He changed Tiwat

When Tang Wuchou heard Han Fulai ask about the origin of the jade pendant, he didn't try to hide it: "The person who sold the jade pendant is my good brother Lao Chou. He used to be in the jade business and also made jewelry for customers on the side. He still makes a living near this rocky area... This jade pendant was made by him. I liked it, so I bought it from him."

The jade business... Crosso also used the mineral business as a cover...

Han Fulai immediately pressed, "Where is this person now?"

Tang Wuchou became somewhat nervous as Han Fulai's tone grew increasingly serious: "...This, this, I don't know either."

It must be said that Tang Wuchou was indeed a simple-minded person; his truth and lies were practically written all over his face. Han Fulai could tell he wasn't telling the truth as soon as he heard him, so he immediately grabbed him by the collar and lifted him up from the ground: "Speak!"

Tang Wuchou still had a sense of brotherhood, and seeing Han Fulai's attitude, he became even more suspicious that this man intended to harm his good brother, so he shut up.

Seeing that Tang Wuchou still hadn't realized the seriousness of the situation, Paimon became a little anxious: "What good brother? This man is trying to harm you! He almost killed you by giving you this jade pendant!"

Tang Wuchou immediately shook his head: "That's impossible! Old Stinky is my brother by blood, how could he possibly harm me?"

Han Fulai countered, "Since your brother didn't intend to harm you, he shouldn't be afraid to meet you, right?"

Tang Wuchou nodded: "Of course not."

Han Fulai waved the jade pendant in his hand and said, "If there's nothing wrong with the item, I'm planning to order a few more from your brother. You taking us to support your brother's jade business shouldn't be a problem, right?"

"Uh..." Tang Wuchou rolled his eyes, thinking that it seemed to make sense.

Han Fulai then scooped Tang Wuchou onto his shoulders.

"So, Master Tang, would you please lead the way?"

Ying and Paimon had no objection to the fact that their "treasure hunt" turned into a murder investigation halfway through.

Since we've already found the "Tongze Spear," there's no harm in doing a "side quest" along the way.

They were even quite excited. Adventurers, after all, love thrills.

On the contrary, Han Fulai regretted it halfway through... because Tang Wuchou had been beaten by him and had to climb up and down the mountain, so he was already exhausted and fainted halfway through.

So he had to carry Tang Wuchou, a 200-pound fat man, up the mountain...

Speaking of which, the last time he came to the Layered Rock Abyss, he carried the delirious fat man Qi Ding for a long distance. This time when he came to Layered Rock, he carried the delirious fat man Tang Wuchou for a long distance again... Why does he always have to carry a fat man when he comes to Layered Rock?

If he had a choice, he would like to replace Tang Wuchou with a beautiful girl, such as Yingmei.

Uh, never mind. Thinking about it carefully, at least carrying a fat person on my back means I won't have to kneel on a washboard...

Fortunately, Tang Wuchou still remembered the route, and the place he pointed out earlier was indeed correct. The group crossed the Tiangong Gorge and arrived at a mountain ridge on the western side of Dansha Cliff. There stood a thatched hut there, which looked like it had been hastily built recently, with drafts coming from all directions in the walls and roof.

In front of the thatched hut stood a fat man wearing a straw hat and coarse cloth clothes covered in patches, who was diligently digging a hole with a shovel.

Hearing footsteps, the fat man stopped what he was doing, turned around, and saw his own brother.

"Old Tang, what happened to you?!"

He quickly ran over and helped Tang Wuchou up.

Upon closer inspection, the two brothers are almost identical in both face shape and build, truly "iron-clad brothers," and people would believe they were biological brothers.

Han Fulai made up a reason on the spot, saying that he and Yingmei were both adventurers in the Adventurers' Association. They were commissioned to search for minerals in the Crescent Rock and encountered Tang Wuchou, who had fallen off a cliff and was injured. They did a good deed and brought him back.

The "old stinker" didn't suspect anything. After settling Tang Wuchou into the thatched hut, he even warmly invited the kind people to stay for a cup of tea.

Han Fulai casually handed over the jade pendant and asked, "This jade pendant looks quite unusual to me. I heard from Old Tang that it was sold here. Do you still have any?"

Old Stinky took the jade pendant from the Emerald Jade Rock and examined it carefully against the light.

"The texture, the luster, the translucency... Yes, it's the one I gave to Old Tang. The material of this jade pendant looks different from the others. I was hoping to make a fortune off it, but Old Tang took a liking to it at first sight and begged me to sell it to him cheaply."

“It’s different from the other ones… Is this the only one you have here?” Han Fulai looked regretful.

Old Stinky also clicked his tongue with some regret: "I was actually hoping to find a second one."

Paimon, seeing that he had admitted it, couldn't hold back his words again: "Sigh... Luckily there was only one. The ore of this material is rich in elemental power. If someone without the Eye of God comes into contact with it, their personality will change drastically, and they will talk nonsense... Tang Wuchou now thinks he is a great hero of the Ancient Hua Sect, and he talks like a madman."

Ying and Han Fu quickly gave her a meaningful look—this little one can never control her mouth, whether she's eating or talking.

Paimon then remembered that he was "cooperating with the investigation" and quickly covered his mouth.

"Huh? H-How could this be?"

Old Stinky, oblivious to Paimon's actions, picked up the jade pendant with a look of surprise and examined it from all angles...

"...I've heard the older generation say before that although the Jadeite Rock is precious, if you carry it close to your body for a long time, the wearer will often suffer bad luck, it's very ominous. Looking at it closely, it really does look like the legendary Jadeite Rock...So, Old Tang fell off the cliff because of this thing? I'm the one who harmed Old Tang!"

His remorse seemed genuine, and his concern for Tang Wuchou was also real; it appeared he truly did not intend to harm anyone.

The question then lies in the origin of this Emerald Jade Rock.

Han Fulai thought for a moment and then asked, "Old Tang said you're in the jade business, but forgive me for being blunt... your attire doesn't seem like that of a businessman, and there are miners all around this Rock Abyss, so I'm afraid your jewelry won't fetch a good price, right?"

Old Chou gave a wry smile: "Since you've figured it out, I won't hide it from you... Old Tang and I came here to avoid trouble."

Chapter Sixteen: Bro from the Quit Gambling Forum

"To avoid disaster..."

Hearing Lao Chou say that he and Tang Wu Chou fled to the Layered Rock Abyss to avoid trouble made Han Fulai nod in agreement.

A small jade merchant who doesn't set up a stall in Liyue Harbor but instead lives in the rocky outcrops where he can't sell his goods. It does seem like he's deliberately hiding from something. Plus, their tattered clothes make it clear they've been wandering for a long time and have probably suffered a lot.

Han Fulai had actually met people like this before. Chang Jiuye from Qingce Village had gone bankrupt and retired to his hometown. And this old scoundrel, abandoning his business to live in seclusion in Cengyan, was very likely hiding from his debts…

When Liyue merchants flee to avoid debts, it's called "avoiding disaster" in the trade. Whether it's a natural disaster or a man-made one, it's still a disaster.

Old Chou must have been lonely for a long time, because once he met someone, he couldn't stop talking and started recounting his past: "Don't laugh at me, but even though I look like this now, I've actually been around in the world."

"Old Tang and I are both from Qingce Village. He lived across from my house and we grew up together. Qingce Village is a poor and remote place. You can't make a name for yourself by farming. All the ambitious young people in the village like to try their luck in Liyue Harbor."

“I used to be an apprentice under Master Lu of ‘Fanmutang’ for a while, and I learned some skills. The little trinkets I carved were quite popular in the village. Back then, I was too arrogant and thought that I should make a name for myself with this skill, so I emptied my savings and persuaded Old Tang to come with me to Liyue Harbor to make a name for myself. He would find work, and I would do the work. Together, we opened a jewelry processing shop.”

"However, when I got to Liyue Harbor, I realized that my skills, which might be considered decent in Qingce Village, were nothing in Liyue Harbor. The materials and craftsmanship of 'Shenglu Hall' and the design and manufacturing processes of 'Mingxingzhai'... they were all miles ahead of mine. Besides, how could I possibly afford the rent for shops in Feiyun Slope?"

"So after less than six months in business, I was almost broke. I thought I couldn't just go back home with all the money my parents had saved for their funerals, so I went to 'Iwasaka Tea House'..."

Hearing this, Han Fulai could already guess what would happen next—the stories told by the guys in the "Quit Gambling" forum were all similar to Lao Chou's...

"...I'm not bragging, but with my luck, you won't find anyone in all of Liyue who's worse off than me. Forget about winning back my losses, I'm actually in debt. I played dice all night and didn't win a single time... If the dealer wasn't a woman, I probably wouldn't even have left with my underwear."

Old Stinky pointed to his nose with a self-deprecating laugh, "Now you know why I'm called 'Old Stinky'."

Han Fulai gave Lao Chou a look of boundless sympathy—only outsiders in Liyue Harbor would play dice with Yelan; local gamblers wouldn't even step foot inside if they saw Yelan…

The old man's expression became even more bitter.

"I couldn't stay in Liyue Harbor any longer, and I didn't dare go home... That's when I ran into a fellow villager from Qingce Village, the son of Uncle Kai who runs a tea stall at the village entrance. Little Kai said he also wanted to do jade business, and since I had a skill, he pulled me in, offering to transfer his shop to him and help him with the work. I thought it was a good thing, so without much thought, I dragged Old Tang along too..."

Han Fulai recognized the name Uncle Kai. He, along with Master Hu and Xingqiu, had tea at Uncle Kai's stall when they visited Qingce Village. Uncle Kai had also told them that his son and daughter-in-law were working in Liyue Harbor and were supposedly doing quite well.

Logically speaking, Lao Chou's life had taken a turn for the better after being helped by a fellow villager during a low point... but the current situation tells them that things are not so simple.

Old Stinky's voice grew increasingly low.

"Later I found out... Xiao Kai didn't want me to do legitimate business. Back then, the Laminaria was still sealed off, and the best raw ore was stuck in the Laminaria and couldn't come out, but Xiao Kai always found a way to get the raw ore—that piece of Emerald Jade was also taken from the Laminaria. The ore they extracted was processed into jewelry through my shop and circulated in Liyue Harbor."

Paimon suddenly became clever: "Ah, I know, it's smuggling and receiving stolen goods! Your fellow villager is in the treasure-hunting gang, isn't he!"

Ying nodded in agreement. Mondstadt's treasure-hunting groups dig up ruins, while Liyue's treasure-hunting groups dig up the Great Abyss. Although the locations they dig are different, the methods for selling the stolen goods are quite similar...

Han Fulai was almost embarrassed—he even knew who had smuggled the jade pendant out of the market. Jinwu and his miners had done such a mess; even when reselling raw ore, they should at least be careful about what they could and couldn't sell. What if someone died because the jade pendant was put on the market?

Luckily, he only tricked Old Tang, and he just happened to find out, otherwise he wouldn't have been able to cover it up...

As for the "Little Kai" that Lao Chou mentioned, he's probably the one who helped the "Second Brother" of the "Mingyun Class" dispose of stolen goods.

Old Stinky's face showed even more helplessness: "That's why you say I have bad luck... Look, I even managed to find a partner who joined a treasure-hunting gang. But once you're on this pirate ship, there's no getting off. To make a living, I had no choice but to keep going... Until recently, the Layered Rock Abyss reopened, and now the Thousand Rock Army is guarding the mine. Little Kai and his crew can't get any goods, so they've gone back to their old ways..."

"And Old Tang, that clueless guy, didn't notice anything amiss with Xiao Kai and the others. When Xiao Kai said they needed more men, he went along... only when they got to the outskirts did he realize they were going to rob a highwayman..."

Ying and Paimeng both turned to look at Han Fu at this moment, their eyes full of eagerness, as if they were about to ask him how much reward they could get for catching the treasure-stealing gang.

Han Fulai silently looked up at the sky.

If it's just helping to sell stolen goods, the stolen goods and money can be recovered, and the punishment can be lighter. Robbery is a serious crime. Although Old Tang and Old Chou were deceived accomplices, they still have to be punished for their wrongdoings... From his perspective, it's certainly not appropriate to cover them up.

But this matter, once pulled up, might bring up the whole mess, potentially exposing the exploration team's shady dealings of reselling raw ore... and he was the one who settled the exploration team's bad debts...

Am I catching myself?

Fortunately, Lao Chou noticed that Yingmei and the others' expressions were off, and quickly shook his head: "Hey, friends, please don't misunderstand, we really didn't participate in the robbery, and we've already retired from that business... otherwise, I wouldn't have said it, right?"

What he said made sense, so the Mora symbols in Ying and Paimon's eyes temporarily went dark.

"That day, Lao Tang went out with Xiao Kai and a group of fellow villagers from Qingce Village. I was worried, so I secretly followed them, ready to drag Lao Tang along if things went wrong... But guess who they ran into?"

Paimon asked cooperatively, "Who is it?"

Old Chou chuckled: "The heroes of the Guhua Sect! That day, they spotted a caravan of merchants and rushed out, only to be met by the patrolling Guhua Sect heroes. The female hero in the lead wielded the Rain-Cutting Sword with such skill, it was absolutely beautiful. She beat Xiao Kai and his gang to a pulp in one move... Old Tang didn't even cry out in pain after being beaten that day, and he kept telling me that if he joined the Guhua Sect as a hero, maybe he could get closer to that heroine..."

"Look, Old Tang is now dreaming of joining the Guhua Sect and becoming a great hero."

Han Fulai finally breathed a sigh of relief, secretly praising Zhi Ruoshuo's skill and saying that she truly brought honor to him as the sect leader.

Chapter Seventeen: What Hatred and Grudge?

No wonder Tang Wuchou was affected by the Emerald Jade Rock and hallucinated that he would become a great hero of the Ancient Hua Sect... So there was more to this story.

The saying goes, "A prodigal son who returns is more precious than gold." It is certainly a good deed done by the Guhua faction to bring these two people who had gone astray back to the right path.

Old Stinky continued, "I know this isn't a legitimate business and won't last long. I've been thinking about when I can jump ship. That day, Xiao Kai and his group were scattered by the heroes of the Gu Hua Sect. I saw that this was a golden opportunity, so I rushed out and pulled Old Tang away. When we got back to Liyue Harbor, I packed up all the jewelry in the shop and took Old Tang away to lay low."

He then pointed outside the house.

"When you first arrived, didn't you see me digging a hole? Actually, I was digging a hole to bury those pieces of jewelry. Except for the one that Old Tang took a liking to, I'm going to bury the rest."

"Huh? Why bury it?" Paimon asked, puzzled.

Old Stinky chuckled.

“This is called ‘returning things to their rightful owner.’ The jade used to make the jewelry came from the Laminariat, so I’ll bury these things back in the Laminariat… Besides, those jewelry pieces were made by my own hands. Their designs can’t compare to the finer items from Liyue Harbor, but we craftsmen also value our possessions, right? When things are buried in the ground and then dug up, they become like treasures…”

“These things won’t fetch a good price, but if some lucky person ever digs up my jewelry from the ground in the future… maybe it can be passed down as an antique. Then all the effort I put into making this jewelry won’t have been wasted.”

Apart from the jade pendant made of emerald jade, Lao Chou's other jewelry was indeed not worth much. Moreover, Han Fulai was happy to let these raw mineral products be "digested" so quietly.

He immediately laughed and said, "Then why don't you learn from the stone bosses at 'Jie Cui Xing' and do some 'stone gambling'... You dig a lot of holes, some with jewelry buried in them, and some with ordinary stones. Each person has a limit on the number of times they can dig, and whatever they dig up, they can take home. Then you can invite the miners from the neighborhood to come and play, and charge them a participation fee. Wouldn't that be a business?"

—"The law does not punish the masses," right? If all the miners in the entire rock layer are involved in "selling stolen goods," even if someone wants to investigate, they can't. When asked where those jewelry came from, the miners can all say, "We found them."

Old Stinky's eyes lit up: "That's right, how come I didn't think of that? That's a really good idea!"

Paimon's side also got interested, shouting, "We want to play! We want to play!"

Old Chou happily went to get a shovel, preparing to invite a few friends to "trial operation" on the spot, as a way of thanking them for saving Old Tang.

He had just stood up when he heard a loud shout from outside: "You damn old bastard, get out here right now! I know you're in there!"

Old Stinky's face instantly turned ashen: "Damn it, they actually came looking for us!"

The people outside were still shouting, "You think you can just run away with my goods? You've got some nerve! What good will hiding do? If I, 'Little Light Strategy,' can't even handle traitors like you, how can I possibly survive in Liyue's underworld?"

Old Stinky was sweating profusely: "How...how did they know I was hiding here?"

Han Fulai shook his head, thinking to himself, "With your physiques and looks, you and Tang Wuchou are like a pair of 'Hefei brothers' when you walk together. Who could forget you after seeing you? You can easily find out their whereabouts with just a little inquiry."

Ying had already drawn her sword: "Isn't there the Mora Territory for catching thieves?"

Han Fulai nodded: "The General Affairs Department offers a reward for acts of bravery... Would you mind if I got a share?"

The leader of the treasure-hunting gang, who called himself "Little Qingce," was none other than Xiao Kai, whom Lao Chou had mentioned.

Seeing that Lao Chou and Tang Wuchou hadn't come out for a while, he gave a cold laugh and waved his hand imposingly. Several brothers standing behind him immediately raised their shovels and hammers, ready to demolish the thatched hut.

Just then, the door of the thatched hut opened, and two... no, three people came out.

A young man with black hair, a beautiful blonde girl, and a little white elf—in short, none of them were the people they were looking for.

"Xiao Qingce"'s expression hardened, and he quickly called for a halt.

The Abyss of Layered Rocks is currently guarded by the Thousand Rock Army. If the treasure-hunting group were to be seen committing crimes here, attracting the attention of the Thousand Rock Army, things would be disastrous. To avoid suspicion, they deliberately disguised themselves as miners and brought mining equipment to sneak in.

The fact that we encountered outsiders here means that Old Stink has accomplices.

—No, the man's clothes were made of very fine material, clearly silk sold in Feiyunpo. He didn't seem like someone like Lao Tang or Lao Chou, who were worth talking to... Could he be an official from the General Affairs Department, here to investigate their affairs?

The blonde girl next to him with the sword looked at people like they were fish on a chopping board; she was definitely not someone to mess with.

The idea of ​​running away had already begun to take shape in his mind.

Those pieces of jewelry were actually worthless—"Xiao Qingce" didn't even know that a very valuable piece of jadeite was mixed in with them.

He came to find Tang Wuchou and Lao Chou mainly to establish his authority.