The Unorthodox Tomb Raider

Now that the steward had spoken, Young Master Zhou's expression softened somewhat.

The steward wasn't trying to say anything in defense of these people; he was just worried that if they messed things up, Young Master Zhou would throw a tantrum and beat them. If a few more craftsmen fell ill or ran away, there would be no one to work, and he would be the one to suffer.

Therefore, after much deliberation, the butler promptly offered his advice.

Chapter 765 Grace Period

"Fine, I won't stoop to your level today. Since that's the case, I'll give you two more days. During this time, you'd better watch carefully. If you accidentally break anything again, don't blame me for not letting you off the hook!"

After saying that, Young Master Zhou felt hot and breathless from all the scolding, so he went back to his rocking chair and lay down.

As the rocking chair swayed, Young Master Zhou slowly closed his eyes, then looked at the butler and asked, "What are we having for dinner tonight?"

The steward said, "Young master, this has been arranged for you long ago. After all, this is the outskirts of the city, and the weather is quite cold at night. To protect you from the cold, I specially had some dishes prepared for you."

"Oh?" Young Master Zhou raised an eyelid and asked, "What main dish?"

"Since you like lamb, I had a leg of lamb specially roasted. Also, in case you find it too greasy, I also prepared some matsutake mushroom soup."

Upon hearing this, not only did Fang Yun's mouth produce more saliva, but the craftsmen also visibly sucked in their stomachs.

Looking back on my dinner, it was at best a wheat-based flatbread with a little bit of meager smoked meat or sausage, and if I was lucky, I might have a few sips of vegetable soup.

In contrast, Young Master Zhou was thoroughly enjoying himself, sipping thick soup and gnawing on a leg of lamb. Of course, they knew they would never get to eat such things, so they could only suppress their hunger and return to the tomb, where they picked up their hoes and began striking the stone walls once more.

"You've got guts. After we finish these next couple of days, we're not going to serve you anymore. Then the men will go to the shop and get a few pounds of beef and some drinks, and have a good, satisfying meal!"

Fang Yun wanted to observe for a while longer, but unexpectedly, Young Master Zhou had fallen asleep, and the steward was directing two servants to fan him.

"That spoiled brat certainly knows how to enjoy himself!"

Fang Yun didn't pay much attention and quickly arrived at the edge of the tomb. Because it was getting dark, no one noticed him.

As he entered the tomb, he could smell an extremely unpleasant damp odor, like the smell of wild animals defecating and drying out.

Although it wasn't particularly strong, it was always there on the tip of my nose, appearing and disappearing intermittently, making me feel inexplicably disgusted.

"It seems that grave digging is a skill, and you have to work with the right people and share the same aspirations."

Fang Yun thought to himself.

He had experienced those unlicensed tomb raiding teams before. These teams were mostly formed by a few people who came together on the road because individual strength was relatively weak, so they had to gather together temporarily.

However, such a team is destined to be fragile, because they came for their own interests and have ulterior motives.

Therefore, after everyone goes into the tomb together, they not only need to be constantly on guard against the dangers or unknown creatures that may appear inside, but also need to be constantly wary of those around them who may try to harm them.

For example, they dare not walk near the ditch, dare not walk without leaning against the wall, and if their vision becomes unclear, they first turn around to look at the position of the people next to them.

In such a dire situation, even if everyone has the strength, it is difficult to fully exert it.

For large tombs that require long-term excavation, this practice is even more harmful.

For example, no one would be willing to spend time building basic protective facilities or conducting basic geological surveys, because everyone is afraid of wasting their time and giving others more time to acquire treasures.

Therefore, working in these caves is cramped, dangerous, and damp.

Even at best, someone might hand you a piece of black bread when you're hungry.

In contrast, if you can build a cohesive and united team, you can confidently entrust your back to your teammates, and everyone can give full play to their strengths without worrying about anyone taking extra items when you're not looking.

We are cooperating in this way because we are in a long-term partnership and hope to make more money together in the future.

Of course, Fang Yun knew that what Young Master Zhou did was actually a short-term move. He probably didn't even have anything on his mind, or he didn't care about the lives of these miners at all. So it was understandable that things were going this way.

"Let me see what treasures are hidden here!"

Fang Yun tried to keep his footsteps down and moved forward slowly. Not far away, he could hear a clanging sound, which must have been the sound of the craftsmen digging the soil with hoes.

Fang Yun was afraid that his sudden appearance would frighten the group, so he went to another location instead.

Young Master Zhou and his family would naturally not come to such a small cave. Although they knew there might be many treasures inside, they would never dare to go down into the cave themselves, as the danger there could be life-threatening.

Chapter 766 The Bleeding Wood

However, this is just right, so that if the two groups meet, Fang Yun won't have to go through the trouble of knocking them out.

Based on what the previous group of people said, Fang Yun expected that this cave was probably not simple, and that he might actually find some special surprises.

After all, this young master Zhou seems to be quite wealthy, so the cave that attracted him here must be of considerable value.

The practice of tomb raiding is not a recent phenomenon.

As far as Fang Yun knew, many ancient books recorded that many people used tomb raiding as a means of getting rich.

For example, some dynasties many years ago even set up positions specifically for this kind of work, hoping to create some wealth through these special positions.

Today, although the authorities would never do such a thing, and it is strictly prohibited by law, human nature is greedy, and there will always be people willing to take the risk.

With the advent of many more advanced scientific methods in modern times, the success rate and safety of such activities have greatly improved. Therefore, from this perspective, the number of people engaged in this field is not decreasing but increasing.

053 Moreover, this kind of thing not only exists on this continent, but also in other countries, professional teams often go out to excavate the tombs of ancient kings and nobles, where the treasures are incredibly rich.

Following his knowledge of such tombs, Fang Yun tried to avoid places where traps might be hidden, and he did not encounter any particular dangers along the way.

"Could this be just an ordinary tomb?"

Fang Yun was somewhat puzzled. If the tomb owner was of very high status, the craftsmen would usually set up some anti-theft measures. However, he had been relatively calm on his way here, and there didn't seem to be any of those things in the tomb.

If it's really just an ordinary grave, then spending too much time here isn't worthwhile.

Fang Yun decided to explore further inside, hoping to discover anything new.

Just then, screams of alarm came from behind Fang Yun from the craftsmen.

Fang Yun was taken aback upon hearing this, and then looked in that direction. He saw that not far away, the shadows of those craftsmen were moving around in a panic, but they had not completely left the tomb.

They were probably afraid of being scolded by Young Master Zhou again if they went out. As for what was inside the cave, it might not be anything very scary, so they were just observing.

This immediately piqued Fang Yun's interest, so he changed direction and walked towards the craftsmen.

Fang Yun walked over and glanced over. He saw that the workers were all huddled together, backing away one by one. Following their gaze, Fang Yun saw a tree that was as tall as an adult.

If it were just a tree, it wouldn't be anything special, except that red droplets have started to seep from it.

Judging from the color, it looks like human blood.

Fang Yun had encountered strange objects like this before, so when he saw this tree, his first thought was that it might be oozing a blood-like liquid because of some chemical substance on it.

What puzzled Fang Yun was that this tree wasn't something that would actively attack people, and the only difference was the sap inside. So why did these people seem so afraid?

"Blood, it's blood..."

Someone suddenly shouted.

"Smell it, this is clearly the smell of blood!"

Finally, someone discovered the crux of the problem: why everyone was inexplicably so afraid of a tree.

Because at this moment, the tree's bright red color was like a gaping abyss waiting to devour them, while the bark was a dark black, like lividity on a corpse's skin, giving a sense of deathly stillness, as if someone were scraping their heart with a steel wire.

They tried to leave the tomb, but by then it was completely dark outside, and the sun had long since withdrawn its last rays.

From here, all that can be seen is darkness, making it hard not to suspect that something dangerous awaits them at the edge of that darkness.

Although some people lit torches, the warmth of the flames felt cold in everyone's hearts, unable to dispel the chill emanating from them.

"I quit! I'm leaving right now, and nobody can stop me."

Finally, at this moment, a worker suddenly threw down his hoe and walked towards the entrance of the hole.

"Hey, if you choose to leave at this time, do you still want your wages?"

Many people tried to dissuade them, since everyone came here just to make a living.

On the surface, it seems like they're constantly being beaten and scolded, but at least they won't go hungry anymore. As long as they take the money back home, they can build new houses and even find wives. Thinking about these things, even though the situation is very bad right now, they still want to stay here.

The reason is that if they leave, they won't get their wages and might starve to death again someday.

If something happens here, the worst that can happen is death.

Chapter 767 Strange Events

Although these craftsmen had done a lot of this kind of work before, this was the first time they had encountered such a scene. They were all stunned, clinging to each other, not daring to move.

"Please, old ghost, please don't cause us any trouble. We just want to make a living, we don't really intend to dig up your grave."

"Yes, yes, old man ghost, please forgive us. We were just confused for a moment and didn't really mean to offend you. We'll leave now..."

Many craftsmen wailed, believing that the owner of the tomb had dragged his soul to the tree, causing it to bleed. Otherwise, how could such a scene have occurred?

Of course, just as some people were about to leave, a few bold craftsmen managed to steady themselves and remain calm.

"Don't panic, everyone! I, Old Li, have been doing this for many years. I've probably been to dozens, if not hundreds, of tombs. It's normal to find some strange creatures in these tombs; it's not the tomb owner's soul returning to them. Don't panic!"

Upon hearing this, the people who had been wailing just moments before were taken aback and all turned to look at the person with a puzzled expression.

“Look everyone, if this tree is really the work of some kind of ghost, then why would it bleed to scare us? It could just make us bleed directly.”

Hearing this, the others nodded in agreement; it seemed to make sense. If there really were some powerful ghost, why go to all this trouble to scare them? Why not just take action directly?

For example, if there's a bully in the village, why would they waste time trying to reason with you? If they really wanted to bully you, they would have already taken action.

Thinking about this, many people relaxed a little and were no longer so afraid.

Fang Yun stood behind the stone wall, looking at the man called Old Li from afar, a hint of approval in his eyes.

If someone hadn't stepped in to calm everyone down, and these craftsmen had simply left, then if I wanted to explore the tomb, I would have had to dig it myself, which would have been quite troublesome.