Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 701 Should I call the police at this point?
Coincidentally, it's raining heavily here today, the sky is unusually thick with dark clouds, and continuous rumbling thunder is heard.

In fact, the village had been uninhabited for about two or three years, as the residents had already moved away for various reasons.

Hu Ming and his companions were right; this was indeed a genuine ghost village.

The rain grew heavier, the thunder became more muffled, and the sky grew darker.

The three of them walked straight through the village and went all the way to the back mountain.

"Hey, this matter is settled. This weather today is really something else. I'll go back and have a couple of drinks to warm myself up."

Ahead, a middle-aged man, around forty or fifty years old and dressed as a farmer in a raincoat, emerged from around a corner.

"Second Master?"

The man turned around and saw Hu Ming and Hei Xiazi with a half-smile, as well as the cold and aloof young man holding a knife beside them.

The man's lips twitched violently; he almost cried.

"Wu Sansheng wants you to stay here as an NPC to guide Wu Xie to that... what's that place again, his house?"

Hu Ming looked up and glanced to the side; that was the very center of the village, probably where the village chief's house was.
Hu Ming wasn't surprised that the guy in front of him knew him.

In this godforsaken place, where no one lives for dozens of kilometers around, suddenly a person appears... Seriously, isn't this a ghost story orchestrated by someone with malicious intent?
"Yes, that's right. Third Master contacted me a few days ago and gave me a key. He told me to come here and wait for the young Third Master of the Wu family, and then take him to Yang Dahai's house in the back mountain."

"As for the rest, I really don't know anything."

The middle-aged man nodded repeatedly, indicating that Hu Ming was right.

"That damn Wu Sansheng. Ten years have passed, and he's still the same old fox. Why doesn't he just tell Wu Xie everything honestly? Why does he have to play mysterious?"

"Why be so wary? Is it possible for Buddha to jump out of his coffin and kill him?"

Black Bear clicked his tongue and complained.

"..."

Hu Ming and the young man subconsciously stared at Hei Xiazi.

Holy crap, that's incredible!
This person has a sharp tongue, doesn't they?
"W-what's wrong? Why are you looking at me like that? It's creepy."

The blind man, not understanding, rubbed his arms.

"You're right, Zhang Qishan really might jump out of his coffin and kill someone..."

The young man stared intently at the bear, seemingly trying to figure out if the guy had any kind of precognitive abilities.

"Seriously? You can't joke like that!"

The blind man was taken aback; he had only been joking.

"Otherwise what? I've never realized before, blind man, that you have a knack for jinxing things, just like my fat husband..."

Hu Ming said softly.

"Well, Second Master, and the other two gentlemen, I'm just running errands for Third Master and telling him a local legend. Should I take my leave now?"

The middle-aged man was almost in tears this time.

He's just a henchman, and he doesn't want to know anything about the terrifying things involving such powerful figures!
Having spent so much time mingling in the lowest of professions, he knew better than anyone that he absolutely could not know things he shouldn't know, and even if he overheard something by chance, he should pretend he had amnesia.

Otherwise, people could easily die.

Some things, simply knowing them can be a huge disaster.

"Go, go..."

Judging from his appearance, it was clear that he couldn't possibly know anything, and the three of them were too lazy to waste any more time there.

After the middle-aged man fled as if his life depended on it, the three quickened their pace and headed towards the back of the mountain.

The middle-aged man has already given us the exact location.

As the night grew darker and the storm intensified, the ominous aura emanating from that direction grew stronger. Wu Xie and Fatty arrived at Yang Dahai's former residence early in the morning.

The two successfully found a hidden shaft in the dilapidated house that was almost completely submerged by the mudslide.

Going down the shaft, you'll find a well-preserved cellar.

They had found the hidden passage in the unremarkable cellar and entered the real secret room.

Inside, there is an ancestral hall.
The walls of the ancestral hall are covered with murals depicting the Thunder God and those who listen to thunder.

These murals were not carved on the walls, but were cut from one place and pieced together here.

Wu Xie only examined it for a short while before finding the door hidden in the mural wall…

This is a secret room within a secret room!
"Damn it, nobody's been to this godforsaken place for decades, why all the secrecy?"

The fat man couldn't help but mutter complaints about his owner's perverse sense of humor.

"This means that something extremely valuable is hidden inside, Fatty. We've come to the right place!"

The two of them didn't mind and crawled through the "dog hole" they found in the corner of the wall.

"Damn it, it's only because Uncle and Little Brother weren't here that we could crawl through the dog hole!"

"Those two guys, not to mention my favorite explosives, could find the mechanism to open the door in a heartbeat with just their fingers."

At this moment, the fat man missed Hu Ming and the young man terribly.

"Is it really meaningful to say these hindsight opinions now? But we were definitely too hasty this time. Look, Fatty, there's something good here!"

Wu Xie, who went in first, looked at the flashlight and was immediately dazzled. He kept urging Fatty to hurry up.

"Don't rush, I almost got stuck."

"…I'm so naive, we've struck it rich this time!"

The fat man kicked aside some skeletons on the ground, whose owner was unknown. His eyes gleamed as he looked at the coffin in the center of the secret chamber and the large bronze vessel hanging from the ceiling.

Countless chime bells hang from the roof and around the house!
This is a perfect set of chime bells!
Bianzhong (a set of ancient Chinese bells) are important artifacts with considerable value. A single bell can fetch an unimaginable price, let alone a complete set!
"We've struck it rich! What nonsense about finding clues? Naive. We'll take a couple of things, and you'll have paid off all your debts to your second uncle. The rest will be enough for you to live comfortably for several lifetimes."

"Besides, with so much money, we can use whatever medicine is expensive. Isn't that enough to live to seventy or eighty?"

The fat man rubbed his hands together, momentarily forgetting about the coffin, and was trying to figure out where to start.

"Fatty, it's not easy to find a buyer in China who can eat it all and dares to eat it all."

"Besides, times have changed. Tomb raiding is no longer viable. Don't you want to hand it over to the state?"

Then, a teasing and mocking voice came from inside.

"Bullshit! Naïve, when did you develop such a strong survival instinct? We're not filming a TV drama, wait!"

"Isn't naiveté what you're saying?"

The fat man chuckled, turned around and saw Wu Xie's bewildered face, then suddenly realized what was going on.

"What the hell do you think? This isn't my voice, is it? Besides, this voice..."

Wu Xie suddenly realized something, his face turned awkward, and he shone his flashlight on the wall behind him.

He knew it was a gate that allowed him to climb over walls, but he couldn't find the mechanism to open it. He could only break open the dog hole in the corner that had been repaired later.

click
The door moved, slowly flipping open, revealing three unusually familiar faces behind it.

"Tsk, with your level of awareness, you'll never be on TV in your lifetime. As a genuine archaeology professor at Wudaokou Vocational Technical School, I strongly condemn you."

"Speaking of which, buddy, blind man, should I call the police now?"

Hu Ming took off his raincoat and looked at the coffin in the center of the room...