Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

As dawn broke, Pingshan Town was still shrouded in a thick morning fog.

In the backyard of the "Mountain Guesthouse", everyone had already finished tidying up.

Heavy hiking backpacks, bulging waterproof bags, and various equipment were distributed to everyone.

The two local guides that Panzi had found also arrived. They were both lean men in their forties or fifties, with dark, rough skin and eyes that revealed the alertness and silence unique to mountain people. One was named Lao Gen and the other was named Amu.

"The mules and horses are waiting at the mountain pass," Panzi said to the group, checking the buckles on his backpack. "The road ahead is impassable by vehicles; we'll have to rely on our legs and animals. Once we're in the mountains, follow my instructions. Don't run around or touch anything, especially those strange-looking old trees, rocks, and pools of water."

His tone was serious, and no one dared to take it as a joke.

Xie Yuchen nodded and looked at everyone: "Is everyone ready?"

Wu Xie took a deep breath of the damp, chilly air, tightened his backpack strap, and nodded.

Fatty Wang muttered, "My fat body is going to suffer again," but he had already checked his equipment.

Huo Xiuxiu carried a slightly smaller professional backpack, which contained her organized research materials and portable equipment.

Black Bear still looked lazy, but when his eyes swept across the surrounding mountains and forests, they were as sharp as an eagle's.

A Ning and Jiang Xun Gu stood on the left and right sides of the group at the back, their hands seemingly casually resting on their waists.

Zhang Qiling slung the backpack containing the short staff over his shoulder and then confirmed that the Black Gold Ancient Sword was securely fastened.

Zhang Qiling also checked his short sword and equipment. The two of them looked up almost simultaneously, gazing at the vast and boundless mountain outlines deep in the mist, their eyes calm.

"Let's go," Xie Yuchen ordered.

The group left the inn and headed into the mountains along a well-trodden path behind the town.

The morning fog was thick, with visibility less than twenty meters. The surrounding trees and rocks were indistinct, and the damp fog clung to my face, carrying the mixed smell of decaying grass and earth.

Panzi led the way, followed by Lao Gen and Amu, each holding a machete and occasionally chopping away the vines and branches blocking their path.

Wu Xie and the others walked in the middle, while Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" brought up the rear.

The mountain road became steeper and steeper, but the fog showed no signs of dissipating.

The only sounds were footsteps, breathing, and the rustling of a machete cutting through the vegetation.

Occasionally, an unidentified bird would let out a short, sharp cry from deep within the thick fog, adding to the eeriness.

After walking for about an hour, the fog gradually thinned, and we were able to see the surrounding environment clearly.

They were walking on a narrow ridge, with a steep slope on one side covered with slippery moss and ferns, and a bottomless valley filled with mist on the other, where the sound of rushing water could be faintly heard from the bottom.

"Stop for a minute," Panzi raised his hand, wiping the sweat from his forehead. "Rest here for five minutes and have a drink of water. The road ahead is steeper, so be careful not to slip."

Everyone stopped and found a place to sit down and drink water.

Fatty Wang plopped down on a rock, panting, "This godforsaken place is so foggy, I could practically raise fish in my lungs."

Wu Xie was also exhausted, his clothes soaked with sweat. He looked at Pan Zi: "Pan Zi, how much further to that mountain pass you mentioned?"

Panzi took a sip of water and pointed to the deeper forest ahead: "After passing through that old forest ahead and climbing over two more slopes, we'll reach Black Wind Pass. The mule caravan is waiting there. But Black Wind Pass is an eerie place; the fog never dissipates, and the road is difficult to travel. Everyone, stay close and don't fall behind."

As they were talking, Zhang Qiling, who had been silently observing his surroundings, suddenly took a few steps forward and came to a slightly protruding rock on the edge of the ridge.

He didn't look down at the deep valley, but instead looked up, his gaze slowly sweeping over the undulating mountains all around him, before looking down at his hands.

He stretched out his fingers, long and distinct knuckles, and made vague gestures in the air, pausing occasionally, as if measuring or calculating something.

The fingers move extremely fast, with a unique rhythm, and occasionally a light pinch is made, as if the invisible veins are being grasped.

Sunlight struggled to penetrate the fog, dancing on his fingertips.

Everyone quieted down and looked at him. Although they didn't understand, they all knew this young man's skills; he was definitely not playing around.

Zhang Qiling walked to his side and watched his movements quietly. Occasionally, his gaze would follow the direction in which Zhang Qiling's finger paused, looking towards a distant mountain valley or peak.

About a minute later, Zhang Qiling stopped what he was doing and withdrew his fingers.

He turned to look at Pan Zi, his voice calm and even: "Black Wind Pass, slightly to the left, there's water."

Pan Zi was taken aback, then his expression changed slightly: "Yes! There's an underground river to the left of Black Wind Pass. The current is very rapid, and it's usually hidden by thick fog and dense forest, so outsiders rarely know about it. Brother Zhang, you..."

"The earth's energy is chaotic." Zhang Qiling didn't explain, only saying three words.

Zhang Qiling added: "Water carries evil influences, so go around it."

Pan Zi's eyes changed. Of course he knew what "煞" meant in the mountains—it was something bad, an evil thing.

He nodded emphatically: "Understood! Thanks for the reminder, bro! We won't go to the left side of the pass, we'll go around to the right. It'll be a bit more difficult, but it'll be safer."

Xie Yuchen and Huo Xiuxiu exchanged a glance, both seeing the surprise in each other's eyes.

By simply observing the mountain's shape and calculating with their fingers, they could accurately pinpoint details that even they didn't know. The feng shui secrets passed down in the Zhang family were indeed unpredictable and mysterious.

Black Bear clicked his tongue: "Alright, with Dumb Zhang around, it's like having a human radar plus a feng shui early warning aircraft. This trip is going to be a sure thing."

Fatty Wang leaned over and whispered to Wu Xie, "See that? Tianzhen, that's professionalism! From now on, when we go tomb raiding... I mean, when we go into the mountains, we need to bring this kind of equipment!"

Wu Xie ignored him, but felt a sense of relief. With Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" around, he did feel much more at ease.

After a short rest, the group continued its journey.

Following Zhang Qiling's instructions, Pan Zi adjusted his route, abandoning the original plan to pass directly through Heifeng'ao and instead taking a detour through a steeper, more vegetated slope on the right.

The path was indeed difficult to traverse, often requiring the use of both hands and feet, grabbing onto protruding tree roots or rocks to climb.

Lao Gen and Amu led the way, using machetes to clear a path, cutting through the tangled vines and thorny bushes.

Even so, everyone still had many cuts and scrapes, covered in mud and grass clippings.

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" walked in the middle and back of the group, but their figures were still agile and steady. They walked on the slippery and steep mountain slope as if it were flat ground, and occasionally they would reach out to help Wu Xie or Huo Xiuxiu if they slipped.

After another two hours of arduous travel, the faint sound of flowing water came from ahead, and the fog seemed to have thinned out a bit.

Panzi gestured for everyone to stop, listened intently, and his expression softened slightly: "We're almost at the detour point. After passing that small waterfall ahead and climbing a steep slope, we can circle around to the top of Black Wind Pass and avoid the underground river on the left."

Everyone's spirits lifted.

Just then, the usually quiet Lao Gen suddenly exclaimed "Eh!", squatted down, and used his machete to clear away the thick layer of decaying leaves on the ground.

Beneath the decaying leaves, several clear footprints were visible. Judging from their size and texture, they were the marks of hiking boots, still quite fresh, with the soil still clinging to them not completely dry.

"Someone walked by, not long ago, at most half a day," Lao Gen said in a deep voice, gesturing with his hand to indicate the direction of the footprints. "They went to the left of Black Wind Pass, and there were quite a few people, at least seven or eight."

Pan Zi squatted down and examined them closely, his face darkening. "These are professional hiking boots, not the rubber shoes that people in the mountains usually wear. The stride is wide, indicating a hurried pace... Are they from the Wang family or the Luo family?"

Amu pointed to the trunk of a tree nearby, where there was a barely noticeable triangular mark made with the tip of a knife, the tip pointing to the left of Black Wind Pass: "Look, a mark. It's a code that Yang Biao's gang often uses."

"Ghost Face Yang Biao, it really was him leading the Wang family." Pan Zi stood up, his eyes sharp. "The left path they took is the one Zhang Xiaoge mentioned, the one with the underground river and the evil influence. Are they trying to take a shortcut, or...?"

"Intentionally." Zhang Qiling suddenly spoke, his voice not loud, but it made everyone's heart tighten.

Zhang Qiling nodded: "Draw away the evil spirits to block those who come after."

Wu Xie realized, "Did they deliberately take that dangerous path? Are they trying to use the danger there to stop us or someone else?"

"Or perhaps, awaken something." Black Bear stroked his chin, looking thoughtfully towards the fog-shrouded Black Wind Pass. "The Wang family is ruthless. If there really is something evil there, they might be eager to bring it out, muddy the waters, and fish in troubled waters."

Huo Xiuxiu's face turned pale: "Then... should we warn them? Or, should we take a longer route?"

"It's too late," Panzi shook his head. "They've been gone for half a day; if something was going to happen, it would have happened by now. If we go now, we might just run into them. Besides..." He paused, "that road itself is problematic; we don't need to wade into that mess. Stick to the original plan and go around to the right. They brought this on themselves; they deserve it."

Even so, knowing that there was another group of people with ill intentions ahead, and that they might trigger unknown dangers, everyone's hearts were in their throats again.

After a short rest, the team continued climbing.

After walking for about half an hour, we finally passed through a dense forest, and the view ahead suddenly opened up to a small waterfall cascading down from a height, with the sound of rushing water.

Below the waterfall is a small pool with deep, dark water.

The detour point Panzi mentioned is right next to the waterfall, where you need to grab onto slippery rocks and vines and climb a nearly vertical slope.

"One by one, hold on tight! Don't look down!" Panzi took the lead and started climbing, his movements as agile as an old goat.

The others followed one by one.

Wu Xie was halfway up the hill when his foot suddenly slipped. He stepped on a loose rock, which rolled down the hillside and plunged into the deep valley below. There was no echo for a long time.

He broke out in a cold sweat and clung tightly to a thick vine.

A steady, strong hand reached down from above and grabbed his wrist.

It's Zhang Qiling.

He had somehow climbed above Wu Xie, grabbed the crevice in the rock with one hand, and steadily lifted Wu Xie up with the other.

"Thank... thank you, bro." Wu Xie was still shaken.

Zhang Qiling didn't say anything, but waited for him to stand firm before continuing upwards.

Finally, everyone climbed to the top of the steep slope.

This is a small, relatively flat woodland, located on the upper side of Black Wind Pass.

From here, through the sparse trees, one can vaguely see the outline of the valley below, shrouded in thick fog, like a huge pot churning with grayish-white cotton wool.

To the left, there was an even deeper fog, making it impossible to see the underground river Panzi had mentioned, but one could hear a deeper, more rapid sound of water, as if it were coming from underground, even more so than the sound of a waterfall.

Just as they regained their footing, before they could even catch their breath—

"ah--!!!"

A sharp, short scream suddenly came from the depths of the thick fog below and to the left, tearing apart the silence of the mountain forest!

Immediately following were several terrified screams and chaotic gunfire!

"Bang bang bang!"

Gunshots echoed through the valley, startling a flock of birds into flight.

Then, everything quickly fell silent again, leaving only the sound of rushing water and the whistling of the wind through the treetops.

Everyone's expression changed.

Pan Zi cursed under his breath, "Damn it, something really happened!"

Black Bear squinted and listened intently: "The gunfire is chaotic, more of a sign of fear than retaliation... What they've encountered is probably not easy to deal with."

Xie Yuchen made a quick decision: "We can't stay here any longer. No matter what happens below, we'll proceed quickly according to plan. Don't stop, and don't go near the left!"

Zhang Qiling and "Zhang Qiling" had reached the edge of this small flat area, looking down at the churning mist below.

Both of them had extremely focused eyes, as if they were trying to catch something invisible to ordinary people in the fog.

After a moment, Zhang Qiling withdrew his gaze, looked at Pan Zi, and uttered two words:

"Hurry up and go."

His tone was unusually solemn.

Almost as soon as he finished speaking, a strange sound faintly came from the depths of the thick fog to his left.

The sound... was like many people struggling through mud at the same time, or like countless wet tentacles dragging across the ground.

From far to near.

The floating live-streaming sphere recorded the sudden change in everyone's expressions and the eerily silent valley below.

The live chat exploded instantly:

Holy crap! What's going on down there?

Screams! Gunshots!

Were the Wang family attacked?

What is that?

Hurry up! The delivery guy told us to hurry up!

What exactly is in these mountains?!

Creepy!

"Go! Quickly!" Panzi didn't care about anything else, he roared and led the way towards the planned detour.

The group followed closely behind, leaving the steep slope at top speed and rushing into the dense forest on the other side.

Behind them, the eerie dragging sound seemed to be getting closer, accompanied by a faint, extremely unsettling, sticky watery sound.

No one looked back.

But everyone could sense that from the depths of the thick fog behind them, countless cold gazes seemed to pierce through the mist and lock onto them.