But there was one question that Yang Jia was still very confused about: what was the point of sending Bai Ting to accompany Li Bai? During the previous battle, Bai Ting had been just like Yang Jia, just a bystander, not much better than Yang Jia, who was a weakling in the battle. Was sending her here to help Li Bai, or to hinder him?
Of course, Yang Jia was too embarrassed to ask Bai Ting, who had already formed a common front, about this kind of question, lest she dampen her enthusiasm. She had already realized that although Bai Ting appeared to be afraid of Li Bai, she was actually a deep-seated Li Bai fan, with a blind trust in her "boss."
So there is one more question that requires "silent observation" to find the answer.
After walking a little further, the forest grew denser. If before they could occasionally observe their surroundings from an open area, now, unless they climbed a tree, they could only see a small area in front of them. But Yang Jia noticed that Li Bai had never climbed a tree, but his steps never hesitated, as if he had no doubts about his direction.
Not to mention that they didn't have a map, even if they did, it would probably be difficult to determine. So how did Li Bai know the direction?
She asked this question, and Bai Ting was even more surprised than she was. "You don't know? Isn't it in the travel brochure?"
Um?
Before this, Yang Jia had never considered the travel brochure she'd distributed to be truly useful. After all, to her, these brochures handed out upon arrival were like the military training brochures and campus handbooks she'd received before—just for show, no one would actually read them. After discovering the uniqueness of this tour group, she felt even more strongly that the brochure was probably just a deception.
But now that he thought about it, it seemed like everyone had indeed been looking through the manual after it was distributed. Earlier in the city, when the tour guide was explaining things, he had also been comparing the instructions in the manual. But after leaving the city, because of the battles, he rarely saw anyone holding this thing, so Yang Jia hadn't even thought of it for a moment.
But remembering it was useless, because Yang Jia suddenly realized that she didn't actually have this thing. Of course, this was a travel brochure given to tourists, and as a part-time travel agency employee, she certainly couldn't have it.
Yang Jia originally wanted to borrow Bai Ting's manual to take a look, but she instinctively realized that since she was now treated as one of the same kind, she could not behave differently from others.
Is the lack of a travel guide considered different? Yang Jia couldn't say for sure, but she instinctively chose to conceal it.
"Well, I haven't even looked at it." She said to Bai Ting.
Bai Ting nodded in understanding. "That's right. In fact, most people just pretend and don't really look at it. But this thing is very useful. If you have time, you can flip through it. You can find a lot of interesting things."
Yang Jia nodded seriously, but she was thinking in her heart that unless someone was willing to lend her the travel brochure, she would not have the opportunity to discover those interesting things.
Regardless, Yang Jia was certain of one thing: this travel agency definitely wasn't just any ordinary one. But come to think of it, she'd gotten her ID card from the travel agency! Besides, the fact that they were able to host this strange tour group and send them out of town was intriguing enough in itself.
Yang Jia couldn't figure out what the problem was yet, but she could keep all these doubts in mind. Perhaps at some point, these things would serve as evidence, allowing her to connect this series of events and deduce the final truth.
At first, Yang Jia had no pursuit of the truth, but as she saw more and more things, her thoughts changed a little.
She still didn't think she could be a savior, someone who could change anything. But now that she had this opportunity, having seen a different world, she couldn't pretend nothing had happened. Perhaps even if she wanted to, others wouldn't give her the chance.
Although Yang Jia was lazy, he couldn't just sit back and wait when it came to his own affairs. It was always better to take the initiative than to be manipulated by others, wasn't it?
At least next time she's "hired" like this, she can respond better.
Besides, she wanted to pretend to be like everyone else, so she needed to learn more. Yang Jia didn't know the full extent of the impact this incident would have on her, or how long it would last, but she realized she might have an opportunity no one else had. Given that, she naturally had to prepare everything she could to put her mind at ease.
As they moved forward, Yang Jia also began to pick the plants. She didn't really know what the selection criteria were; she had been picking them randomly before, but now that she had Bai Ting, she subconsciously followed her lead.
Yang Jia, with his sharp eyes, noticed that Bai Ting only selected one or two plants of each type, but they were uprooted and well-preserved, prioritizing variety over quantity. This process felt familiar. Yang Jia pondered for a long time before finally remembering how he'd done many similar quests when he first started playing online games. He'd gather a certain number of herbs, a certain number of herbs, and hand them over to NPC X, earning rewards like copper coins.
This kind of errand task wasn't difficult, just to familiarize everyone with the map and the various characters. Yang Jia had been enthusiastic at first, but later he didn't even bother to read the plot and simply went about picking the fruits.
In the afternoon, they finally arrived at the place Li Bai had intended to visit. Unfortunately, the place looked no different from the others. If anything, it was just a few scattered stones. Pile up in a seemingly unremarkable pile, they were covered in various vines.
Judging from the traces, Yang Jia guessed that there might have been a building here a long time ago, but it was later destroyed.
Although Bai Ting came to help, she hadn't actually said a word to Li Bai the entire way. Now that they were there, she realized the situation wasn't what she'd imagined, but she didn't think to ask any questions. She simply sat down beside him and watched Li Bai busy himself.
"Aren't we going to help?" Yang Jia asked.
Bai Ting said, "Forget it. The boss must have his own ideas. We don't understand what he means, and going there will only cause trouble."
Yang Jia thought to himself, "I don't understand what he means. Can't I just ask?" But since Bai Ting said that, she must have her reasons, so he had no choice but to sit down.
As soon as she sat down, Li Bai immediately looked over here.
Yang Jia subconsciously stood up again, and once again hated her ability to understand things so well. For example, at this moment, she could have played dumb, but she actually understood the meaning of Li Bai's eyes, which meant that he wanted her to come over and help.
Then Yang Jia remembered that Li Bai had taken a fancy to him because of the so-called surprise card. Perhaps to her, he was like a mascot or something similar. Now that she couldn't find a clue, she would certainly ask him to help. Maybe she would find something else.
The pile of rocks wasn't very large. Yang Jia walked over and looked around a few times, feeling a bit lost as to where to start. Li Bai glanced at her and asked, "What can you see?"
Yang Jia shook his head, thought for a moment, and then asked, "What are you looking for?"
"According to records, a hero and all the treasures he collected throughout his life are buried here," said Li Bai.
Yang Jia felt a little embarrassed. In this day and age, who would still believe such a treasure hunt story? But then she remembered that these people seemed to be treating this trip as a game. In that case, it was not surprising that they were looking for treasures, dungeons, and secret realms.
But no matter how you think about it, it doesn't seem like something Li Bai would do.
But no matter what, she had to be loyal to the person who entrusted her with the task. The bag she had taken from the monkey skin was still hanging on Yang Jia's body. So she thought for a moment and said, "Why don't we move these stones and see?"
But after saying this, Yang Jia herself felt that it was unlikely. There were so many rocks, and they were all very large. It would not be easy to move them. But just as she thought this, she saw Li Bai walk over, grab a large rock on the surface, and drag it down.
Such a big stone, according to Yang Jia's estimation, must weigh at least several hundred kilograms, but Li Bai dragged it down directly with just one move.
Oh yes, Yang Jia slapped her forehead, she almost forgot that the person in front of her was not a human, but a humanoid weapon.
"Let's move it!" Yang Jia stood there, watching Li Bai move the large stone in no time. While moving, he discovered something unexpected: some of the stones were engraved with text. This text was very ancient, and Yang Jia couldn't understand it after looking at it for a long time. However, Bai Ting came over and actually deciphered it.
This once again refreshed Yang Jia's understanding of these people. She suddenly realized that since Bai Ting had come to help, she couldn't be completely useless. Maybe her combat ability wasn't outstanding, but she could be helpful elsewhere. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been sent here.
The inscription on the stone was the same as Li Bai's, but more detailed. Buried here was a hero named Yuan Hai. He had once battled his enemies for the position of lord of Phoenix City. After his defeat, he retreated outside the city to avoid retaliation. He hadn't anticipated the harsh conditions outside, and the people he had brought with him were soon decimated. Eventually, Yuan Hai built a tomb here, burying himself and the treasures he had collected throughout his life.
These piles of rubble were once a magnificent ancestral hall dedicated to Yuan Hai. It's unclear who built it, but it was likely built by a Yuan Hai admirer. Then, in the course of countless years, even the hall fell into disrepair.
After moving the large rocks, Yang Jia and Bai Ting stepped forward and cleared away the remaining debris, revealing the original appearance of the area. It was a large expanse of white slabs, with almost no gaps between the stones. Strange patterns were carved into the slabs, resembling totems or magic circles.
"Maybe we need to find a way to activate this thing to open the treasure." Yang Jia expressed his guess.
Li Bai nodded, agreeing with this inference. Then, Bai Ting stepped forward and began to decipher the patterns on the ground. However, this time, she was clearly having trouble deciphering them, and after a long while, she was still unsuccessful. Seeing Bai Ting busy at work, Yang Jia felt embarrassed to just sit there and do nothing, so he went over to help.
The two of them made several hypotheses and followed them, but to no avail. After a long time of struggling with no results, Yang Jia simply said, "Since it's an ancestral hall, perhaps a sacrifice is needed?"
Li Bai asked, "What kind of sacrifice should be used?"
Yang Jia said, "According to custom, livestock are used for sacrifice. We're out in the wilderness here, and there's no way to prepare anything. Why don't we catch a wild animal and let its blood flow?"
So Li Bai went to catch the beast. He really did catch it. The beast he brought back looked weak and battered, but had no wounds on its body. Although it was only a less powerful beast among the ones they encountered, it still showed Li Bai's strength.
The beast was thrown onto the platform, its veins cut open, and the three men watched in amazement as the blood gushed out from the wound, gradually filling the lines carved into the ground. Then, the moment the lines filled, the blood mysteriously vanished, as if absorbed by something, leaving only a layer of eerie red light.
It worked.
The red light became brighter and brighter, and finally turned into a dazzling light, emitting a huge suction force, sucking the three people in.
The author has something to say: Bug hunting
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
