Tomb raiding live stream: Starting as the mute Zhang

The next morning at six o'clock, just as dawn was breaking.

The camp was a mess. Fragments of a folding table were still scattered on the ground, and footprints and scratches from last night's battle were deeply imprinted in the soil. Lin Guoce had a bandage on his forehead, the edges of which were stained dark red.

Everyone was awake, but no one could sleep soundly.

Liu Desheng emerged from tent number five, sporting dark circles under his eyes, and saw Xie Linyuan already sitting on a rock at the edge of the campsite, inspecting the straps of the Black Gold Ancient Sword. The sword was still the same sword, but this morning, no one dared to call it a prop anymore.

"Good morning..." Liu Desheng greeted him dryly.

Xie Linyuan nodded.

It was a very slight movement, but Liu Desheng felt flattered. He quickly went to pack his things.

The atmosphere at breakfast was somber. The sound of the self-heating porridge packaging being torn open was jarring. Kun Ge wasn't livestreaming; he ate silently with his head down. Chen Man's eyes were red and swollen, as if she had been crying. Wang Yihan patted her shoulder, offering quiet words of comfort.

Professor Zhou Xu'an pushed up his glasses, breaking the silence: "I checked the database for that creature from last night. There are indeed folk tales about 'black-haired mandrills' in the Qinling Mountains, but there is no corresponding species in scientific records. It may be an undiscovered primate variant."

Xu Jiashu immediately chimed in, "I knew it was a ferocious beast guarding the tomb! My demon-suppressing formation..."

"You were completely useless back then," Liu Desheng blurted out.

Xu Jiashu's face flushed red: "That beast is incredibly skilled! Today I'll devise an even stronger one!"

"Stop spreading the word." Lin Guoce put down his spoon. "Pack your gear, we'll set off in half an hour. Our objective remains the same, we'll proceed into the mountains as planned."

He looked at Xie Linyuan: "Mr. Xie, thank you for last night."

Xie Linyuan finished the last mouthful of porridge and stood up: "No need."

The voice was still the same, without any variation.

Lin Guoce paused for a moment: "Today, when we go into the mountains, will you walk in the middle of the group or...?"

"Ahead," Xie Linyuan said.

Lin Guoce nodded: "Okay."

---

At 7:00 AM sharp, the team left the camp.

Lin Guoce led the way, carrying a large-capacity tactical backpack and a road-clearing knife. Xie Linyuan followed three steps behind him, his black and gold ancient sword slung over his back, his steps steady.

Following them are Professor Zhou Xu'an, Jiang Shouyi, Xu Jiashu, Kun Ge, Chen Man, Wang Yihan, Zhou Hao, and Liu Desheng at the very end.

The team of ten stretched out in a line and ventured into the primeval forest deep in the Qinling Mountains.

The road soon disappeared.

The so-called "road" was merely a trail worn by animals, intermittent and broken. Underfoot was a thick layer of fallen leaves, soft and spongy, concealing pebbles and tree roots. Tree trunks were covered in moss and vines, the air was damp, and visibility was less than fifty meters.

Lin Guoce used the GPS device to check the direction every ten minutes. The satellite signal was intermittent here.

"Keep your distance! Watch your step!" he shouted back.

Ten live-streaming spheres hovered overhead, following the view. The daytime picture was clear, and the number of viewers in the live-streaming room rebounded.

[ID: 8am.com: It's starting! It's starting!]

[ID Outdoor Enthusiast: This route is wild enough]

[ID: Looks-obsessed: The guy in black is as handsome as ever today]

[ID Research Facts: Did anyone record and analyze yesterday's black mandrill?]

Xu Jiashu walked with great difficulty. He carried a bulging canvas bag filled with a compass, copper coins, talismans, and a nearly falling-off thread-bound book. As he walked, he looked at the compass, muttering, "Left Green Dragon, Right White Tiger... This direction is auspicious yet ominous..."

Zhou Hao asked curiously, "Master Xu, what did you mean?"

"Look at this mountain range," Xu Jiashu pointed ahead, "Two mountains flanking a ravine, this is called a 'narrow slit in the sky,' a place where yin energy gathers. In ancient times, it was often used for burial..."

"Mr. Xu," Zhou Xu'an interrupted, "we are engaged in scientific archaeology, not spreading superstition."

"Yes, yes, yes." Xu Jiashu chuckled, but he spun the compass in his hand even more frequently.

Xie Linyuan walked ahead, occasionally stopping.

When he stops, the whole team stops.

When they stopped for the first time, Lin Guoce asked, "What's wrong?"

Xie Linyuan didn't speak, but bent down and picked up a stone from the fallen leaves. The stone was dark red with fine holes on its surface. He glanced at it and threw it to the side of the road.

"Volcanic rock." Zhou Xu'an leaned closer to examine it. "There was volcanic activity in this area in ancient times."

The second time he stopped, Xie Linyuan looked up at the tree canopy.

On a huge ancient tree, ten meters above the ground, nestled among the branches, lay a crudely built nest. The nest, constructed of twigs and mud, was over two meters in diameter.

"A bird's nest?" Kun looked up. "A bird that big?"

"It's not a bird." Jiang Shouyi's face turned pale. "It's a mandrill's nest. They sometimes build temporary resting places in trees."

A chill ran down everyone's spine.

Lin Guoce gripped his road-clearing knife tightly: "Keep going. Don't stop."

The team sped up.

---

At 10 a.m., they reached the first stream.

The stream flows out from the gorge between two mountains, about five meters wide, with a rapid current and a roaring sound. Three meters above the water's surface, a fallen tree trunk lies across the water—a natural log bridge.

The trunk is about 30 centimeters in diameter and its surface is covered with slippery moss.

"One at a time." Lin Guoce went first.

He spread his arms to maintain his balance, his steps were steady, and he reached the other side in ten seconds.

"Next, Mr. Xie."

Xie Linyuan walked up the tree trunk.

He didn't spread his arms; he simply walked normally, his steps even. The moss under his feet seemed to have no effect on him; his center of gravity remained centered on the tree trunk. In five seconds, he reached the other side.

The barrage of comments is scrolling:

[ID Balance Master: This Core Strength]

[ID Physics Student: That's not scientific, moss is so slippery]

[ID Fan: Go, brother!]

It was Kun's turn. As soon as he stepped onto the tree trunk, his foot slipped and he swayed.

"ah--!"

Chen Man screamed.

Kun waved his hands wildly, about to fall into the water.

Xie Linyuan moved.

He leaped from the opposite bank, tapped his left foot on the tree trunk, lunged forward, grabbed Kun's collar with his right hand, and pushed off the tree trunk with his left hand, using the momentum to bring Kun down to the other side.

The action happened too fast.

Once Kun Ge had regained his footing, Xie Linyuan released his grip and stepped aside.

On the tree trunk, where his left hand had just braced, a clear handprint was pressed into the moss.

"Thank...thank you..." Kun's face turned pale.

Xie Linyuan nodded.

The group continued crossing the river. Professor Zhou Xu'an carefully crossed with Jiang Shouyi's help. Wang Yihan and Chen Man supported each other. Zhou Hao, with good balance, crossed smoothly.

Liu Desheng slipped halfway down the path, but managed to steady himself and grumbled as he crawled across.

Xu Jiashu was the last one.

He was carrying a large bag, and the tree trunk swayed violently as soon as he stepped onto it.

"Master Xu, throw the bag over here!" Lin Guoce shouted from the other side of the river.

"No, no! These are all magical artifacts!" Xu Jiashu gripped the backpack strap tightly.

He moved carefully, and when he reached the middle of the tree trunk, a mountain breeze blew by.

The tree trunk swayed.

Xu Jiashu slipped and fell backward.

The backpack slipped from my hand and flew into the air. The compass, coins, talismans, and thread-bound books inside all spilled out, like a celestial maiden scattering flowers.

"my darling--!"

Xu Jiashu screamed, his hands flailing wildly, grabbing a drooping vine. The vine was taut, but its roots were loose.

Xie Linyuan glanced at the scattered items.

The compass fell into the water and was instantly swept away. Copper coins clattered and fell onto the tree trunk and the bank. The thread-bound book landed right at his feet.

The cover reads: "A Collection of Feng Shui Secrets".

Xie Linyuan bent down to pick up the book and stuffed it into the side pocket of his backpack.

Then he turned around and looked at Xu Jiashu, who was still hanging on the vines.

The roots of the vines have already loosened by half.

Xu Jiashu is two meters above the water, with rocks and rapids below.

"Help! Help me!"

Lin Guoce is preparing to go into the water.

Xie Linyuan raised his hand to stop him.

He walked to the shore, found the right spot, and pushed off with both feet.

The body is airborne.

It wasn't a jump, it was a leap. He lightly touched the middle of the tree trunk with his toes, exerted force a second time, his body arced through the air, and his right hand grabbed Xu Jiashu's clothes from behind.

The vine broke at the base.

The two fell.

Xie Linyuan stepped on a protruding rock on the cliff with his left foot, spun around to dissipate the force of the fall, and then pushed off the rock wall with his right foot, carrying Xu Jiashu as he leaped diagonally back to the shore.

Upon landing, Xie Linyuan slightly crouched to cushion the impact. Xu Jiashu sat down heavily on the ground, soaking wet and pale.

On the other side, everyone was stunned.

The live stream chat was silent for three seconds, then exploded:

[ID audience: ? ? ? ? ? ? ]

[ID: Wuxia Fan: Lightness Skill?!]

[ID Physics Teacher: This doesn't obey Newton's laws!]

[ID Screen Recording Team: I still didn't understand that action even after slowing it down tenfold]

[ID screams: He just flew! He flew!]

Liu Desheng stared, mouth agape, before finally managing to stammer, "Holy crap... you can fly, huh?"

Xie Linyuan released Xu Jiashu and walked back to his previous spot, as if nothing had happened.

Xu Jiashu collapsed to the ground, panting, when suddenly he remembered something: "My book! My collection of secret techniques!"

Xie Linyuan took the half-wet thread-bound book out of the side pocket of his backpack and tossed it to him.

"Here you go."

Xu Jiashu caught the book, stared blankly at Xie Linyuan, then at his teammates on the other side, then at the book in his hand, and finally lowered his head.

Lin Guoce took a deep breath: "Everyone, we've crossed the river. Take a ten-minute rest."

---

During the rest period, no one spoke.

Kun Ge sat on a rock, secretly watching Xie Linyuan. Chen Man and Wang Yihan whispered among themselves. Zhou Hao leaned close to Jiang Shouyi: "Brother Jiang, was that really light-footed skill?"

Jiang Shouyi stared at the compass in his hand (the one he was carrying, which hadn't fallen into the water), the compass needle trembling slightly.

"Ancient books record that some families with special lineages possessed physical cultivation methods that surpassed those of ordinary people. But... I thought they had been lost long ago."

Professor Zhou Xu'an walked over: "Xiao Jiang, who is the author of that book you mentioned, 'A Collection of Secret Feng Shui Techniques'?"

Jiang Shouyi shook his head: "I don't know. But I glanced at Xu Jiashu's copy; it's a handwritten copy from the late Qing Dynasty to the early Republic of China, with mixed and conflicting content, including both genuine and fake information."

"Can I borrow it to take a look?"

Xu Jiashu clutched the book tightly, shaking his head vigorously: "No way! This is an heirloom! No one is allowed to see it!"

Professor Zhou Xu'an frowned, as if he wanted to say something more. At this moment, Xie Linyuan turned his head and his gaze fell on Xu Jiashu's face.

His gaze was indifferent, devoid of emotion, yet Xu Jiashu felt a chill run down his spine. He recalled Xie Linyuan's inhuman skill in saving him, and his own still-weak legs.

Xu Jiashu's face paled, his lips trembled, and he finally reluctantly handed over the book: "Professor...please...please read carefully..."

Professor Zhou Xu'an took the book, flipped through a few pages, and his brows furrowed more and more: "This content... some parts do resemble folk feng shui techniques, but some of the annotations..." He pointed to a line of small print, "'This technique originates from Zhang Family Ancient Building.' What kind of place is Zhang Family Ancient Building?"

Xie Linyuan looked up at him.

Zhou Xu'an continued flipping through the pages: "And here it is, 'Qilin blood can ward off all evil.' Qilin blood? Something from mythology?"

Xu Jiashu snatched the book back: "Professor! This is a secret technique! You wouldn't understand!"

Xie Linyuan stood up: "Let's go."

The sound wasn't loud, but everyone heard it.

Lin Guoce put away his water bottle: "Let's go."

The group moved forward again.

This time, Xu Jiashu behaved himself. He no longer talked loudly about feng shui, but silently followed behind the group, occasionally stealing glances at Xie Linyuan's back.

The mountain road became increasingly steep.

They began climbing the slope. The incline was over forty degrees, requiring them to use both hands and feet. Lin Guoce made makeshift safety arrangements with ropes, but progress was slow.

Xie Linyuan walked at the very front.

When faced with steep cliffs, he doesn't need ropes. He grips the crevices with his fingers, finds footing with his toes, and climbs up the cliff like a gecko. Each time, he finds the most stable foothold.

The people behind him followed the route he chose, and it was indeed much easier to walk.

At 2 p.m., they arrived at a platform halfway up the mountain.

The platform wasn't large, barely enough to accommodate ten people standing. Looking ahead, there was a deeper valley. Looking down, the path they had come from had disappeared into the sea of ​​trees.

"Let's have lunch here," Lin Guoce announced.

Everyone collapsed to the ground, too exhausted to speak.

Xie Linyuan stood at the edge of the platform, looking northwest.

His night vision also had a slight effect during the day. He could see that in a distant valley, there was an area where the trees were a darker color than in other places—not because of the different tree species, but because of the soil composition.

There's something underground.

Metal, or something else.

Jiang Shouyi walked over and followed his gaze: "Mr. Xie, do you also think there's a problem over there?"

Xie Linyuan nodded.

"I felt it too," Jiang Shouyi said in a low voice. "The compass started spinning erratically an hour ago. It's not magnetic interference, it's... an anomaly in the earth's energy."

Xu Jiashu perked up his ears when he heard the word "earthly energy," but he didn't dare to come closer.

Lin Guoce chewed on a compressed biscuit while looking at the map: "At this speed, we can reach the designated campsite today. We should be able to reach the edge of the target area before noon tomorrow."

Zhou Hao suddenly pointed to the rock wall on one side of the platform: "Look! There are paintings on there!"

Everyone turned their heads.

The rock face was covered with a thick layer of moss and vines. Zhou Hao parted a vine to reveal the rock surface beneath.

There are carvings on it.

It's not text, it's a picture.

A circle, engraved with intricate patterns, like some kind of emblem.

Professor Zhou Xu'an immediately went over and carefully cleaned the moss with a brush.

"This craftsmanship... is hand-carved. It's very old and severely weathered."

"Is that a marker for the tomb?" Chen Man asked softly.

"Not necessarily." The professor examined it closely. "This pattern... I feel like I've seen it somewhere before."

He took out his tablet from his backpack and started searching through the database.

Xie Linyuan also walked to the rock wall.

He looked at the pattern.

The pattern inside the circle is an interlacing of lines, with an abstract mountain-shaped symbol at the center.

In his memory, fragments of Zhang Qiling's memories were churning.

He had seen this pattern before.

On a wall of Zhangjia Ancient Building.

In those forgotten records about immortality and the ultimate.

"This is..." Xie Linyuan began.

Everyone looked at him.

"The gatekeeper's mark," he said.

The sound was very soft, but the platform was completely silent.

"A gatekeeper?" Zhou Xu'an pressed, "Guard what gate?"

Xie Linyuan did not answer.

He looked at the pattern, his fingers unconsciously tracing the hilt of the black gold ancient sword.

The handle of the knife is getting hot.

It's as hot as the Qilin tattoo on my shoulder blade.

A system notification appeared in my mind:

[Touching a fragment of the world's core secrets]

[Performance Ratio: 8%]

[Rewards: Zhang Qiling 20% ​​increased combat power, Basic Mechanism Recognition (Beginner)]

The power increased once again.

Xie Linyuan withdrew his gaze, walked back to the center of the platform, sat down, and closed his eyes to rest.

He left behind a group of people looking at each other in bewilderment.

Lin Guoce stared at the patterns on the rock wall, then looked at Xie Linyuan.

He pressed the intercom: "Base, this is Azure Dragon Squad. We have discovered what appears to be an artificially carved pattern. Coordinates have been sent. Requesting pattern recognition support."

A hissing sound came from the walkie-talkie, followed by a broken message: "Received...pattern...sent back...for analysis..."

The signal is terrible.

Professor Zhou Xu'an took several photos, but they couldn't be uploaded.

Xu Jiashu secretly took out the damp book "Essentials of Feng Shui Secrets" and turned to a certain page.

In the corner of that page, there was a similar circle pattern.

There was a line of small print next to it:

"Those who see this mark have already entered the realm of the dead. Living people should not approach."

His hand trembled, and the book almost fell to the ground again.

The wind on the platform suddenly turned cold.