This Taoist priest is so unprofessional!

Brother Long's eyes lit up.

"However..." Zhang Chen changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over everyone present, "the distribution ratio still needs to be changed."

"Oh?" Brother Long looked at him with interest. "How do you want to change it?"

"We'll lead the way, you do the work. It'll be split fifty-fifty." Zhang Chen's voice was calm, yet carried an undeniable force.

"Bullshit! Fifty-fifty split? Who do you think you are!" the impatient burly man roared again.

Brother Long raised his hand to stop him, looking at Zhang Chen with a forced smile.

"Young man, you've got quite an appetite."

Zhang Chen smiled and said slowly, "Brother Long, there's something you need to understand."

"This tomb isn't one that can be entered by sheer strength. You were drilling and blowing things up, and what was the result?"

He pointed to the corpse on the ground.

"This is the first tomb chamber, and you two have already perished. Don't you know how dangerous the road ahead is?"

"Without our guidance, you won't even be able to get out of here alive, let alone get the treasure."

The tall, thin strategist's face grew increasingly grim. He leaned close to Brother Long's ear again and whispered a few words in haste.

Brother Long's expression was unpredictable, clearly indicating that he was going through a fierce internal struggle.

After a full half minute, he managed to squeeze out a single word through gritted teeth.

"good!"

"Fifty-fifty it is!"

He stared at Zhang Chen with a fierce look in his eyes.

"But let me make this clear beforehand: if we find out you're playing tricks on us, or trying to lead us to our deaths..."

"Then you two can stay here and keep the tomb owner company."

Zhang Chen and Wang Xiaoer exchanged a glance. They knew very well that once they lost their usefulness, the other party would not hesitate to turn hostile.

This verbal agreement is as fragile as a piece of paper.

But for now, this is the best option.

Zhang Chen's smile remained unchanged, as if he hadn't noticed Brother Long's threat at all.

"It's a pleasure doing business with you." He extended his hand.

Brother Long hesitated for a moment, then reached out and shook hands with him firmly.

Two hands, one cold, the other rough, each harboring its own secrets.

"Since it's a collaboration," Zhang Chen withdrew his hand and said slowly, "there are some things that need to be made clear beforehand."

"Since you've asked us to lead the way, you have to follow our lead."

Zhang Chen's voice was not loud, but it was like a pebble thrown into a still pond, stirring ripples in everyone's heart.

Brother Long's eyes narrowed slightly.

Is this setting rules for them?

In this underground world, fists and numbers are the rules.

His bespectacled strategist immediately stepped forward, a friendly smile plastered on his face, and spoke before Brother Long could get angry.

"That's natural, that's natural."

He pushed up his glasses on the bridge of his nose, the lenses reflecting a dim light.

"Our boss said that the main goal this time is to make money, and that harmony brings wealth. We are all rough men who only know how to use our strength. Since you two are experts, we will naturally have to rely on you two masters to take the lead in this matter."

The bespectacled strategist spoke eloquently and adopted an extremely humble posture.

"Besides, our Brother Long isn't a stingy person. He's always thinking about the boss. If we were to pocket this treasure, even if it were 30% of us, Brother Long wouldn't say a word."

These words both flattered the two men and gave Brother Long plenty of face.

The fierce look on Brother Long's face softened slightly.

He was naturally unhappy, feeling like he was being led by the nose.

But the two still-warm corpses on the ground, and the bronze coffins that still gave him the creeps, reminded him that this was not a place where he could run wild.

He was heartbroken to see two brothers die. They had promised to bring them out to make money, but now they hadn't even seen anything and had already lost two of them.

If he dies again, forget about getting rich; he won't even know how to explain it to his family back home.

"snort."

Despite his worries, Brother Long let out a muffled snort, which was taken as tacit agreement with the suggestion.

With a wave of his hand, the burly men behind him, who were still ready to draw their swords, reluctantly put down their weapons.

Zhang Chenchong and Wang Xiaoer exchanged a wink.

Without further delay, the two turned and walked in front, following the stone steps revealed after the bronze coffin sank, into the dark passage deeper inside.

Brother Long and his group of five deliberately kept a distance of seven or eight meters, like a pack of silent wolves, following closely behind.

Footsteps echoed in the narrow passage, carrying a repressed rhythm.

The beam of the flashlight swayed in front of me, illuminating only a small area.

The passage was longer than expected, and the air was filled with the smell of stale earth and lime.

After walking about a hundred meters, the walls on both sides were no longer bare rocks, but large murals began to appear.

The murals are characterized by their bold style, strong lines, and powerful presence.

Zhang Chen slowed his pace and scanned the images one by one with his flashlight.

The first painting depicts a general in heavy armor inspecting his soldiers atop a magnificent city tower.

The second painting depicts a general leading his iron cavalry, charging into the enemy ranks and sweeping all before them.

The third painting depicts a battlefield strewn with corpses, where a general stands on his horse with his sword drawn, behind him piles of enemy corpses.

The style suddenly changes.

The fourth painting depicts a general retiring from his military post and returning to his rural home, only to be surrounded by a group of eunuchs. His face is filled with astonishment and resentment.

The last painting is of a dark prison cell.

The general, with disheveled hair and wearing shackles, roared to the sky. His eyes, dyed blood red by the painter with cinnabar, exuded a boundless resentment that seemed to emanate from the stone wall.

"It seems that the tomb's occupant was a general with many military achievements, but he did not have a good end in his later years and was framed by someone," Zhang Chen said in a low voice.

Wang Xiaoer leaned over for a look and then curled his lip.

"When someone's achievements overshadow their master, they are discarded once the birds are all gone—it's the same old story."

Zhang Chen glanced at him but didn't say anything.

The danger of a general's tomb filled with resentment only increases exponentially.

The procession continued forward.

At the end of the passage, a fork in the road appeared.

Two seemingly identical paths, one to the left and one to the right, both lead to unknown darkness.

Even the size of the cave entrance and the material of the stone walls are indistinguishable.

Zhang Chen stopped in his tracks.

He habitually took out a compass from his pocket.

But when he saw that the brass pointer looked like it was drunk, he realized that the thing was malfunctioning.

The footsteps behind stopped.

The bespectacled strategist's voice came from behind, carrying a hint of urging that was barely perceptible.

"Which way, gentlemen?"

Zhang Chen stared at the wildly spinning pointer, his brows furrowed, and did not answer immediately.

Just then, Wang Xiaoer, who was standing nearby, made a move.

He peered into both passageways, even craning his neck to sniff the air like a dog.

Then, without hesitation, he pointed to the one on the left.

"This way."

His tone was crisp and decisive.

"It feels more comfortable here."

As soon as these words were spoken, an uncontrollable commotion immediately arose in Brother Long's group behind him.

The hot-tempered burly man finally couldn't hold back any longer, muttering so loudly that everyone could hear him.

"What the hell? Choosing a route is like picking cabbage, based on gut feeling?"

He spat.

"If we go the wrong way, we're all finished! This is fucking playing with our lives!"

Brother Long's expression also turned ugly.

Although he didn't know how the two people got in, they must have some skill to be able to enter unscathed.

However, this decision, made purely on gut feeling, still made him uneasy.

Before he could speak, Wang Xiaoer had already turned his head, looked at the burly man, and grinned.

"Then you can go to the right; no one will stop you."

The burly man choked, his face turning red, and he felt an urge to kill the other man if no one was holding him back.