Lu Mingfei, why are you slaying dragons if you're not involved!

Chapter 195 Xiang Yu's Tomb (Part 2)

The deep winter night blanketed the city. The air was thick with moisture, damp and heavy, each breath drawing in tiny, icy droplets.

The chill seeped through layers of clothing, clinging to the bone and penetrating to the bone, carrying a sticky, damp cold that seemed impossible to ward off no matter how many layers one wore. The glow of the streetlights spread and blurred the boundaries in the damp, misty air.

Fortunately, my body, after thirteen days of training, had become strong enough that this chill was nothing to worry about.

Lu Mingfei let out a heavy sigh, staring blankly at the white vapor that liquefied upon cooling, expanding and dissipating. The colorful neon lights between the buildings blurred and became clear again, and his pace slowed down.

It wasn't that he suddenly changed his mind about going to the gym; the moment he got out of the car and stepped onto the sidewalk, his schedule already displayed a message: "[Temporary schedule interruption detected. Please choose your fitness plan to continue.]"

This notice was like an invisible chain, binding him firmly to a predetermined path. He could change his mind, but that would only mean enduring the excruciating electric shocks that pierced his very soul. The problem was that he himself had set these chains, leaving him with nowhere to even cry out for justice.

He slowed his pace because, after walking a short distance, he suddenly caught a glimpse of a familiar car out of the corner of his eye.

It was a Mercedes-Benz S500, with sleek and robust body lines, a jet-black color, and even the license plate number, all exactly as I remembered it.

The car stopped rather abruptly, the tires screeching against the wet pavement. Without waiting for the driver to get out and open the door, Su Xiaoqiang pushed the door open herself, practically rushing out.

Then, she immediately noticed a figure staring blankly at her from a short distance away.

Even though she was backlit and could only make out a blurry silhouette, she still recognized him at a glance.

Su Xiaoqiang's footsteps seemed to slow down, and her urgent momentum instantly dissipated.

She clearly hadn't expected to run into Lu Mingfei here, and her expression showed a hint of embarrassment at being caught lying.

Su Xiaoqiang composed herself before walking towards Lu Mingfei, her pace noticeably slower and more hesitant.

Her gaze began to wander, sometimes looking at the huge billboards flashing on the rooftops of distant high-rises, sometimes looking down at the tiny marks left on the ground by the tips of her shoes. It was as if the neon-lit city nightscape, which she was usually tired of seeing, suddenly became exceptionally novel and worthy of careful study tonight.

"I... was at the gym."

She pouted, emphasizing the word "originally," and added, "but something came up at the company and I had to go back..."

"Mr. Su, do I need to change into my work clothes even if something comes up unexpectedly?"

Lu Mingfei tried hard to control his expression, putting on a look of surprise and admiration.

"That's incredibly dedicated!"

Just as he said, Su Xiaoqiang was wearing a well-tailored dark women's suit skirt. The crisp fabric outlined her slender waist and long legs. With just one glance, one could feel the aura of a powerful and unapproachable CEO.

At this moment, however, the powerful "President Su" had eyes that darted away like a startled deer, and the lingering embarrassment on her cheeks made her carefully crafted dignity seem somewhat...unconvinced.

"Humph, of course!"

Su Xiaoqiang tossed her head.

She wore her hair in a high ponytail, which made her already tall figure appear even more slender. The ends of her hair drew a clean arc in the air, and because the two were so close, strands of hair brushed against Lu Mingfei's face, causing a slight tickle.

"Let's go, let's go."

Eager to escape the uncomfortable atmosphere, her voice held a hint of urgency as she tried to regain control.

"Life is about movement! If you keep dawdling, your effective time at the gym today will be severely reduced! Much less than before, you know that?"

"Good~"

Lu Mingfei responded with a drawn-out tone.

He was all too familiar with this situation, because it was his habit; the more nervous and guilty he felt, the more he liked to talk nonsense to distract others.

However, he just smiled and did not choose to expose it.

As for the actual situation, it's naturally easy to speculate.

The young woman had probably heard that he wasn't planning to go to the gym that night, so she simply canceled her plans and went straight to the company. Later, when she received his call, she was afraid that if she told the truth he wasn't going, she would tell him a little lie about "waiting for you at the gym," and then she rushed over by car.

But man proposes, God disposes; despite her haste, she was still a beat too late. And, of course, he saw her in the act.

The level of embarrassment is comparable to a public execution!

In terms of defensive capabilities, Su Xiaoqiang wasn't actually much stronger than Liu Miaomiao's purely passive endurance mechanism. It's just that she was usually too aggressive, like a little hedgehog that always had its quills raised, completely covering up her easily shy core.

If the Queen of Zero has top-tier offensive and defensive attributes, and is maxed out in every aspect, what would she do in this situation?

Lu Mingfei pictured Zero's exquisite yet expressionless face in his mind—he would probably remain calm and collected, delivering a straight-up question that would leave him speechless.

"Hey, hey."

Su Xiaoqiang's disgruntled voice hit his eardrum like a small hammer, pulling him back from his brief daze.

"Lu Mingfei, are you even listening to me?"

"Ok?"

Lu Mingfei snapped back to reality, realizing his thoughts had drifted a thousand miles away, and quickly replied, "I'm listening! I'm definitely listening!"

"Well."

Su Xiaoqiang crossed her arms, slightly raised her chin, and gave him a scrutinizing look that said, "Let's see how you make this up." "What did I just say? Repeat it."

"explain……"

Lu Mingfei was momentarily speechless, and cold sweat almost broke out on his brow.

He just reflexively answered "I'm listening," and immediately regretted it. He dug his own grave! It's too late to change his mind and say he didn't hear clearly.

In his haste, his gaze darted around like a headless fly, finally settling on Su Xiaoqiang's high ponytail, which swayed gently with her movements. The jet-black hair shimmered under the neon lights.

In a flash, a brilliant, "Lu Mingfei-esque" solution was born.

"Um...you smell so good!"

The sound wasn't loud, but it seemed particularly abrupt in the quiet air between the two.

"Um?!"

Su Xiaoqiang was completely unprepared for this answer. She felt as if she had been frozen in place, and her steps even faltered slightly. An inexplicable heat rushed to her cheeks, and her heart felt as if it had been gently squeezed by an invisible hand, skipping a beat. Or was it just her imagination? She couldn't tell, only that her ears felt a little hot.

"It smells really good."

As if to verify his statement, Lu Mingfei carefully moved closer to the strands of hair on the side of her neck and sniffed them, the warm breath brushing against her skin almost imperceptibly.

For a fleeting moment, Su Xiaoqiang seemed to see a large dog sniffing her – a wet nose, filled with curiosity and natural affection.

But... the eyes of this "big dog" in front of him were no longer those of Lu Mingfei, who always looked timid, pathetic, habitually following behind others, wagging his tail and begging for mercy, with shifty eyes.

His gaze had become much calmer, with something hidden deep within it that she hadn't fully grasped yet. Coupled with his highly aggressive actions, this caught her somewhat off guard.

There was no wind around, so the warmth of the fireplace, along with his unique scent, enveloped her, dispelling the winter chill.

"You... don't think you can get away with being cute like this!"

Realizing what was happening, Su Xiaoqiang blushed instantly. Embarrassed and annoyed, she subconsciously raised her voice, her bright eyes glaring at him fiercely.

But her body reacted in the exact opposite way; she grabbed his hand very naturally, quite reluctantly.

"You're punished by having to warm my hands."

"Hiss... Why is it so cold?"

Lu Mingfei changed the subject as if he had been granted a pardon, but the coolness he felt upon touching it was indeed quite eye-catching. Its delicate, soft texture and refreshing coolness made it rather irresistible.

"Come on, in this cold weather, how can I not be cold outside dressed like this?"

Su Xiaoqiang muttered, "I'm not a superhuman like you guys... at least not yet."

"Speaking of which, I'm going to visit Xiang Yu's tomb tomorrow."

Lu Mingfei asked, "Yu Ji needs to explain your bloodline activation to me in detail."

Su Xiaoqiang had already told him about the bloodline activation and the deal to become a hybrid that Yu Ji offered.

However, this is only an effect. Yu Ji hasn't yet explained how to do it, where to go, or what method to use to obtain the corresponding items.

The Gattuso family's use of such a large-scale conspiracy is clearly aimed at Xiang Yu's tomb, as well as the "crown prince" on the Hunter Market website... This matter involves a complex web of forces, but the specific purpose remains unclear.

Theoretically, it's impossible for others to know about this; their purpose should be to find various possible alchemical weapons or ancient texts within the tomb of the King of Earth and Mountains.

But who knows if what might help Su Xiaoqiang is also among these items or documents?
Therefore, the reason she didn't mention it before was because it was Yu Ji's only bargaining chip, which is understandable. But now... with more collaborative projects (referring to working as a secretary), the trust between the two parties has further developed, and Lu Mingfei feels that at least getting Yu Ji to reveal a little relevant information shouldn't be a problem.

"Okay!"

Su Xiaoqiang responded with some surprise.

She had been looking forward to this for a long time... well, strictly speaking, only a few days.

However, as an ordinary person, after learning about all aspects of the world of hybrids, especially knowing that I have the hope of officially stepping into it, every minute and every second after that can be considered an agonizing wait.

On one hand, only people from the same world can naturally come together; on the other hand, as a little celestial maiden whose eyes and brows sparkle with pride, Su Xiaoqiang naturally yearns for that kind of future where she becomes stronger.

The consequence of her broadened horizons is that she is now not very concerned about managing company affairs.

Of course, she will still do what needs to be done now. It's just that she doesn't plan to continue doing this job in the future.

What coal mining group president? Nothing beats the world of mixed-race people!
She had this in mind when she appointed Yu Ji as her secretary to handle the work. Yu Ji was fully capable of doing the job, and she only needed to be a hands-off manager and handle things behind the scenes. This way, she could keep Yu Ji on her side, and also give this pure-blooded dragon something to do.

People are most prone to various troubles when they are idle, and the consequences are even more terrible if a dragon becomes impatient with idleness.

Therefore, in Su Xiaoqiang's opinion, what she did was not a capitalist exploiting dragon labor, but rather an outstanding contribution and huge sacrifice for world peace!

"Wait a minute, you're going tomorrow? Isn't it dangerous?"

After the initial surprise came the lingering concerns.

Su Xiaoqiang wasn't worried about Lu Mingfei encountering any mishap; she was worried that if Lu Mingfei were to encounter any danger and, in a moment of excitement, blurted out, "I remember now, I remember everything," then everything would be over!
She had heard about Lu Mingfei's noble status from Yu Ji, and she believed it without a doubt.

The current emotional connection is clearly insufficient to prevent the "memory crushing" from occurring.

"Danger?"

Lu Mingfei, of course, had no idea what Su Xiaoqiang was thinking. He subconsciously assumed that she was worried about the various traps that might exist in Xiang Yu's tomb.

After all, it's common sense to set traps in cemeteries. Most people build mausoleums so that they have a place to live after death, not so that they are hospitable and waiting for tomb raiders to visit... Of course, for someone like the Dragon King who can be resurrected, it's not a place to live after death but a "rebirth point," but it's probably impossible for just anyone to come in and visit.

He scratched his head in response.

"Probably not. We'll just be getting familiar with the route tomorrow; we're definitely not going straight into the tomb. For one thing, we haven't even prepared the black donkey hooves and Luoyang shovels yet. If we go down into the ground to do any work, even the gods won't protect us..."

"Can't you stop spouting nonsense at a time like this?" Su Xiaoqiang said, both amused and exasperated, as she took out her phone.

"Let me have Yu Ji come and talk to her. She slept there for so long... she should know something about what happened, right?"

……

"I am not sure."

Yu Ji shook her head honestly.

"What?!"×2
Lu Mingfei and Su Xiaoqiang asked in unison, their surprise mixed with confusion.

"Do you know what you're saying? After living in a place for over two thousand years, even without seeing it, you should be able to tell how every brick is laid out just by touching it, right?" Lu Mingfei couldn't help but ask.

"My lord, I died first. After being reborn as a dragon by my king, I slept in the mausoleum for more than two thousand years... and never woke up."

Yu Ji lowered her head, it was hard to tell whether it was out of embarrassment or fear.

"During the initial period after I woke up unexpectedly, there was too much information in my brain, and I was a little confused because I couldn't sort it out for a while. I just subconsciously followed the direction of the Overlord Spear and left the mausoleum. When I was fully awake, I was already in the outside world."

Moreover, there is no information about this part in the memories I inherited. Therefore, I am truly unaware of the internal structure and level of danger of the mausoleum..."

(End of this chapter)