skin map.
The night was deep, and the cool moonlight shone through the holes in the stone house, making it as bright as day.
The two spread the map out on the makeshift stone table, huddled together, and studied it carefully by the moonlight.
The map does indeed depict this continuous snow-capped mountain range, with its terrain drawn in a very rustic yet surprisingly accurate manner.
“Strange,” Su Tang pointed to several points on the map, “three locations are marked on it, using the same totem symbol.”
"Could there be more than one holy site and holy relic?..."
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