"I'm sorry, Grandma Jiang. We did argue a bit. Since you're willing to give us Jianghuang, name your price. We'll definitely try our best if we get the chance. That herb is very important to me."
"Help me rob a tomb. As long as you get what I want, I'll give you Jianghuang. I may be old, but I always keep my word. I won't lie to you about what I promised."
Although the old woman was indeed quite old, she had an upright demeanor, as if she would shoulder responsibility for anything that happened. This made them feel very reassured.
"Robbing a tomb is no problem. Just give us the location, and we brothers will do our utmost to get what you want."
"Don't speak too boldly, young man. If our Jiang family weren't so desperate, we wouldn't need to trouble you!"
It seemed that what the old woman wanted was also very important to their Jiang family. They were all getting what they needed.
"We'll do our best to get it. Just tell us where to go and what to get."
The old woman then handed Ye Tiancheng a piece of paper with an address and something called a Phoenix Pearl.
Grandma Jiang also specifically explained what the item looked like and its effects. She was quite detailed.
"My buddy and I will try our best to bring it to you, Grandma Jiang. I hope you can prepare the Jianghuang we need. This item is very important to me. Your luminous pearl is probably to treat your grandson, right? You should understand my feelings."
Sensing that her thoughts had been perceived, Grandma Jiang smiled faintly. "You're not entirely foolish, kid. At least you know what I'm thinking. That's pretty good. It seems your strength isn't great, but your intelligence is decent. Otherwise, you'd be completely hopeless. At least you have one thing that's somewhat normal."
The old woman was still a bit sharp-tongued, but Ye Tiancheng could accept it. As long as she had what he needed, she had the capability. In any case, capable people could say whatever they wanted.
Ye Tiancheng took the note and set off, heading to find the item according to the address.
The sugar figures and everything else were left at the Jiang family's. These were just props to get close to the Jiang family and were now useless. They could all be discarded.
Following the simple map provided by the old woman, Ye Tiancheng and Fatty decided to check it out first. They couldn't rush into the tomb now. With their current strength, it was better to grasp the overall situation before looking for the item. Besides, Lin Xue wasn't with them. Dripping Blood was the team's main combat force. Without her, it always made them feel a bit uneasy. So, they should wait for her.
Ye Tiancheng and Fatty walked for about an hour and finally arrived at the location indicated by Grandma Jiang. The place was deserted and gave off a desolate feeling. Anyway, any normal person wouldn't come to such a place; people who came here were usually a bit troubled.
"Brother Ye, I think that old woman from the Jiang family isn't that young. I feel like she's playing a prank on us. Maybe she's just messing with us. We should stay away from that person. Look at this place she directed us to. Isn't this a place where people die horribly?"
"She said we have to rob a tomb to rob a tomb. Otherwise, there's no tomb in a luxurious villa. I think Grandma Jiang is quite reliable. It's just that we don't know if we can complete the mission. If we can't, we probably won't get what we want!"
This was the most difficult problem for Ye Tiancheng. Now that the problem was in front of them, he had to think more for himself.
"Brother Ye, the two of us are definitely useless. We can find Sister Xue. Sister Xue is an expert and can solve anything."
Even if they found Lin Xue, they had to confirm the entrance first. Otherwise, if they found her and weren't prepared, it would be a waste of time. Ye Tiancheng followed Grandma Jiang's instructions and glanced at the tomb. In a very hidden spot, he found a hole.
The small opening looked no bigger than a rat hole. It was likely due to years of geological movement and exposure to the elements that only this small opening remained. If it weren't for the professional tomb robbers from the Jiang family who had discovered this place before, it would be very difficult to find such a hidden tomb.
"Brother Ye, I thought that old woman was talking nonsense, but I didn't expect it to be true. It's so shocking. Such an old woman, and she knows so much about tomb robbing!"
"They are a tomb-robbing family, after all. Don't underestimate them. Maybe she often went into tombs when she was young."
Ye Tiancheng had some understanding. He hadn't eaten pork but had seen pigs run. In the past two years, there had been similar themes in film and television works, and Ye Tiancheng occasionally watched them when he was bored.
"We can't explore alone. Let's go back and discuss it with Sister Xue. For such a big matter, we need someone to brainstorm!"
After Fatty made the suggestion, Ye Tiancheng agreed that Fatty was right, and then they returned together.
Lin Xue had been staying in the hotel for the past few days, not going out. She was mainly cultivating. Compared to other places, this was a relatively suitable place for cultivation. After all, the local customs were good, and there were no impurities that could easily lead to qi deviation during cultivation. Although this place wasn't a paradise, and it wasn't sparsely populated, it had a similar effect to a paradise.
After Ye Tiancheng and Fatty returned, they felt hungry and took Lin Xue out to eat. This time, they changed to a place, a very small, humble restaurant. After entering and looking at the menu, they discovered it specialized in Sichuan cuisine.
This was quite amusing. There was such a small Sichuan restaurant. However, the food tasted good. Anyway, after eating, they felt full and satisfied. The taste was indeed good.
Especially the spicy shrimp. Perhaps it was because of the proximity to the sea, but the shrimp tasted particularly fresh. Of course, the chef's skills were also high.
After eating, the three of them made a decision. Lin Xue's intention was to set off as soon as it was dawn tomorrow. Although people liked to rob tombs at night, she had her own preferences. During the day, everything was clear, which was also good.
Now, Lin Xue was the main combat output. Ye Tiancheng didn't have that strength, so he had to listen to Lin Xue. Only Lin Xue had the say.
During the day, the three of them set off. Ye Tiancheng even exclaimed, feeling that their setup was like something out of a novel. The atmosphere was very relaxed, and they arrived at the rat hole while chatting.
Fatty directly used a thunderclap to collapse the rat hole, revealing a hole about half a person's height.
"Fatty, you really have some skills."
Just as Ye Tiancheng finished praising him, several loud rumbling sounds followed from inside, as if the entire place had collapsed. Before they could react, people in uniform were chasing them.
"You tomb robbers, don't run!"
Why was this different from what was written in novels? They were supposed to go down and have a good time, but they almost got caught. The three of them fled in disarray and finally ran back to the Jiang family, which was the closest to them.
Upon arriving at the Jiang family, Grandma Jiang seemed to have anticipated this. She quickly invited them inside and then closed the door.
"There are many people patrolling that area. Because people have been running there to rob tombs before, it's heavily guarded. I knew you might encounter those annoying people, so I had already prepared a reception for you."
Fatty had run the fastest all the way. He was sweating profusely. Upon reaching the house, he gulped down a large glass of water, having sweated a lot. After sitting down, he was still panting.
"I say, Grandma Jiang, do you think we're amusing and deliberately playing with us? Knowing that people are investigating, you still sent us to take risks!"
"Don't you want our family's Jianghuang? Otherwise, we wouldn't have to test you. We're just getting what we need. What are you saying, as if our Jiang family is not decent?"
The situation became a bit unpleasant here, but Fatty could only complain a little. He dared not say more. If he continued, the situation might become even worse.
"Grandma, Uncle Maltose is here. I want to eat sugar figures. Uncles, did you bring sugar figures today?"
The child, who was already nine years old, spoke with extreme childishness. The main reason was that Jiang Yunsheng, the child of the Jiang family, was actually a bit developmentally delayed. It was just that the Jiang family was unwilling to admit it. Outsiders all knew that in such a situation, there was only one possibility: that doing such tomb-robbing activities before had resulted in retribution on their descendants.
"I'm sorry, Little Yunsheng. We didn't bring sugar figures today. Maybe next time. Uncle will definitely bring you sugar figures next time!"
"Be good, Yunsheng. Although Grandma's sugar figures aren't good, Grandma will make them for you in the future. Don't eat things from strangers. Be careful, or you'll get a stomachache!"
The old woman doted on her grandson immensely, treating him like a precious gem. When she spoke, her voice was soft and gentle, the kind of tone used to coax a child.
"But Grandma doesn't know how to make sugar figures. Grandma is lying to me. The uncles know how to make sugar figures, but they won't give them to me! Wuwuwu..."
The child started crying as he spoke, quite sadly. This made Grandma Jiang a bit unable to cope. She could handle anything else, but seeing her precious grandson, the sole heir of the Jiang family, crying like this was a great blow to her.
The Jiang grandmother quickly pulled Ye Tiancheng aside and asked about the sugar figures. Ye Tiancheng really hadn't brought any today and was in a difficult situation when Lin Xue conjured a sugar figure.
Lin Xue handed the sugar figure to the child. "Little friend, this is for you. It's very sweet maltose."
Jiang Yunsheng, who had been crying, finally stopped. He had been very upset just moments ago, but upon seeing the sugar, he immediately returned to his cheerful self, happily eating the sugar.
After eating only a few bites of the sugar, everyone watched as the child seemed to grow a few centimeters taller.
"How can this be? Why does this child seem to have grown taller and stronger all of a sudden?"
This was something even Lin Xue hadn't expected. It seemed that spiritual energy was indeed quite effective for this child. Lin Xue hadn't expected it to be so miraculous. She had thought the child was already developmentally delayed and that it would be difficult to see any improvement after such a long time.
"Grandma, do you want to eat sugar? I'll ask for another one for you. I'm already this old, and I shouldn't be eating sugar all the time. It's not good for my teeth either."