Qu Laotou gathered everyone and introduced them one by one. I only remembered a few names.
Among them, Da Kui was Qu Laotou's confidant, and besides Qu Laotou, he was the one in charge.
There were about twenty of them, and each one was not simple.
This was my first time encountering such a large tomb raiding crew.
According to Qu Laotou, they usually didn't gather together; they all did their own things all over the country.
If it weren't for this treasure, no one would have come here.
As for how the treasure was discovered, Qu Laotou didn't say, but judging by the situation, he probably found out by chance.
After eating and drinking, I started acting like brothers with everyone.
When I returned to where Fatty and the others were, as soon as I entered, Fatty rushed over with a worried look and asked me, "Xiang Ye, did they torture you?"
Before I could speak, Jiang Lingxi leaned in, "Why do you smell of alcohol?"
I burped and said, "They treated me to a drink."
Everyone was stunned and stared at me blankly.
I didn't tell them the detailed story, I just said, "They need my help with treasure appraisal, so we don't need to be on edge anymore, but we still have to stay here for now."
As soon as I finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and several people carrying stoves, bedding, and several bowls of food came in.
Fatty blinked his eyes when he saw this, "Xiang Ye, they are..."
"I asked them to bring these. You must be tired of eating steamed buns these days, so hurry up and eat some meat," I said.
After the people who brought the items left, the three of them were still staring at me, somewhat confused.
"I told you, they need my help with treasure appraisal," I repeated.
Jiang Lingxi asked, "Then when can we leave?"
"I'm not sure about that for now. If it's fast, it will take more than ten days, and if it's slow, it will take more than a month," I said.
"Ah?!" Jiang Lingxi looked distressed, "I only took five days off... What should I do?"
Jiang Feng also said, "What about my car?"
Fatty, on the other hand, seemed indifferent and had already sat by the stove to start eating.
I said, "Don't think too much about it. You should know who they are. It's probably impossible to get out. We can only stay here honestly."
"Can't you go and talk to them, let us go first?" Jiang Lingxi asked.
I smiled wryly, "Do you really think I'm one of them? I went to great lengths to get you bedding and food. If I were to negotiate with them again, they would probably just 'deal with us' right away."
As I spoke, I glanced at Jiang Lingxi again, "Don't forget they are a bunch of vicious bandits. If they have any ill intentions towards you, I can't do anything about it."
Hearing this, Jiang Lingxi's face turned pale.
"Don't think about anything else, just stay here honestly. Anyway, as long as we can leave, I will definitely take everyone with me," I said.
Upon hearing this, they stopped talking and just looked helpless.
After they finished eating, Jiang Lingxi hugged a quilt and went to sleep. As for Jiang Feng, he sat not far away, lost in thought, and I didn't know what he was thinking about.
Only Fatty and I sat by the stove, roasting potatoes and chatting.
"Xiang Ye, what exactly happened?" Fatty asked in a low voice.
I had nothing to hide from Fatty, so I explained the whole story.
When this guy heard it, his eyes lit up, "So, we're in luck this time?"
"How are we in luck?" I asked. "Don't be fooled by Qu Laotou's pleasant words. No one knows what the situation will be like afterward. We should not be careless; these people are unpredictable."
Fatty said, "Xiang Ye, I'll listen to you no matter what."
I nodded and said, "Your task now is to keep an eye on Jiang Feng and that girl, and don't let them cause any trouble."
"Don't worry, I'll definitely keep a good watch on them for you."
The next morning, Qu Laotou called me for breakfast. After breakfast, he took me into the mountains.
The snow on the way was very thick, and my feet sank to my knees with every step. After walking for a short while, my shoes and pants were already soaked.
However, fortunately, the place we were going to wasn't far. When we reached our destination, several people were already there.
In an open space, they had set up a gasoline barrel with firewood burning inside.
Next to it, an air compressor and a diesel generator were making noise.
Behind the machines was a large pit, and there were people in the pit.
I walked to the edge of the pit and looked inside, finding them chiseling at a stone slab.
Qu Laotou told me that there should be a military base below, and they didn't know where the entrance was, but drilling down from here should allow them to enter.
I asked him when they would finish drilling, and Qu Laotou said, "If we're lucky, it will take five or six days."
After staying there for two or three hours, Qu Laotou took me over a mountain and soon we arrived at a wooden house. The house contained many boxes, most of which were silverware and silver coins, as well as some old legal tender.
He said they had previously dug a hole and found these items.
"This is probably the hidden stash of a small team. The main target is definitely in that military base," Qu Laotou said. "Brother Xiang, since you said you want to help me, you'll have to come with me later."
"Go where?" I asked.
"Of course, to sell those things," Qu Laotou smiled. "Don't worry, your friends are here, and they will be fine."
I smiled and said, "Don't worry, Master Qu, I will definitely do my best to help you."
He nodded and asked, "Can you speak foreign languages?"
I was stunned and shook my head, "No, why?"
"It's nothing, I was just asking."
"Are we doing business with foreigners?"
He smiled and said, "You'll know when you get there."
I didn't expect this group of people to be a cross-border tomb raiding crew.
I started to feel uneasy.
We had a simple meal at noon. After one in the afternoon, he took me along a small path for more than two hours before we reached a highway.
When we arrived, a van was already parked by the side of the road.
There was a wooden crate in the car, the one I saw last night.
The driver was a man in his thirties named Er Mao. He had yellow teeth, and his eyes blinked uncontrollably when he spoke; I wasn't sure if he had an eye condition.
After Qu Laotou and I got into the car, it started moving. Shortly after, we arrived at a town and then switched to a sedan.
As soon as we got into the car, Qu Laotou said to me, "Brother Xiang, you should take a nap. The journey is quite long."