The Unorthodox Tomb Raider

Therefore, the best outcome would be for these craftsmen to continue digging, and for us to follow behind and see if we find anything.

This is the most time-saving and labor-saving way, and you don't have to go to other places to find people and expose your whereabouts.

As for the tree that bled in the previous lesson, Fang Yun observed it from a distance for a while and also noticed something strange about it.

The red liquid looked like human blood, but upon closer inspection, it was different. For example, human blood dries out and leaves black marks after being exposed to air for a period of time.

However, the bloodstains on the trees were even brighter and did not fade over time. This was enough to show that the bright red liquid was not the blood of these craftsmen from the air.

Just then, someone else said, "Gentlemen, since that's not human blood, does that mean this ancient tree is a treasure that can't be seen anywhere else? If this tree weren't rare, how could it possibly produce this kind of liquid? I think it's probably some kind of precious tree!"

Upon hearing this, the fear on everyone's faces almost completely vanished.

The best way to make one emotion disappear is to evoke another, and at this moment, these people couldn't hide the greed on their faces.

· ········Requesting flowers· ····

Since it's called a treasure tree, doesn't that mean it could be sold for a lot of money?

These craftsmen, having been in this business for so long, naturally knew that woods like huanghuali and mahogany could fetch extremely high prices.

Given this, trees that can exude this liquid will likely only fetch a high price, not a low one.

"I'd be content if it sold for the price of regular rosewood. Even if we each get a few pieces, we could still buy a car."

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The crowd started discussing how to sell the tree.

Of course, some people raised doubts. After all, they weren't doing the work themselves; Young Master Zhou was still watching them intently from outside. If they tried to transport the trees out, they would inevitably be discovered.

"Are you all stupid? Young Master Zhou only cares about checking if we are carrying any gold or jade. With his eyesight, how could he possibly see anything special about this tree? We'll just say we're taking some wood back to burn, and Young Master Zhou will naturally just treat it as a piece of rotten wood and won't bother to look at it any further."

Upon hearing this, everyone agreed that it made sense, and immediately sent someone to try to wipe the bloodstains off the tree with burlap so that no one would realize that the tree was unusual.

Old Li was the boldest among them, so naturally, he was given the most difficult task.

Although he said it was nothing, Old Li's face clearly showed more caution as he approached the unknown creature. He held his breath and walked step by step to the tree. Seeing that nothing unusual happened, he finally breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Chapter 768 Red Juice

Then, Old Li raised the burlap in his hand to wipe the red liquid on the tree, but when he touched the tree trunk, he suddenly found that the bark of the tree was very soft and rotten, like a lump of mud. When he wiped it with the burlap, the burlap sank in.

If that's the case, how can this tree be cut up and used to make furniture?

Just as the craftsmen were studying what the tree was, about thirty miles away from the tomb, an old Taoist priest, about sixty years old, dressed in a gray Taoist robe, was walking along a village path leading a skinny horse.

The old Taoist priest, whose name was "057," had vacant eyes and was muttering to himself, as if he were saying something.

The direction his eyes were looking was precisely the tomb where Fang Yun and the other craftsmen were staying.

Looking at the old Taoist's position, it seemed he was also heading in this direction.

When people on the road saw the old Taoist priest, seeing that he was all alone, they would feel sorry for him and give him some vegetables, tofu, or well water. The old man ate with great relish, as if it were some kind of wonderful delicacy.

Looking at this, the crowd only felt sorry for the old man, thinking that he had never eaten anything good and that was why he looked like this, so they felt even more pity for him.

But when someone chatted with the old man, he said with self-satisfaction, "What delicacies in this world can compare to these authentic ingredients?"

According to him, eating big fish, meat, fat pork and chicken every day will only make your mouth feel greasy and your heart feel disgusted. Even the best soup with live fish cannot avoid the stimulation of some seasonings.

However, if you eat these green vegetables and tofu, as well as radishes and lettuce freshly picked from the fields, then you are tasting the flavor of nature, the ultimate flavor of heaven and earth, and that is the kind of flavor worth pursuing.

Of course, most people scoffed at this explanation, dismissing it as just the old man's self-comforting rhetoric, and no one bothered to argue with him. After all, in the eyes of ordinary people, the chicken, duck, fish, and meat the old man mentioned were what everyone truly desired; it was simply unimaginable that things could be as the old man described.

Of course, if Fang Yun were there, he might understand what the old man meant, because the old man must have enjoyed too much wealth and luxury in the first half of his life, which is why he made such a remark.

The saying "things reach their extremes and then reverse" applies here. If you eat vegetables and tofu every day, you will naturally crave chicken, duck, fish, and meat. If it were the other way around, you would naturally feel that the other person would not understand.

Meanwhile, inside the tomb, Fang Yun watched as the craftsmen circled around the unknown tree, finding it amusing.

If Young Master Zhou outside finds out that these people aren't working, and the project is delayed, won't he be the one to suffer?

It's also a manifestation of human greed; once a more pressing and immediate benefit is discovered, few people can remain focused on anything else. This was also true for these craftsmen. With a precious tree before them that could potentially fetch an extremely high price, how could they possibly concentrate on their work?

All I could think about was how to get the tree back home first; getting it safely in my bag was the most important thing.

"Brother Li, you just said this tree could fetch a good price, but what do we do now? The trunk is like mud, it can't be used for anything. Who will want it then?"

The others nodded in agreement. They had all been hoping to make a small fortune, but this was the unexpected outcome, and they were naturally quite unhappy.

If no one had said that, it wouldn't have mattered, but now that the thing in front of them has run away, no one would be happy.

"Don't rush. Even if it's not made of wood, it can have other uses. For example, those precious teapots and porcelain are all made of clay before they are shaped. This thing is like clay, so maybe there are people who know its value."

At the crucial moment, it was Old Li who spoke up and calmed everyone down; otherwise, they probably would have started arguing again.

After all, no one can tolerate the cooked duck suddenly flying away.

Normally, being a little careless is one thing, but Anthony has the prize right in front of him. If he can't even grasp it now, then it means we're destined to be poor for life.

Since Old Li had said so, the others knew that no matter how much they protested, it would be futile, since no one knew what the item was actually used for. The only thing they could do now was to get it first, and whether they could sell it later was up to fate. 1.4

Just then, someone suddenly walked over without anyone noticing. He swung his shovel at the tree, and the bystanders gasped and tried to stop him, but then they saw that the shovel had already penetrated deep into the tree.

"What are you calling me? We're going to split it up anyway, are we going to use our hands instead of a shovel?"

When this person asked a question, the others thought it made sense and didn't say anything more. They all grabbed their shovels and wanted to get a share of the pie.

If it were an old tree, it would have been difficult for us to sort it without the right tools, but since it's just mud, there's not much to say about it now.

Chapter 769 Feeling Disappointed

But when the person who first stuck out his shovel found that he couldn't pull it out, everyone stared in disbelief.

The once-thick shovel was now stuck in the tree, and the craftsman couldn't pull it out no matter how hard he tried. In fact, the shovel kept getting sucked into the tree.

"Come help me!" the man shouted. The others were taken aback, but they all went to lend a hand. However, when seven or eight people grabbed the wooden handle of the shovel and tried desperately to pull it out, they found that the shovel could not be pulled out no matter what they did.

Moreover, the shovel was sucked in little by little, eventually becoming shorter and shorter until it disappeared.

"This……"

Everyone fell silent upon seeing this. Since this thing had been sucked in, how could the trees be divided? They couldn't be taken away either.

Fang Yun watched the group of people from the side and found it amusing. If these trees were really that easy to take, they probably wouldn't have been able to survive for so long in such an environment.

Fang Yun also guessed that the thing was not a tree at all, but just looked like a piece of wood.

It's quite possible that the object itself is formed from some kind of soft substance, and that it grew out from under the mountain wall here. Even if it really has some value, it would be difficult for this group of craftsmen, who have neither the tools nor the manpower, to move it away.

Therefore, Fang Yun could only feel regret, and these craftsmen would probably be disappointed for a while.

"What can we do? We can't just let it go like this, can we? I even lost a shovel."

The craftsman, now without his shovel, was filled with resentment. Without the shovel, he had no work to do, and he felt utterly frustrated.

As for the others, they felt more uncomfortable. They had spent so much time discussing how to divide this thing, only to find out in the end that it was completely unchangeable. It turned out they had been celebrating blindly, like fools.

As for Old Li, who was leading the group, he remained silent. He hadn't expected this outcome, so he could only reassure the others, saying, "Alright, everyone, don't be discouraged. Maybe we'll come up with a solution soon. Let's get back to work and think about it slowly."

At that moment, Old Li couldn't think of any better words, so this was the only way he could offer comfort.

"Hey... let's get to work."

The other craftsmen also sighed. Since it was gone, they still had to do their work and get paid, so they all returned to their previous positions, raised their hoes, and started hammering at the rock wall again.

At that moment, the last person who was about to leave lifted his right foot and found that it was as if his foot was nailed to the ground and he couldn't move it at all.

"What's going on? Why can't I move my legs?"

The man looked panicked, not knowing what had happened. When he looked down, he discovered that his ankles seemed to be wrapped with a red rope.

"Could it be the liquid from that tree we just saw that has turned into liquid?"

The man was startled and uncertain. He quickly picked up the iron shovel in his hand and tried to chop at the small red circle on the ankle, but all he heard was a metallic clang. It was of little use.

The other craftsmen who heard the sound also turned around to look. When they saw what was on the man's feet, they all looked at each other in surprise. Then someone came over to help, taking out a small file to cut the red circle, but only leaving some small white marks on it.

At this point, the others were clearly somewhat frightened, not expecting that the red liquid would have such an effect.

It was just water a moment ago, but now it has solidified and turned into this. If everyone hadn't been paying attention and had been any closer to this thing, wouldn't they have all been entangled and unable to move?

Thinking about this, everyone felt a mix of fear and relief. If they hadn't been persuaded to leave in time, they might have this problem by now.

"Don't just stare! Help me!"

The craftsman was trapped in place and couldn't move, so his tone was naturally somewhat anxious.

"Don't panic, shouting now won't help. We can only work together to find a solution, otherwise there's really no way to get rid of this thing on your foot."

In critical moments, you still need someone like Lao Li who has a clear head. Then, he walked over to the man and took out a pair of flints from his pocket.

"I have seen ironwood that is not afraid of swords, but I have never seen a plant that is not afraid of fire. Now let me give it a try."

Then, Old Li tapped the flint in his hand, and after a while, a few sparks flew out.

"Rip!" At that moment, Old Li ripped a piece of cloth off the man's body.

"It doesn't matter if I tear off a piece of your cloth, no one's watching anyway."

Old Li snorted coldly, lit the wooden strip with a spark, and then used the fire to heat the red snare. Sure enough, after a while, under the scorching heat of the flames, the red snare began to emit wisps of white smoke.

The smoke had a sour and bitter taste, but for these craftsmen who already lived in harsh conditions, it was already commonplace and they were unfazed by it.

Chapter 770 Danger Arises Again

Then, the red trap began to soften, seemingly returning to its previous muddy state.