After Jiang Ye and his wife were put on the helicopter, it quickly ascended and left.
That was the first time I had ever seen a helicopter. In those days, helicopters were incredibly rare.
I learned from Fu Honglang that the helicopter had been borrowed from a local television station.
Our supplies were running low. With their arrival, they brought a significant amount of provisions and equipment, much more complete than what we had brought before.
While Jin Qiaoyue took Fu Kui to inspect the secret passage, I struck up a conversation with Fu Honglang.
I asked him why he had come here.
He smiled mysteriously and said, "Of course, someone sent me."
"Who?"
As I asked this question, I already had an answer in mind.
"Miss," Fu Honglang replied.
"Isn't she..."
"She has regained some of her memory. I don't know the specifics, but I received her instructions to come here, and then Fu Kui found me."
Fu Honglang paused here and chuckled, "To be honest, I wasn't very eager to come at first. But when I learned that you, my brother, were also here, I naturally became interested..."
"You say the Miss has recovered her memory?"
"Her matters are complicated, you know how it is. I never paid attention to her affairs; I just do what she tells me to do," Fu Honglang said, raising an eyebrow at me. "But it seems she cares about you quite a bit."
I was slightly taken aback. He continued, "When I came, the Miss specifically instructed me to ensure your safety."
Hearing this, my heart stirred with an indescribable feeling.
I wondered what An Ying was up to now, how much memory she had recovered...
After a few more exchanges, I asked, "What about that old man Qu?"
"Him?" Fu Honglang said. "He was naturally hired by Fu Kui at a great cost... Actually, I was also paid by Fu Kui."
"When you came, didn't Fu Kui tell you what you were here to do?"
"Of course, he did. He said we were here for a treasure hunt."
"How much did he pay you?"
Fu Honglang smiled and held up two fingers. I asked uncertainly, "Two million?"
"Two million for me. As for Qu Chuan, I don't know."
"He's quite generous."
"Indeed, Fu Kui has plenty of money."
If Fu Honglang's account was accurate, then before our expedition team had even prepared to depart, Fu Kui had already planned to bring him and Qu Chuan along.
But that old fox was unwilling to spend money on the spots, so he targeted Jiang Ye and his wife...
His calculations were quite clever: making Jiang Ye pay for two spots, then hiring Fu Honglang and Qu Chuan with his own money to do his bidding.
A true old hand in the Jianghu...
After the group explored the secret passage, they soon emerged.
They didn't rush to enter, opting to let everyone rest and regain their strength.
With Fu Kui's arrival, it was as if he had become the captain of the expedition team, and I had no say at all.
He had everything meticulously arranged, and everyone followed his lead.
It made sense; with nine people in the group, his side had five, so if he didn't call the shots, who would?
Of course, I was happy about it. Being the main organizer of an expedition team was unusually tiring, so it was good to have someone else leading.
That night, it wasn't my turn or Fatty's to stand guard. Fu Kui assigned it to A Yuan.
The others retreated into their respective tents.
After so many days out, I could finally get a good night's sleep.
The next morning, when I woke up, I found everyone busy with their own tasks.
Qu Chuan and Fu Honglang were drawing a rough map of the secret chamber. They were both experts in studying such chambers and understood the construction of ancient secret rooms.
Even though they hadn't entered yet, they could already roughly deduce the structure of the chamber.
Li Chuang had disappeared somewhere, while Rexith and Song Bing were roasting food by the campfire.
Fatty was still asleep.
I intended to go find Song Bing and Rexith, but before I could take a few steps, Jin Qiaoyue appeared from somewhere. "Want to chat?"
Looking at her, I frowned slightly. After a moment's thought, I followed her as she walked towards a spot not far away.
She was about 1.67 meters tall, slender, with perfectly straight legs. From behind, she had a truly perfect figure.
Jin Qiaoyue walked ahead, and I followed.
After walking a few dozen meters, she found a small mound and sat down. I took out a cigarette, lit it, and took a puff before asking, "What did you want to talk about?"
She turned her head, looked at me, and smiled faintly, "Actually, I didn't do anything."
"En?"
Her statement was abrupt and left me utterly confused.
"I mean, regarding Jiang Ye's wife, it wasn't me. It was just an accident," Jin Qiaoyue said.
I exhaled smoke and asked, "Is this why you wanted to talk to me?"
She remained silent. I continued, "Of course, I know it was an accident..."
"No," she interrupted me, looking me directly in the eye. "From your eyes, I can tell you suspect me. Do you think I did something that caused her injury?"
That was indeed what I had been thinking, but I was surprised she brought it up so directly.
"You must be thinking that this was all arranged by my uncle, and my job was to force Jiang Ye to sign the transfer agreement, right?" Jin Qiaoyue asked me.
"Does the specifics matter?" I smiled. "What exactly do you want by telling me all this?"
"I just don't want you to misunderstand."
"Misunderstand?"
"Yes," she said, standing up and dusting off her pants. "I don't want you to think I'm a bad person."
I was slightly stunned, looking at this outwardly harmless young woman, and for a moment, I couldn't quite process it.
"Mr. Xiang, can we be friends?" she asked.
I felt my mind struggling to keep up. What did this girl want?
Could she possibly like me?
I quickly dismissed this narcissistic thought.
I didn't think I possessed that much charm.
But what was with the subtle hint of flirtatiousness in her words?
Could she be planning something again?
But what was there for her to scheme against me for?
On the surface, I was affiliated with Guan Zhenwan and allied with Li Chuang. Scheming against me would yield her no benefit.
As I was lost in my thoughts, she revealed a row of pearly white teeth and smiled, "I'm serious. I really want to be friends with you."
I snapped back to reality and smiled, "Thank you, Miss Jin, for your regard. Becoming friends is certainly no problem; it's my honor."
"So, does that mean we are friends from now on?"
I hesitated for a moment, then nodded.