Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The sun was shining brightly, making people feel lazy.

The villa was quiet, with only the occasional soft sounds of Aunt Chen preparing lunch coming from the kitchen. The French windows in the living room were open, letting in the breeze, which carried the scent of grass from the yard.

Fatty Wang slumped in the biggest sofa in the living room, rubbing his noticeably smaller belly, and sighed, "Sigh, all that fat I had this time has really come at a loss. I need to make up for it."

Wu Xie sat on the single sofa next to him reading a book, without looking up: "You're just weak, not thin. You'll bounce back in a couple of days."

"Hey, what do you mean, Naïve?" the fat man retorted. "I call this refinement! Concentrated essence! Look at these guys, that's what you call weak, injured like that..."

Before he could finish speaking, he felt two cold, indifferent gazes sweep over him. One came from Zhang Qiling, who was sitting by the window at the other end of the living room, resting with his eyes closed, and the other came from "Zhang Qiling," who had just come down the stairs and was stretching his wrists.

The fat man immediately shrank back, chuckling sheepishly, "Well... what I meant was, you guys are awesome! Your injuries are badges of honor! You're tough guys!"

Wu Xie pushed up his glasses, suppressing a laugh.

Black Bear swaggered down from upstairs, wearing sunglasses even indoors, a cigarette dangling from his lips. He walked over to Fatty and kicked the sofa leg: "Move aside, give me some space. The area you're taking up is starting to resemble a mountain bandit's throne."

"You're the one who's like the bandit leader!" the fat man retorted, but he still moved his body to the side.

Hei Xiazi sat down comfortably, crossed his legs, and looked at Wu Xie: "What book are you reading? You're so diligent."

"Let me organize my notes," Wu Xie said, closing the book he always carried with him, a record of his adventures that was already mostly filled out. "Some details from the Qinling Mountains, and symbols copied from the jade tablet. I need to think about some parts again."

"Still want to?" The fat man scoffed. "I wish I could forget it all. That awful place keeps giving me nightmares for days on end."

"We can't forget," Xie Yuchen's voice came from the study doorway. He and Huo Xiuxiu came out together, each carrying some documents and copies. "The things we brought back are very important. There's too much information, and we need to sort them out slowly. The records on the jade tablet, the pointing pattern of the bronze compass, and that jade box..." He paused and looked at Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling had already opened his eyes, calmly met his gaze, and nodded. He had hidden the jade box in a secluded spot in the room and had no immediate plans to open it for research.

"Let's put the jade box aside for now," Xie Yuchen said. "The most urgent thing is to figure out the records on the jade tablet and how to use the compass. Xiuxiu and I initially judged that the compass might not only point to the 'core of the pillar' and the exit, but also point to other related points near different 'nodes,' and even... predict the fluctuations of the 'gap'."

Huo Xiuxiu added, "And those symbols, although different in system from those seen in Jingjue, Xianwang, and Xisha, share some common underlying logic. They may all originate from the same ancient source, but have evolved into different variants in different eras and regions."

"So," Wu Xie said thoughtfully, "we're actually piecing together a gigantic jigsaw puzzle, and each ancient tomb, each node, is a fragment?"

"More or less." Xie Yuchen sat down, rubbing his temples, his face showing the fatigue of staying up all night, but his eyes were bright. "This fragment of the Qinling Divine Tree contains a particularly large amount of information, and is also particularly... heavy. It reveals the corrupting nature of the power behind the 'gate,' and the tragedy of the ancients' attempts to resist and utilize it but ultimately failing. This is crucial for our understanding of the whole picture of the event."

"So where to next?" Fatty Wang asked, "Following the compass?"

"It's not that simple," Huo Xiuxiu shook her head. "The compass needs specific conditions to activate, or it needs to be in a relevant 'field' to have a clear direction. We're in the villa now, so it's basically stationary. Moreover, we must be careful in choosing our next target. The lesson from Qinling was too profound."

"If you ask me, let's rest up first," Black Bear stretched. "That mute Zhang's hand won't be fully recovered in a month or two. Let's also recover our losses. There's no rush to go back to the fields."

At this moment, Zhang Qiling suddenly stood up and walked towards the courtyard outside the door. "Zhang Qiling" glanced at him and silently followed.

"Where are the guys going, Brother?" Wu Xie asked.

"Let's do some morning exercise," Xie Yuchen glanced at the clock on the wall; it was almost ten o'clock. "Although it's a bit late, their recovery ability is stronger than ours, but necessary activities can't be neglected."

In the courtyard, Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" didn't spar. Instead, they each found an open space and began practicing an extremely slow, seemingly soft set of punches. Their movements were fluid, their breathing long and even, a stark contrast to the fierce and swift attacks they had displayed in their previous battles. Sunlight shone on them, and their bandaged arms moved steadily, as if the horrifying wounds didn't exist.

"What are they practicing? Tai Chi?" Fatty Wang peered out the window. "All soft and limp, can they even fight?"

"This is called internal nourishment," Xie Yuchen said, coming over to take a look. "It regulates qi and blood, and invigorates muscles and bones. They mostly suffer from internal injuries and energy erosion, and this gentle exercise is more effective than strenuous exercise."

"It looks quite comfortable," Black Bear chimed in, "Perfect for an old man like me. I'll have Dumb Zhang teach me later."

"You can't learn it," Wu Xie said, "Your mind isn't calm."

"Hey, Little Wu Xie, you look down on Blackie, huh?"

In the courtyard, Zhang Qiling finished his set of punches and slowly came to a stop. Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but his breathing was steady. "Zhang Qiling" finished almost simultaneously. The two exchanged a glance, walked to the stone table in the corner of the courtyard, and sat down to bask in the sun quietly. Neither of them spoke, just sitting there quietly, like two silent sculptures bathed in sunlight.

"Tsk, these two," Black Bear shook his head, "when they're together they're like two silent gourds having a meeting. Only the two of them could keep it so quiet, anyone else would have been bored to death long ago."

"That's called tacit understanding," Xie Yuchen smiled. "No need to say anything, we all understand."

At lunchtime, Mrs. Chen prepared a table full of delicious dishes, mostly light and refreshing, but also some substantial ones. The pigeon soup was milky white, the steamed sea bass was tender and fresh, and the various seasonal vegetables were vibrant green. Of course, there was also a plate of finely sliced, golden-brown roast chicken.

Fatty Wang's eyes widened, but looking at the nutritious meal in front of him (prepared by Aunt Chen at Xie Yuchen's special request, with little oil and salt), and then at the plate of roast chicken, he swallowed hard, his face filled with grief and indignation.

"Fatty, here you go," Aunt Chen said, suppressing a laugh as she pushed the nutritious meal in front of him. "Mr. Xie said you need to take care of your stomach these few days and can't eat anything too greasy."

"Grandpa Flower!" the fat man wailed, "Give me a break! Look at these vegetable leaves, my face's turned green from eating them!"

"It's just so your face won't turn too red," Xie Yuchen said slowly, picking up a piece of fish. "You can't handle too much nourishment, so we need to take it step by step."

Wu Xie suppressed a laugh, picked up a chicken leg and put it in his bowl, deliberately waving it in front of Fatty: "Mmm, smells delicious. Aunt Chen's cooking is getting better and better."

"Naive! You've gone astray!" the fat man said, heartbroken.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" ate quietly, each picking up a piece of chicken breast and chewing slowly. Neither of them even lifted an eyelid to the fat man's wails or Wu Xie's teasing, as if they had automatically blocked out the background noise.

Black Bear munched on a chicken wing with a gleeful grin, enjoying the spectacle even more: "Fatty, persistence pays off. Once you've recovered, have Aunt Chen stew a whole old hen for you—it's all yours."

"That'll be ages before we know it!" The fat man said with a mournful face, picking at a piece of vegetable leaf and chewing it as if it were wax.

Ah Ning ate quietly, occasionally glancing at the bickering group, a very faint smile playing on her lips. Jiang Xun Gu, on the other hand, was somewhat reserved, burying his head in his food.

After dinner, everyone moved to the small living room for tea. Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu went back into the study to continue their research. Wu Xie also went back to his room to organize his notes. A Ning said she was going to the city to stock up on some supplies. Jiang Xun Gu helped with the packing.

The only people left in the living room were Fatty, Black Bear, and the two "silent types" in the yard.

The fat man idly flipped through the TV remote, watching the same boring programs over and over. He glanced at the two people sunbathing in the yard, his eyes darting around, and then nudged the bear next to him.

"Hey Blackie, how about we make a bet?"

"What are we betting on?"

"I bet if we go out now and say ten sentences to those guys, their replies won't add up to more than five words. Want to bet?"

The blind man's eyes darted around behind his sunglasses: "The bet?"

"A barbecue! Just the two of us!"

"make a deal!"

The two sneaked into the courtyard. Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" were still sitting at the stone table, one gazing at the distant trees, the other looking down at the patterns on the stone table.

"Ahem," the fat man cleared his throat and leaned closer to Zhang Qiling, "Brother, the weather's really nice today!"

Zhang Qiling looked up, glanced at him, then looked at the sky, and let out a barely audible "Hmm" through his nose.

The fat man winked at the bear and held up a finger. Then he turned to "Zhang Qiling": "Brother Qiling, does your hand still hurt? I have some top-quality tiger bone ointment, it's incredibly effective!"

Zhang Qiling shook his head and uttered two words: "No need."

Two fingers.

"Um... the chicken soup at noon was pretty good, huh?" the fat man continued, trying to make conversation.

Zhang Qiling: "Not bad."

There was no response from "Zhang Qiling".

Three sentences, four words. The fat man was getting a little anxious.

Black Bear suppressed a laugh and stepped forward: "Mute Zhang, what's the name of your slow, leisurely boxing routine? Teach me sometime!"

Zhang Qiling looked at him, remained silent for two seconds, and said three words: "Health Preservation Exercise".

"Oh," Black Bear nodded, also looking at "Zhang Qiling," "Brother Qiling, you can do that too?"

Zhang Qiling: "Hmm."

That makes seven words! Seeing a glimmer of hope, the fat man quickly pressed on: "Hey, when are we going to get some exercise again? It's getting boring staying cooped up all the time."

Zhang Qiling remained silent for an even longer time this time, so long that Fatty thought he wouldn't answer. Only then did he slowly speak, uttering the longest sentence he had uttered so far: "We'll talk after the injury heals."

Four characters! Including the "hmm" from "Zhang Qiling," that's a total of eleven characters! Mission accomplished!

Before the fat man could even feel happy, Zhang Qiling added two more words casually, his gaze sweeping over him and Hei Xiazi: "Very free?"

Zhang Qiling glanced at them, his eyes seemingly showing a hint of... boredom.

The fat man and the black bear froze instantly, then let out two dry laughs.

"We're not busy! We're very busy! Let's go!" The fat man dragged the bearded man and scurried back into the house.

Back in the living room, the fat man slumped onto the sofa, wiping away imaginary sweat: "I lost, I lost... Blackie, the barbecue's on me. But those two taciturn guys have really gotten better at it. Especially that look in their eyes at the end..."

Black Bear chuckled, "It was worth it. At least Dumb Zhang said something that was more than four words long. But Fatty, your flirting skills are comparable to those stray cats that freeload at the entrance of Wu Shan Ju next door."

"Get lost!"

In the courtyard, beside the stone table.

Zhang Qiling picked up the slightly cooled tea and took a sip.

Zhang Qiling also picked up his cup.

The corners of their mouths curved almost imperceptibly.

The wind rustled through the courtyard, and the leaves whispered.

Life is peaceful and serene, as if the grotesque horrors and darkness beneath the surface had never happened.