Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 735 Wu Xie: Another IOU?
Even the strongest person is extremely susceptible to illness if they are caught in the rain all night.

In the village of the mute, strong middle-aged men are a minority; the majority are the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled. The gathering to listen to thunder during last night's torrential rain resulted in half of the villagers being bedridden the next day.

That's really awkward...
Hu Ming and his team, being a group that regularly engaged in high-intensity underground activities, were physically strong and did not experience any widespread illnesses.

唯有
"...Naive, I'm not saying this to be mean, but you really need to rest and recuperate for a while. Last night you coughed up blood and almost suffocated by that dead bug, and then you were caught in a downpour all night..."

At the window, Fatty was feeding Wu Xie, who was pale-faced, a bowl of ginger soup, while rambling on and on.

"You were just a tiny bit away from kicking the bucket last night."

The blind man grinned and added for the fat man, rubbing his index finger and thumb together to indicate that it really was just a tiny bit off.

"Have the people from Warehouse Eleven arrived?"

Wu Xie remained silent. He had experienced too much last night. For the first time in years, he reflected on his mindset and realized just how vulnerable he was and how close death was to him.

Despite many people confidently telling him that there was something in Thunder City they were looking for that could save him.

However, Wu Xie still couldn't help but feel a little lonely.

"Judging by the time, it's almost time... Wu Erbai has already had people pack up and send back the things they brought out of the South Sea King's underground palace."

Hu Ming glanced at his watch and said softly.

"Ah."

Wu Xie responded softly, swallowed the medicine mixed with ginger soup, and closed his eyes.

"After you go back, there will still be opportunities. Wu Erbai was worried that you would overthink things if you were idle, so he arranged a job for you: warehouse manager at Warehouse Eleven, with a monthly salary of three thousand five hundred, but no social insurance or housing fund..."

"You know, you're an older unemployed person, so being a warehouse manager is quite suitable for you."

Hu Ming smiled, patted Wu Xie on the shoulder, and said meaningfully, "Fine, I'll tell you a secret. With your personality, you'll find out sooner or later that two years ago, Wu Sansheng came out of the Western Queen Mother's Kingdom and stored something in the Eleventh Warehouse under your name."

"Uncle, you mean?"

Wu Xie's expression changed, and he sat up in shock, his eyes instantly filled with light.

"You're hopeless, you naive girl. That bastard Wu Sansheng ruined your life, and now your eyes light up at the mere mention of his name?"

"Serves you right for being completely under Wu Sansheng's thumb..."

The fat man sighed helplessly, rubbing his forehead.

"Don't worry, Wu Erbai knows... everyone knows that besides always getting into trouble when he goes to the fields, the young master of the Wu family is also a restless person; when he's not idle, he likes to overthink things..."

"Wu Sansheng has enough stuff for you to study for a long time... In short, it won't keep you bored."

Hu Ming said sarcastically.

"Uncle Ming, you didn't actually need to say the first half of that sentence..."

Wu Xie laughed awkwardly.

This thing is really weird!
Just then, a commotion arose outside the door.

The group exchanged glances; it was Eleven Warehouse and Hongxia who had arrived.

As expected, three large trucks drove into the village as soon as I stepped outside.

After the car came to a stop, Hongxia came over from the second car, carrying a large box wrapped in gold silk.

Hu Ming's eyes lit up. He knew that the key, the winning formula, Hong Xia had been found.

"Second Master, after tracing that person's footprints, we finally found them on the summit of Mount Everest."

Hong Xia, with her usual cool smile, whispered in Hu Ming's ear.

"I didn't expect that guy to be hiding so well... Hope you didn't run into him head-on."

Hu Ming knew just how difficult it was to summit Mount Everest, and he also knew how many bodies of those who had tried to reach the summit were buried on the mountain.

"No, according to the investigation, that person... has been lingering in this area recently, seemingly waiting for something."

Speaking of this, Hongxia's expression turned serious. She had seen the photos of the place found on the summit of Mount Everest and deduced from various clues just how terrifying Hu Ming's target was.

"That's right... Everything is ready. The show is about to begin. All preparations are complete. In the end, it's just a matter of who has the better strategy..."

"In fact, in these kinds of things, the methods used are secondary. In the end, it all comes down to who has the stronger fist." Hu Ming weighed the heavy package in his hand, a smile appearing on his face.

This thing can give him at least a 30% chance of winning in such a dangerous confrontation; a 30% chance is already terrifying.

"Young Master San!"

The car that led the way was followed by a tomboy named Bai Haotian.

Upon getting off the bus, he immediately spotted Hu Ming and Wu Xie in the crowd, his eyes practically gleaming.

With a startled cry, she took a few quick steps and ran to the bewildered Wu Xie.

Who is this kid?
Why are you being so enthusiastic?
Does he have any undesirable hobbies?
This was Wu Xie's immediate reaction.

It wasn't until the tomboy ran right up to him that Wu Xie could barely make out who she was. Oh, it was a tomboy, but it was a woman.

Ah...utterly tasteless.

Wu Xie's face showed an expression of disgust that was hard to understand.

"Young Master San!"

Bai Haotian's eyes sparkled. He glanced in Hu Ming's direction, thought for a moment, and decided not to disturb Hu Ming, who seemed to be discussing serious matters with Hong Xia. Instead, he looked directly at Wu Xie.

"Can I get your autograph?"

Bai Haotian, a fervent fan of Wu Xie, made his intentions clear by holding a notebook and a pen right in front of Wu Xie's nose.

What to sign?
Wu Xie was taken aback, recalling some unpleasant memories, and his expression turned somewhat grim.

"Signature!"

"Sign this!!!"

Wu Xie was furious!
"???"

Everyone around was dumbfounded, not understanding what Wu Xie's mysterious move was.

"...That unlucky kid!"

Hu Ming and Wu Erbai exchanged a glance, a look of understanding flashing in their eyes, and sighed, one hand on their forehead.

"Sorry, sorry, I misunderstood. It brought back some unpleasant memories. You meant the signature, right? What should I sign?"

Wu Xie suddenly realized that this tomboy was different from the people who had asked him for autographs before. He had misunderstood and quickly smiled apologetically.

"...This unlucky kid is probably cursed from birth. His little shop, Wu Shan Ju, which was converted from Xiling Seal Engraving Society, has been losing money every year for the past ten years, let alone making a profit."

"During the most difficult times, Wu Xie could barely afford to pay his utility bills. He relied entirely on Xiao Hua to support him in every aspect of his life. For ten years, all the things Wu Xie asked for his autograph were bills and IOUs!"

Seeing the puzzled looks on their faces, Hu Ming said quietly.

"...Uncle, please let me go."

Wu Xie wished he could disappear into a crack in the ground.

Young Master San is a well-known figure in the martial arts world; it's shameful for him to be in such an embarrassing situation!
"That's not right. I remember that after Wu Sansheng ran away, didn't Wu Xie take over his gambling den? For the past ten years or so, Wu Xie has managed it quite well."

"Roughly estimating, after deducting all expenses and labor costs, there should be a profit of around 50 million yuan each year, right? That shouldn't be enough to support his small shop, right?"

The blind man was confused. Even if his own betting account had lost money, hadn't he already made a fortune from Wu Sansheng's betting account?
“My son Tianzhen and Wu Sansheng have the same stubborn temper. They think that those things belong to their third uncle and that he is just managing them on his behalf. They never want to touch the profits.”

Fatty smacked his lips. "With principles like that, you really can't say anything bad about Wu Xie."

"Then, Wu Sansheng managed to manage such a large business that was on the verge of collapse back then, so how come his own small shop is in such a state?"

The blind man still didn't quite understand.

"Then, can you explain why Wu Xie always encounters evil spirits and gets into trouble every time he goes down to the ground?"

The usually silent young man suddenly spoke up, launching into a soul-searching question.

"I understand!"

The blind man suddenly realized that some things in this world really are illogical.