Chapter 14 Unexpected Encounter

Hongjie wasn't sensitive to the scene depicted on the relief. She didn't realize it was an ancient sacrificial ritual costing lives. She pointed to the bizarre tree and said naively, "Rongsheng, do you think this picture shows the ancient Shu people gathered under the tree to enjoy the shade? Look, some mischievous people have even climbed onto the branches."

I couldn't help but sneer, "Hongjie, look closer. Are they climbing the branches? They're hanging from them."

Reminded by me, Hongjie squinted and took a closer look. Then, she gasped, "My god! It really is! These people have branches piercing through their chests! That's terrible!"

However, just as we were engrossed in studying the relief on the stone coffin, I suddenly heard a strange noise behind it. Just as I looked up, a dazzling light shone in my eyes.

Immediately afterward, I heard a strange man's voice,

"Don't move! Hands up!"

Me, Uncle Mei, and Hongjie were startled and subconsciously took a few steps back.

Shielding my eyes from the glare, I strained to see. A group of strangers suddenly emerged from behind the stone coffin. Some wore headlamps, others carried flashlights. They had clearly been lying in ambush within the tomb, waiting for us to drop our guard before ambushing us!

And these people were all armed with crossbows!

I recognized these crossbows. "Bamboo Pole," the grave robber who ambushed us in the Tuo River tomb, used the same type.

In this critical moment, Hongjie was the first to cooperate, raising her hands. She said with a terrified expression, "Heroes, heroes, spare us! Don't kill us, we... we're willing to cooperate!"

Unexpectedly, the leader suddenly laughed and asked, "Hongjie? Is that you?"

Hearing this, Hongjie squinted at the man and then smiled, saying enthusiastically, "Xiao Wu? Oh! It's you! Like a flood washing into the Dragon King Temple! We're all family here!"

I immediately realized that these people ambushing us in the tomb must be Wang Zhanggui's (Boss Wang's) tomb-robbing gang.

The grave robber named Xiao Wu seemed to have a good relationship with Hongjie. Recognizing her, he immediately pulled her to his side and then pointed at me and Uncle Mei, asking, "Hongjie, these two friends are new to me. Who are they?"

Hongjie quickly introduced us, "They are the corpse fishermen I mentioned to you. I was going to bring them down to drain the water, but I was a step late. The zhi guo (the one in charge of setting up the operation) had already drained it."

Xiao Wu was suspicious and clearly didn't trust me and Uncle Mei. He couldn't help but ask, "If you didn't need them to drain the water, why did you bring them down? Isn't that unnecessary?"

Hongjie laughed, "With such tight schedules, isn't it good to have two extra helpers to lü keng (search for valuables in the pit)? Don't worry, these two helped me deal with three corpses before. They're in the same boat as us, very reliable!"

Xiao Wu pondered, thinking it made sense. He nodded to me and Uncle Mei, saying, "Alright then, welcome to the team."

Then he asked, "What are your names?"

Uncle Mei said nonchalantly, "I'm the third child in my family. Just call me Lao San (Old Three)."

I said, "My name is Chen Rongsheng."

Hearing this, Xiao Wu looked at me and laughed, "Brother, are you really telling us your real name?"

After he said this, many of the grave robbers laughed along. Even Hongjie couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.

Xiao Wu said, "As expected of a newbie, so naive! In our line of work, we're risking our heads. Who uses their real name? We all use nicknames and aliases."

Hearing this, I was a little embarrassed and quickly said, "Then I'll think of an alias now?"

Xiao Wu shook his head, "Too late. You've already told us your real name. What's the point of changing it now? Learn from your mistakes. Next time we team up to zhi guo zuo fan (set up an operation), you can change your name then."

I had no choice but to nod helplessly.

At this moment, Hongjie asked, "By the way, Xiao Wu, where's our zhi guo? Why haven't I seen him?"

Before she finished speaking, a stern voice suddenly came from the depths of the tomb, "What? Xiao Hong, have you missed me after just a few days?"

As the voice echoed, the rats retreated to both sides, clearing a path. Immediately afterward, a man in his fifties with tanned skin, slanted eyes, a thick beard, and graying hair walked out.

He was clearly Wang Zhanggui, because he looked seventy percent similar to the Little Boss Wang we caught in the Tuo River. It was clear they were father and son.

As soon as Uncle Mei saw this big rat zhi guo, his body trembled imperceptibly. I also secretly clenched my fist, unable to contain my excitement.

Hongjie quickly stepped forward, charmingly wrapping her arm around Wang Zhanggui's arm, and said with a娇笑着jiao xiao (flirtatious laugh), "Boss Wang! A day apart feels like three seasons! I miss you so much that it gnaws at my heart!"

Wang Zhanggui coldly pushed Hongjie away, scoffing, "Damn you! Not a single honest word from a whore's mouth! It's all just acting!"

Then he looked around, his eyes falling on me and Uncle Mei, and asked, "You two are the corpse fishermen from Duck River?"

I quickly nodded with a smile, "Yes, nice to meet you, Boss Wang. I've heard so much about you."

Uncle Mei also put on an Oscar-worthy performance, pretending to be courteous, "It's an honor..."

Wang Zhanggui didn't suspect anything and nodded lightly, saying to us, "Very good, as long as you two work hard with me, I guarantee you'll make a fortune in the future!"

Me and Uncle Mei quickly nodded in unison, repeatedly saying, "Thank you, Boss Wang! Thank you, Boss Wang!"

At this moment, Wang Zhanggui glanced behind us, seeing no one else, and couldn't help but wonder, "Huh? Xiao Hong, where are Lao Wu (Old Wu) and Professor Xu? Didn't they come down with you?"

As soon as these two were mentioned, Hongjie started talking, bitterly smiling, "Boss, it's a long story. Do you remember the man-eating fish in the passage?"

Wang Zhanggui sneered and stretched out his arm, revealing his forearm covered in blood, clearly bitten by the piranhas several times.

"Damn it, how could I forget? Look at my arm!"

Hongjie quickly offered a few insincere words of comfort, then told the story of the feud between Lao Wu and Professor Xu.

Wang Zhanggui and the rats around him listened intently, as if listening to a story. In the end, everyone couldn't help but marvel, saying that Professor Xu looked like a bookworm, but he was quite tough before he died, actually trading his life for Lao Wu's.

After telling the story between Professor Xu and Lao Wu, Hongjie asked Wang Zhanggui, "By the way, Boss, on the way here, we saw that Tu Gou (Earth Dog) was dead. What exactly happened? Who killed him?"

As soon as Tu Gou was mentioned, Wang Zhanggui's expression immediately changed. I looked around, seeing the faces of the other rats also turn pale, as if Tu Gou's death involved something terrifying.

Wang Zhanggui lowered his voice, saying nervously, "Tu Gou's matter... it's probably because we trespassed into the ancient tomb and angered the tomb owner..."