The Unorthodox Tomb Raider

Thinking of this, Wu Xie suddenly paused for a moment, then rubbed his face.

"At a time like this, we can't keep hesitating. When it comes to things that can't be had at the same time, we have to follow our original plan and not keep hesitating. Otherwise, Old Yang's walking enigma will convince me again."

Old Yang had not yet woken up, but his face was no longer contorted, and he seemed to be feeling better. Wu Xie turned to look at Master Liang, intending to wake him up to discuss how to phrase the matter of leaving in a more appropriate way. However, upon looking, he discovered that the spot where Master Liang had been lying was now empty.

"be cheated!"

Wu Xie was greatly alarmed.

He quickly shone his flashlight into the depths of the cave, but unfortunately, he couldn't see any sign of Liang Shiye. Just then, Wu Xie suddenly noticed that the racket Liang Shiye had been using to fix Old Yang was gone. He instantly broke out in a cold sweat, his clothes were soaked, and an extremely ominous premonition overwhelmed him. He subconsciously touched his waist, and the pistol at his waist was also gone.

"You bastard! You son of a bitch!"

Wu Xie cursed loudly.

Wu Xie really didn't expect that someone who looked so weak and cowardly, like someone who couldn't withstand the wind, would actually take advantage of the short time he was asleep and sneak away with the little equipment he had left.

"No, Master Liang is a seasoned veteran. Why didn't he take the flashlight with him when he picked up the gun? Without a light source, it would be extremely dangerous to move around in this place."

A thought flashed through Wu Xie's mind.

However, Wu Xie was too anxious to think about these issues. He grabbed a torch and was about to chase after them. After all, Liang Shiye was very weak and couldn't go very far. If he chased after them with all his might, he might be able to catch up.

Wu Xie had barely stepped out of the cave, and before he could even figure out which way Liang Shiye had run off to, a dark shadow suddenly appeared above him, swinging down with a kick that landed squarely on Wu Xie's chest. Wu Xie felt a surge of energy rush up his chest, and he crashed into the cave with a thud.

After falling to the ground, Wu Xie gritted his teeth and tried to get up to check the situation, but unexpectedly, he was hit in the chin with a solid punch. The force of the punch was so great that it almost knocked Wu Xie unconscious. In his dazed state, Wu Xie seemed to see a fat man with a cigarette in his mouth walking towards the cave with a hunched back.

The fat man was carrying a short rifle, while the clerk, Liang, had a livid face and followed behind him like a lackey. Wu Xie glanced at him and knew that the fat man was definitely one of the two Guangdong bosses mentioned earlier, but Wu Xie couldn't tell what his surname was anymore.

The fat man held a gun to Wu Xie's forehead, gesturing for him to move aside. He then turned to look at Master Liang.

"Old Liang, which of these two young men are you? You said they drank some kind of Qilin blood?"

Chapter 347 Compromise and Surrender!

Liang Shiye gave the fat man a look, glanced at Wu Xie, and said with a look of disdain.

"You bastard Liang, you're a traitor! I've taken good care of you all this way, and you end up treating me like this. I should have listened to Old Yang and gotten rid of you. You wouldn't have left so many troublemakers behind."

Wu Xie naturally didn't dare to say these words directly, since the gun was in the other party's hands. He could only curse in his heart for a while.

The portly boss took out a solid fuel lamp from his backpack, lit it, and placed it on the ground. This solid fuel lamp was actually equipment used only when climbing high-altitude snow-capped mountains. Its function was to provide both lighting and warmth. Immediately afterward, the entire cave was illuminated as if it were daytime.

To Wu Xie's surprise, the fat shopkeeper took out a few more compressed biscuits from his backpack and tossed them to him. However, while doing this, the fat shopkeeper kept the muzzle of his short gun pointed at Wu Xie. Wu Xie was puzzled as he accepted the compressed biscuits thrown to him.

Wu Xie thought for a moment, then tossed the compressed biscuit back to the fat shopkeeper and said.

"Today, my brother and I have been defeated by you two. Kill us as you please, it's all up to you. Why make such a fuss? Eighteen years from now, I'll still be a hero."

The clerk suddenly smiled, turned to look at the fat boss, and said with a smile.

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"See, I didn't lie to you. This bronze-level guy is just a clueless kid who doesn't even understand what's going on."

Boss Wang shook his head, waved his hand, and tossed the compressed biscuits back to Wu Xie.

"Young man, you're so young, already out in the world! You need to be more discerning. If we give you food, it means we're not planning to kill you. With your looks and mindset, if you were to run into someone with a bad temper, they would bury you on the spot without saying a word."

Mr. Wang gave a helpless smile.

Wu Xie could sense that this guy was completely different from Lao Tai. Lao Tai looked like a ruthless killer at first glance, while this fat boss in front of him seemed to be a friendly and easy-going person, making people feel less wary.

What puzzled Wu Xie was the kick the fat shop owner had given him earlier. It was clearly the kick of a trained fighter, something that couldn't possibly be delivered by someone who spent all day loitering around antique shops. What was the identity of this fat shop owner? Wu Xie had absolutely no idea.

Boss Wang seemed to have noticed Wu Xie's confusion, took a puff of his cigarette, and slowly said.

"Don't worry, young man. Old Tai and his men are all ruthless scoundrels. I'm not in cahoots with them. I'm just a businessman. You need to understand that in business, I have no permanent friends or enemies, only permanent interests."

“Boss Wang, these two are both hotheads. Just be direct with them and explain where you come from. These two kids are all single-minded. At least this kid surnamed Wu can talk to you properly. But when the kid who's lying on the ground gets up, there's bound to be a fight.”

"Master Liang said quickly."

"Since that's the case, I'll be blunt and won't beat around the bush with you. I'm just a businessman and I don't really like fighting. Now that things have come to this, I'm sure you know very well that even if you don't fall into my hands, it will be very difficult for the two of you to get out of here."

"Old Tai is dead, that's a fact. After his death, I have no intention of dealing with you anymore. After all, having more friends means having more options. Think it over carefully. If you cooperate with me, I can guarantee that you will not suffer any losses, and you will definitely make money."

Mr. Wang said with a smile.

"Damn, the tables have turned really fast. Aren't these the words I said to that Master Liang back then? How long has it been? And now they're saying them to me."

Wu Xie frowned.

Seeing that Wu Xie didn't make any move, Boss Wang became a little anxious and casually took out a pack of cigarettes from his shirt pocket and handed one over.

"Young man, you should think this through carefully. Actually, it won't be a big deal if you don't agree to cooperate with me. I will give you some equipment so you can go on your own. But you should know that if you are carrying such a sick and disabled person, how will you get through this journey?"

Mr. Wang spoke calmly.

"What Boss Wang said is indeed true, but this guy has equipment and weapons, so why would he want to cooperate with me? Isn't this like a stranger paving a broad road for you to climb up? There must be some kind of conspiracy involved. These old foxes in the underworld are really too cunning!"

"Looking at how Liang Shiye came all the way here, showing his obsequiousness and appearing weak and incompetent, he immediately took the initiative and dominated us as soon as he found an opportunity, catching us completely off guard. Alas, compared to them, my group is still too weak without Fang Yun. These guys are in such a hurry to come and cooperate with me, they must have some purpose in needing me."

"But the problem is that they have guns. Although they say they can make me refuse, they will definitely kill me if I refuse. If I agree, I can follow the example of Master Liang when he followed us and find a way to escape. Besides, we have been here for so long, Fang Yun should have made some moves. We just need to see what Fang Yun plans for the future."

"Sigh, I hope Fang Yun can provide some support from above. Otherwise, it will be very difficult for me to find the most suitable opportunity on my own. After all, these two old foxes are not as naive as us, who can fall asleep as soon as they lie down. I need to deal with them a little before agreeing."

Wu Xie had a thousand thoughts flashing through his mind and considered many ideas. In the end, he decided to compromise and agree to the two people's demands for now, and then find a way to meet up with Fang Yun later.

Wu Xie first calmed his expression, no longer as tense and impulsive as before, and then spoke hesitantly.

"I think what you said makes some sense. How about this, cooperation isn't out of the question, but I have only one problem: what exactly do you need me to do? I can't possibly risk my life for you. If that's the case, you might as well just shoot me here and save me from all the suffering later."

Chapter 348: Records of the Riverwood Collection!

Just as Wu Xie had expected, Boss Wang seemed relieved. At that moment, Master Liang stepped forward, patted Wu Xie on the shoulder, and said...

“That’s right. A wise man knows when to yield. Brother Wu, since you’ve agreed, we’re on the same side now. We’re family, so let’s not stand on ceremony. I’ll tell you the reason you want to know. But if we’re going to talk about it, it’ll be a long story. Let’s eat and talk, and I’ll make sure you’re satisfied.”

When Wu Xie saw Master Liang walking over, he felt an urge to strangle him for a moment. However, with Boss Wang's gun pointed directly at him, he pretended to remain calm and forced a smile.

"In the final analysis, this matter still comes down to the thing in front of us, this bronze tree. It has been recorded before, and the record is in the Hemu Collection, which mentions that this bronze tree appeared during the Qianlong period."

Master Liang recounted what he had heard in detail.

Before Master Liang and his group came out, Master Liang had already carefully studied all the chapters about the 683 tombs in the River Wood Collection. The River Wood Collection was originally a notebook, so it was written very casually. Sometimes it was written in Manchu, sometimes in Chinese, and a small part was even written in Mongolian.

As for the current situation, which is the part we are about to go through, most of it is recorded in Manchu. There are probably no more than 20 people on the entire continent who can read Manchu. Master Liang only found a few clues in the Chinese records.

There are only three things recorded in Chinese.

The first incident occurred in the thirteenth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. In an official mine in the Changbai Mountains area, a mine supervisor reported that miners had unearthed an ancient bronze pillar. They dug down from the base for several months without reaching the bottom, and they did not know how deep the pillar was buried.

This matter caused quite a stir at the time, with many different opinions. Some people said that the pillar had a nature; the deeper you dug, the deeper it grew, and you could never reach the end of the pillar.

Some say that this is the axe used by Pangu when he created the world, and that if you dig any further, you'll find the axe itself.

Some feng shui masters even went so far as to claim that it was a nail driven in by the Jade Emperor to nail down the dragon vein of the Qinling Mountains; otherwise, this earth dragon would have ascended to immortality and entered the celestial palace. They said this bronze pillar must be 800 li (approximately 400 kilometers) deep in the ground, and if they dug any further, the entire land of China would suffer misfortune.

Not long after this news spread, the Iron-Headed Cavalry Battalion, led by Li Pipa's ancestors, received a secret order to take over the entire mine with 3000 death row inmates, seal off the mountain, set up camp, and continue excavating the mysterious copper pillar.

The second event occurred in the eighteenth year of the Qianlong Emperor's reign. The timing of this second event shows that the events before and after are consistent. These 3000 condemned prisoners dug for a full four years and three months. They dug upwards and downwards into the cave where everyone is now, all the way to the bottom of the mountain, but they were unable to find the roots of the paulownia tree.

Although the roots of the bronze tree were not found, a stone box with dragon patterns was unearthed. The interior was hollow and contained foreign objects, but no matter how they tried to open it, they could not find a crack. At that time, the people dared not make any rash moves and hurriedly sent the box to the palace.

The third incident is a bit brief. At the end of the eighteenth year of Qianlong's reign, the Hemu Collection recorded that the emperor rewarded everyone by bestowing upon them a second-class noble title and giving each person a reward of one hundred taels of gold to the entire camp. After everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Li Pipa's ancestors, along with several soldiers who were close to them, got so drunk that they were completely out of their minds. So they made a bet to climb that bronze tree.

Further on, the records are all in Manchu. It's unclear why they used Manchu, and even Liang Shiye couldn't verify this part and couldn't continue reading.

"Although I can't understand it, the other boss from Guangxi, Li Pipa, can understand these things. However, whenever asked what is written below, he keeps his mouth shut, which is unusually mysterious. He is very similar to your friend Lao Yang in this respect. It's just a pity that we don't know why."

"That's what Master Liang said."

The last part of the Hemuji site contains a Chinese inscription recording the climbing process. From the current location, there is a boardwalk that winds around the rock face, which was also excavated at that time.

The chieftain spent a lot of time and effort preparing this in order to allow the emperor to have a panoramic view of all the mountains, but unfortunately, he could not build it any higher when he was close to the top.

The group dug out the cave, and Boss Wang handed Wu Xie a pair of binoculars while he was responsible for shining a powerful flashlight for illumination. After repeatedly adjusting the focus, Wu Xie saw that there were indeed several pieces of wood not far above, stuck to the rock wall. The wood was spiraling upwards, and it did look like a walkway.

The reason no one noticed it was because they only had a flashlight and a torch at the time. The flashlight had been used for so long that its visibility was extremely limited and it couldn't illuminate that far. Therefore, no one noticed the existence of the plank road.

“Young man, if we can get to that plank road and climb up that thing, it will not only be safe, but also save a lot of energy. However, according to the records, there may be some strange things on that plank road. As you can tell, Master Liang is just a weak scholar. If you ask him to go up, he will be scared to death. So the two of us should explore this road first.”

Mr. Wang said.

Wu Xie didn't believe what Boss Wang and Master Liang said so easily. He took out his binoculars and looked into the distance for nearly ten minutes, but he really couldn't see what the plank road looked like. He could only make out a general outline, but he couldn't see anything more specific because the light was too dim.

However, what intrigued Wu Xie was that, while observing the plank road, there seemed to be some plant roots-like things coiling around its edge, giving it a slightly eerie feel from a distance.

Chapter 349 The Plank Road!

Moreover, judging from the era in which the Hemu Collection was written, it should have been written in the Qing Dynasty. It has been nearly a hundred years since then, and it is still unclear whether these plank roads are intact or whether they are still passable.

“Young man, this plank road was built for the emperor’s use when he was touring. It’s not a temporary plank road built during excavation. The materials and craftsmanship used on it are extremely exquisite. For one thing, at least when more than a hundred people stood on this plank road back then, it wouldn’t shake at all.”

"Even though this plank road is over a hundred years old and in some disrepair, we still have so many climbing ropes. Using the plank road as a base to climb up will be much easier than climbing the bronze tree directly."

Although Boss Wang spoke casually, Wu Xie could tell from his tone that Boss Wang was very firm, as if it were an order, giving him no chance to discuss. Wu Xie cursed inwardly and dared not say anything more, only standing aside to await instructions.

Boss Wang turned around and discussed things with Master Liang for a while.

“Young man, I just discussed it with the clerk. We’ll let you two rest here for another fifteen minutes. Then I’ll go up with you. As for Clerk Liang and Old Yang, they can stay here as a rear support.”

Mr. Wang said.

After a good sleep, Wu Xie felt much more energetic. He ate some food that Boss Wang had given him. Boss Wang sat down next to him and started chatting with Master Liang in a local accent. Wu Xie couldn't quite understand what they were saying, but he could make out some words and guesses that the two of them were probably talking about Qilin Jie (a type of rare herb).

Wu Xie had always had reservations about this matter. After thinking about it, he figured that since everyone was pretending to cooperate, he might as well take the opportunity to ask them clearly.