Tomb raiding: Today is another day I don't want to go home.

Chapter 143 Joins Wu Xie and Lao Yang

The next morning, Wu Xieding's cell phone alarm went off loudly, which was extremely annoying. He struggled to reach out from under the covers, turned off the alarm, and then began to bounce back and forth between sleep and wakefulness.

"Wu Xie, hurry up and get ready, we're going to Qinling soon!"

"Uh..." Oh right, he's going to the Qinling Mountains.

Wu Xie groggily got up, dressed, and walked past Lao Yang towards the door. He was just about to borrow a basin from the shop owner to wash up when his consciousness returned. He opened his eyes and found himself still lying in bed...

Damn it, why am I dreaming?!

Wu Xie's morning grumpiness flared up rapidly, affecting even Lao Yang, who was lying on his other side.

"Wu Xie, you damn well better get your foot off me!"

Old Yang's deep shout made Wu Xie more awake. He blinked, withdrew his foot, picked up his phone from beside his pillow, and glanced at the time.

Good heavens, it's 9:13 in the morning! He clearly set his alarm for 7:00 last night!

Wu Xie gritted his teeth and threw off Lao Yang's blanket, forcing a friendly smile: "If you still want to go to the Qinling Mountains, get up quickly, or you'll miss the 10 o'clock bus to the mountains."

"..." Lao Yang's morning grumpiness was just as bad. Although he couldn't speak clearly, it didn't stop him from cursing and swearing, "I said, didn't you set your alarm last night? How come you still overslept!"

"If alarm clocks were useful, what would be the point of having people?"

"..."

Lao Yang was speechless. He watched Wu Xie's retreating figure as he ran out the door and couldn't help but roll his eyes. He knew Wu Xie's nature well; given the opportunity, this guy would definitely be picky. He was probably going to the public bathhouse to wash up right now.

Lao Yang quickly got up, dressed, wiped his face, grabbed the two equipment backpacks from the bedside, and went straight to the first floor of the guesthouse to buy dry food.

However, as he walked down the stairs, Lao Yang's gaze unconsciously fell on a thin figure at one of the dining tables...

The man gave him a strange feeling, but without a doubt, he wanted to stay far away from him.

The sky outside was already bright, but the white mist between the distant mountains was so thick that it made one feel as if they were on top of the clouds, mysterious and magnificent, yet naturally awe-inspiring.

If they were truly here for tourism, Wu Xie and his companions would probably have expressed their feelings about the scenery at length, but unfortunately, they weren't.

As Wu Xie walked back from the bathhouse, carrying his washbasin, he was about to greet Lao Yang, who hadn't washed his face yet, when his gaze shifted and he saw a familiar figure at a dining table that wasn't exactly in a corner.

"Young...Young man?"

Wu Xie stared wide-eyed, walking forward in a daze. Had he mistaken him for someone else? What was Zhang Qiling doing here?

However, the truth is that whether it was the person Lao Yang wanted to stay far away from, or the person Wu Xie felt was familiar with, it was Zhang Qiling.

Well, he's been waiting on the first floor for almost three hours, but Wu Xie and his childhood friend still haven't come down. Unbelievable...

"Brother, it really is you!" Wu Xie walked up to Zhang Qiling and only then dared to be sure that he hadn't mistaken him for someone else. "What are you doing here? By the way, how's your injury?"

It's been almost half a month since the trip to Xisha. Although Wu Xie's departure from the hospital was dishonorable, Zhang Qiling was still unconscious in his hospital bed at the time and didn't see it, so it wasn't so awkward to talk to him.

"Wu Xie, you two know each other?"

Lao Yang's voice came, but he didn't come over. Wu Xie didn't notice these details and happily introduced the two of them to each other.

"Yes, I know him. He's Zhang Qiling. We all call him Brother. I told you before we came that he saved us many times when we were in Dongyi."

Wu Xie then looked at Zhang Qiling: "Brother, this is my childhood friend, you can just call him Lao Yang."

Zhang Qiling simply nodded without answering. He pursed his lips and slightly tightened his grip on the long, rectangular wooden box beneath him.

Wu Xie then noticed a hint of urgency that Zhang Qiling had concealed very well. He looked at the wooden box in Zhang Qiling's hand and guessed that it should be Zhang Qiling's black gold ancient sword.

"Hey buddy, what brings you here?"

"Find someone."

Don't be suspicious, are you looking for someone here?

“We’re not familiar with this place either, so we probably can’t be of much help,” Wu Xie said, showing that he hadn’t become much more cunning after the kidnapping incident. “But we’re going to the Snake Head Mountain area, so why don’t we come along? We can ask around along the way and maybe we’ll find some clues!”

"it is good."

"Alright then! How about... um?"

Wu Xie, who had already prepared himself for rejection, widened his eyes even more after realizing what had happened. His puppy-dog eyes were full of surprise. He couldn't have heard wrong, could he?

Although I don't know Zhang Qiling very well, I have a feeling that he's not the kind of guy who would compromise and travel with someone he doesn't know well!

But words spoken cannot be taken back, and Wu Xie's attempt to avoid involving others ultimately failed.

Forget it, at worst we can help Zhang Qiling find the person first, and then go to the place Lao Yang wants to go. Anyway, the place we're going to won't move, but the person might.

After adjusting himself, Wu Xie quickly regained his energy. He told Lao Yang to put on his equipment, and after returning the washbasin, he caught up with the two people who were deliberately keeping their distance.

The three of them rushed and managed to board the 10 o'clock bus to Shetou Mountain. The journey was bumpy and swaying. Wu Xie was affected by Lao Yang for a while and soon he also vomited violently. Only Zhang Qiling adapted well and sat upright in the back seat, closing his eyes to rest.

boom--

A sudden explosion in the mountain stream threw the bus into chaos. Zhang Qiling looked in the direction of the sound, but couldn't see anything.

The mountain stream is too deep...

"Don't be nervous, it's just the tomb raider blowing up the grave, it has nothing to do with the owner, and he's fine."

Qi Yu offered a timely explanation, which eased Zhang Qiling's anxiety. Although he could clearly sense that Yan Huai was safe, he couldn't help but be startled and lacked any composure.

Qi Yu smiled but didn't say anything, not exposing Zhang Qiling's thoughts. It simply guided Zhang Qiling's attention subtly, gradually focusing it on the conversation between Wu Xie and a local person next to them.

“Snakehead Mountain is not easy to get into! That place is very intimidating. You two or three kids should just stay on the outside and look around. It will be dangerous if you go any further in!”

"Fellow villager, what's so dangerous about Snake Head Mountain? Since it's a tourist attraction and you have to pay for admission, why can't we go deeper into the mountains?"

"You outsiders don't know much about Snake Head Mountain. Although it's named for its resemblance to a snake's head, there really are snakes inside!"

"Hey, my friend, if you're going to scare people, at least come up with a better excuse. What's so strange about there being snakes in these deep mountains and forests!"

Lao Yang waved his hand dismissively. He had come here with his cousin three years ago. Although he was with a tour group and left halfway through, he didn't encounter anything along the way, except for the physical exertion and the difficulty of finding his way. There were no snakes, and it wasn't nearly as dangerous as the fellow villager described.

"Don't listen to his nonsense. This guy is probably a shady tour guide who's trying to rip you off and then kill you!"

Lao Yang spoke softly in Changsha dialect, so the locals couldn't understand him at all, which made him feel completely emboldened.

Wu Xie also felt that this fellow villager was strange. He had learned from his previous experience and had heard about the fierce local customs. Naturally, he would not be foolish enough to believe whatever others said. In comparison, he still trusted Zhang Qiling the most, even more than his third uncle.

The fellow villager probably understood something from the expressions of the two people, knowing that they didn't believe him, so he didn't say anything more, since he had already tried to persuade them kindly.

"Hmph, you two or three kids better watch yourselves. The snake I'm talking about isn't just any snake; it's a snake god. Offending the snake god's territory will bring retribution!"