Infinite Puzzle City

Chapter 778 Things change and people change
"Woo!"

The train emitted a deep, long whistle.

"Clang! Clang! Clang!"

The old, green train struggled along the winding tracks, bursting out of the deep, damp culvert.

Suddenly, the view outside the window brightened, revealing a typical landscape of the Yunnan-Guizhou Plateau.

Nearby, terraced fields, like ribbons of black jade, embrace the village.

Further away, a series of uniquely shaped cone-shaped peaks rise abruptly from the ground.

The mountains here are different from the endless, celestial mountains that people imagine. Each hill stands alone, like a separate entity, not connected to the others, rising or falling on the plains planted with rice paddies.

Zhou Shang and Li Qing subconsciously glanced out the window at the familiar scenery they hadn't seen in a long time.

How similar this scene is! Although decades have passed, a feeling of both unfamiliarity and familiarity instantly welled up in my heart.

As Zhou Shang looked at the book, his thoughts began to drift. In a daze, he seemed to hear again the enthusiastic and rhythmic singing from the hard-seat carriages of yesteryear.

"We workers have power! Hey! We workers have power!"

This powerful melody seemed to pierce through time, faintly echoing in the quiet lower levels of the carriage, carrying the collective passion and sense of power unique to that simple and vigorous era.

"Brother, look, those mountains over there look just like grave mounds."

Yang Fengchui pointed at the scenery outside the window and shouted.

"Feng Chui, sit down, sit down. Don't talk nonsense. You've been the most talkative person on this trip." Xie Yutang tugged at Feng Chui beside him, afraid that the boy might say something reckless and cause trouble.

Zhao Qingming smiled and said to Xie Yutang, "Don't mind him. He's a country bumpkin who's never been far from home. He's always making a fuss about everything."

After saying that, he glanced sideways at the mountains outside the window.

His deep eyes kept flashing past the trees outside the window. Looking at the hills in front of him and the rice fields below, he couldn't help but sigh, "Beautiful mountains, beautiful water, beautiful feng shui."

Sun Miao looked up and tried to follow Zhao Qingming's gaze, but after a while he still couldn't figure it out, so he asked, "Brother, did you figure something out?"

"Hey, look over there, that mountain. These mountains seem isolated, but each has its own unique atmosphere. Although they are not connected by a mountain range, they are connected to the heavens and the earth, and each has its own unique atmosphere."

As the ancients said, "A solitary mountain embraces the forest, while a cluster of mountains surrounds the water." But here, it's the opposite; each mountain has its own unique feng shui, truly wondrous.

Then he looked at Yang Fengchui beside him and said, "Fengchui just said that this mountain looks like a grave mound. It's not wrong. I'm afraid that many local families have built their ancestral graves on these isolated mountains. The aura is long and continuous, and their descendants will live on for generations."

"Oh, I see."

The group of brothers suddenly understood.

At this moment, a middle-aged man stood up and walked over from the other end of the carriage.

The newcomer was short, with disheveled hair and a dirty face, wearing a faded green military overcoat with worn-out, shiny cuffs.

He hunched over, pulled his hands from his sleeves, and clasped them in a fist salute to Zhao Qingming and the others:
"Brother, I've spent half my life digging in the dirt, and this is the first time I've heard someone speak so frankly. I haven't even asked you yet, sir, whose incense are you using, and whose lamp are you lighting?"

Zhao Qingming raised an eyebrow, said nothing, and looked at Mao Si beside him.

Cat Four immediately stood up. Despite his young age, he was a proficient in the trade, passed down through his family. He tilted his head back, raised his hand, and placed his fingertips on the bridge of his nose, then crisply uttered a string of tones:
"My feet tread the sour banks of the Yellow River, I carry the Yin-Yang Nine Stars Plate in my hand, I hold an incense stick pointing north on my head, I turn the earth dragon over to explore the eight treasures, and I walk to the Yama's palace to divide the gold. I am the fourth son in my family, the eighth son outside the door, and I, the old man, coil a vine and show off the root of my nose."

Cat Four's words weren't the traditional Spring Point, but rather the jargon of the tomb raiding faction. It roughly meant: "A man from Luoyang, from the Northern School of Tomb Raiding, the fourth in his family, the eighth among his brothers. Brother, please reveal your name and tell me your lineage."

Even Zhao Qingming and his group wouldn't say that.

It's okay not to say anything, but saying the wrong thing can cause trouble.

As expected, the man's eyes lit up when Cat Four spoke, and he looked Cat Four up and down: "So you're a relative from the North."

The man then clasped his hands in a fist and introduced himself: "Our ancestor bestowed incense, his seal hangs between Yin and Yang. The Heavenly Official lights the lamp to watch the Big Dipper, the Earth Dragon retrieves dragon saliva from its lair. This humble servant understands Yin and Yang, and the character 'King' above my head shines the blue sky!"

"So it's Brother Wang, my apologies for not recognizing you."

Cat Four clasped his hands in a fist and bowed, then whispered to Zhao Qingming, "The Heavenly Official of the Tomb Raiders is a rare sight these days."

Zhao Qingming nodded and gestured for the man to sit down. Li Qing and the others immediately made room for him.

After the men were seated, Cat Four gave a brief introduction to Zhao Qingming and the others.

When Wang Shen learned that the young people in front of him were all people of great background, he was also surprised.

Leaving aside the Zhao family, Xiangqi Yang and Zhiren Zhou are renowned figures. Not to mention Li Qing, Xiao Zhenye, Xie Yutang, and Sun Miao, these four also come from extraordinary backgrounds.

These seven people could represent a powerful force. They traveled thousands of miles to the Yunnan-Guizhou region, either to seek revenge or to find treasure.

Wang Shen's eyelids twitched, and he cupped his hands again, saying, "So you are from distinguished families. I apologize for my rudeness."

"Brother Wang, you're too kind. It's fate that we've all come together."

Zhao Qingming simply cupped his hands in greeting and invited Wang Shen to sit down.

After a brief exchange of polite words, Wang Shen finally couldn't hold back any longer and stopped beating around the bush, asking in a low voice, "So many of you have come here in such a grand manner, are you here for revenge or to find treasure?"

"Both, I think. Have you heard of that, Li Jingqi?"

"Oh! I know about Li Jingqi, who caused a great disturbance in the capital."

Although Wang Shen and his group were江湖人 (jianghu people, people of the underworld), their identities as tomb raiders, like Mao Si's, meant they were destined to be low-class. But he did know about this matter.

The incident caused a huge uproar, and it is said that many people died. Even the Five Immortals Hall in Northeast China broke its rules and entered the capital, but in the end, some died and others were maimed.

This matter caused a great uproar, and it is even said that it alarmed the government.

The culprit was Li Jingqi.

"So, Li Jingqi is in Yunnan and Guizhou?" Wang Shen immediately guessed the reason.

"I heard about it." Zhao Qingming glanced at Cat Four.

Wang Shen suddenly realized, "So that's how it is." Then, his eyes darted around and he continued, "To be honest, brother, our group is very familiar with this place. We know the terrain like the back of our hand. We've heard that Li Jingqi is powerful, but we've never seen his methods. Could you take us with you? We're just here to broaden our horizons."

Upon hearing this, Cat Four's face darkened instantly, and the group of men following behind him also silently put their hands into their backpacks.

"Hahaha."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Qingming laughed directly, lowered his head, and placed one hand on Wang Shen's arm without making a sound: "Let's not beat around the bush. It's true that we're seeking revenge, and it's also true that we're looking for treasure. Since we've met, everyone has a share. But a true man acts with integrity and there should always be an explanation."

Wang Shen's pupils constricted. He glanced at Zhao Qingming's hand out of the corner of his eye, pondered for a moment, and said, "I'm just trying to make a living, I can't ask for more. How about 37%?"

"It's a word."

Zhao Qingming didn't even haggle; he agreed immediately and let go of the car, saying, "There are too many people around. Let's talk in detail when we get off at our next stop, Bijie."

"it is good."

Wang Shen quickly stood up, bowed to the crowd, and hurried away.

After Wang Shen left, Mao Si pouted and said, "Brother Zhao, why did we let him get involved?"

Before Zhao Qingming could reply, Xie Yutang patted Mao Si's shoulder and pinched him so hard that Mao Si's face turned white.

"How dare you talk to your elder brother like that? Does your elder brother need to consult you before doing anything?" Xie Yutang's eyes were wide open like copper bells, and with a slight increase in pressure, Mao Si couldn't help but cry out in pain.

Upon seeing this, the men who had come with Cat Four all stood up.

But just as they were about to move, Xie Yutang suddenly flicked his finger, and a glass ball flew out and hit one of the waiters on the back of the hand.

With a "thud," the tool in the shopkeeper's hand fell directly to the ground.

Xiao Zhenye and the others also stood up, their eyes fixed coldly on the group of men.

"No, no, no, hey, sit down right now, all of you sit down."

Seeing this, Mao Si quickly waved for the men to sit down. He knew very well that these men in Los Angeles at least had their families to discipline them.

But once you step outside the gates of Los Angeles, good heavens, that's where the living devil comes from.

If they angered them, these few devils would really dare to kill these guys and throw them off the train.

Zhao Qingming gave Xie Yutang a look, and only then did Xie Yutang release his grip.

"Cat Four."

Zhao Qingming raised his head and stared coldly at Mao Si: "You know the rules. Even a powerful dragon can't suppress a local snake. When you're out in the game, don't think about taking everything for yourself. If you don't share, I'm afraid we won't have a peaceful time after we get off the train. We're out here to seek revenge. Treasure hunting and tomb raiding are your business. Share three parts, consider it as buying peace and making friends."

"Yes, yes, you're right, brother. I was petty."

Mao Si was sweating profusely. He had just called himself Lao Ba, but he was just using Zhao Qingming and his group's name to impress them.

Zhao Qingming, a fellow townsman and colleague, wouldn't hold it against him.

But since Cat Four has infringed on its own tiger's skin, it should learn to understand what it is saying.

"Alright, we're all brothers, don't be so reserved. If you don't understand, just ask. We won't let you down."

"Yes! Yes!" Cat Four lowered his head and quickly agreed.

"Cat Four, these guys of yours don't seem to understand human language very well. You'd better go and teach them, or they'll go astray and we won't be able to bring them back."

Zhou Shang reminded Mao Si with a cold smile.

"Hey!" Cat Four quickly stood up and pulled a few of his men to the back carriage to give them a lecture.

"This kid, huh!" Zhou Shang shook his head and turned to look out the window.

"Woo!!"

As the sound of car horns rang out of the car window, Zhou Shang's gaze gradually narrowed as he looked at the reflection on the glass.

The image of that smug, triumphant youth in my memory gradually came together with the aged, decrepit reflection on the glass.

Looking back at the two kimchi jars beside him, he couldn't help but sigh, "Things have changed."

Just then, the announcement came over the loudspeaker in the carriage.

"We have arrived in Bijie. The train is about to pull into the station. Passengers who wish to disembark, please move to the rear door in an orderly manner."

(End of this chapter)