Qiu Wanlan barely slept for the rest of the night. After seeing what happened last night, how could she possibly fall asleep?
Only after daybreak did Qiu Wanlan relax her guard and take a short nap. When she opened her eyes again, Zhang Fan had already packed his things. A scallion pancake and a piece of smoked meat were roasting over a small fire, and water in a bamboo tube next to them was boiling and steaming.
"Go wash your face, and we'll leave after breakfast." Zhang Fan slung his backpack over his shoulder. "I'll go down and check first, and you can come with me after you finish breakfast."
Qiu Wanlan got up and went to the small pool to wash up quickly. When she came back, she sat on the cliff and ate scallion pancakes with smoked meat. The hot water in the bamboo tube had cooled down a bit, and it had a fresh bamboo fragrance. She felt her whole body warm up.
As Qiu Wanlan watched Zhang Fan moving at the foot of the mountain, she couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. It seemed that nothing could stump him, and he could find a way to survive no matter what kind of environment he was placed in.
While eating a roujiamo (Chinese meat sandwich), Qiu Wanlan watched Zhang Fan pacing back and forth in the spot where those people had appeared the night before, occasionally squatting down to examine something on the ground.
After inspecting the entrance to the tomb a few times, they watched as Zhang Fan brought some branches and large stones and threw them into the hole, blocking the entrance.
When Qiu Wanlan came down from the cliff, Zhang Fan was tamping down the soil covering the cave entrance.
"Will this work?" Qiu Wanlan asked curiously, "Will it stop the Yaksha from coming out?"
“It can’t be stopped.” Zhang Fan shook his head. “They have plenty of ways to come out from underground. I’m doing this just to prevent people on the surface from disturbing the tomb owner.”
Let's go.
Zhang Fan led the way, guiding Qiu Wanlan along the Qinglong Stream.
"Do you really know where the entrance to the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum is?" Qiu Wanlan noticed that Zhang Fan's walking route was purposeful, not at all like someone searching for a target as they walked, and her suspicions grew. "Have you been here before?"
"No, this is my first time in Xiliang, how could I have been here before?"
"Then why do you say you know where the entrance to the Tang Dynasty Mausoleum is?" Qiu Wanlan was even more puzzled. "The Tang Dynasty Mausoleum is a special one among all the royal mausoleums. I might as well tell you directly that even the heads of the Qiu family throughout the generations do not know exactly where the entrance to the Tang Dynasty Mausoleum is."
“I know, because the Tang King doesn’t want anyone to bother him, including the Qiu family…”
"Then how did you know about the entrance to the royal tomb?"
“You can tell just by looking at the map.” Zhang Fan handed a map to Qiu Wanlan.
Qiu Wanlan took the map with suspicion. After glancing at it a few times, she became even more bewildered. She thought that Zhang Fan might have given her an unusual and top-secret map, but when she opened it, she found that it was just a map of Xiliang City that could be bought for a few dollars at any bookstore on the street.
"What can you tell from this?" Qiu Wanlan unfolded the map, which had no special markings on it. What could she possibly learn from it?
"Do you see Lingshan Mountain to the west of the map?" Zhang Fan smiled and pointed to the map. "The entrance to the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum is right here."
"Water Curtain Cave?" Qiu Wanlan's eyes widened. "How did you know this is the entrance to the Tang Emperor's Mausoleum?"
"Hahaha." Zhang Fan burst into laughter. "If I told you that the Tang Emperor told me this was the entrance to the royal tomb, would you believe me?"
"Emperor Tang has been dead for a thousand years, how could he tell you?" Qiu Wanlan frowned as she looked at Zhang Fan.
“Some traditions cannot be erased by time.” Zhang Fan looked up at the waterfall in front of him. “Perhaps this is the power of civilization.”
"Let's go, we've arrived."
Water Curtain Cave is a large waterfall in Qinglong Ravine. The water flows down from the mountain stream, and the smooth water suddenly transforms into an explosive iceberg or a toppled snow peak, collapsing down and rushing straight into the deep pool.
The water crashes against the edges of the rocks, instantly scattering countless pearls and splashing up thousands of silver flowers, spraying pearls and flying snow, as magnificent as a jade dragon dancing.
The tiny water droplets spraying from the waterfall are as fine as smoke and dust, spreading in the air and forming a misty fog, draping the mountain streams and forests in a thin veil.
The misty water, carrying a refreshing dampness, sprinkled on people, instantly bringing a sense of invigoration. Sunlight pierced through the clouds and refracted onto the mist, creating a magnificent rainbow before the snow-white waterfall.
Upon reaching the deep pool beneath the waterfall, Zhang Fan began to take off his clothes and wrapped his backpack and clothes securely in a waterproof cloth.
"You really have no manners at all," Qiu Wanlan said, turning her gaze away. "You, a man, dare to undress in front of me? Let me make this clear, I won't take responsibility for you."
"Hahaha." Zhang Fan chuckled憨憨地, "What would you think if I told you that the outside world is the opposite of Xiliang, and that women are the ones who should remain chaste?"
"How is that possible!" Qiu Wanlan exclaimed, her eyes wide. "Doesn't that mean men can have multiple wives?"
“Yes.” Zhang Fan nodded, not seeing anything wrong with it.
"But...but..." Qiu Wanlan blushed slightly and asked with some curiosity, "As the saying goes, there's no such thing as a field that's been overworked, only an ox that's worn out...Can a man with polygamy and a man partying every night really handle it?"
"Ah, this..." This time it was Zhang Fan's turn to widen his eyes, and he couldn't refute it for a moment.
Yes, from a physiological perspective, it seems more reasonable for a woman to have multiple husbands.
"If I could, I would love to go out and see the world..." Qiu Wanlan gazed at the sky with longing.
"You've never been outside? I mean, places outside of Xiliang Star." Zhang Fan was a little puzzled. Given the Qiu family's status, going out to see the world should be a very simple matter.
“No, I’ve never left Xiliang since I was born. I only know from books that there’s another world outside.” Qiu Wanlan lowered her head and sighed. “I really admire my sister for that. She always does what she wants to do.”
"Madam Qiu Wanyan?" Zhang Fan nodded. "Madam Qiu is indeed an extraordinary woman. A woman who can catch the eye of Marquis Charles must be exceptional. No wonder you, Second Aunt, vowed not to marry anyone whose intelligence surpasses that of the Marquis..."
"Heh—" Qiu Wanlan suddenly laughed.
"Why is Second Aunt laughing?" Zhang Fan was puzzled. That's what everyone outside was saying.
“My sister is an exceptional person. If she hadn’t married into the Charlie family, she would have been the true next head of our Qiu family.” Qiu Wanlan paused, lowered her eyes, and murmured to herself, “Even now, the old man still believes that my sister is the best candidate to be the next head of the family…”
"Then why did she marry Marquis Charles?" Zhang Fan noticed that Qiu Wanlan had used the word "married down," which meant that in her heart, her sister's marriage to Marquis Charles was a disservice to her.
"Just to leave Xiliang and see the world, that's all." Qiu Wanlan shook her head, then suddenly laughed, "In this world, let alone Marquis Charlie, even the Ryan royal family, I don't think they are qualified for my sister to marry into the family."
Zhang Fan was a little stunned. No wonder Madam Qiu was so resistant to Princess Alice marrying Prince Reinhardt. Perhaps in Madam Qiu's eyes, she didn't even think much of this prince, and she might not even give her husband, Marquis Charles, a second glance.
It seems that this Madam Qiu is not just a gentle and virtuous marquis as she appears on the surface. I should be more careful when I meet her again in the future.
"I'll be right back."
With a splash, Zhang Fan swam closer to the deep pool, passed through the waterfall, and swam towards the back of the curtain of water...
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