Chapter 1 The White-Clothed Immortal

The moment Boss Wang opened his mouth, I understood where Hong Jie had learned all that talk about ghosts and gods. Her tone was exactly the same as Boss Wang's. Truly a product of his tutelage.

Upon hearing that Tu Gou's death was related to the tomb owner, I immediately felt he was talking nonsense.

Although I wasn't a seasoned tomb raider, based on my recent experiences in the tombs, I could say with confidence that ghosts simply didn't exist in this world.

But while I didn't believe Boss Wang, Hong Jie was completely convinced.

She immediately asked anxiously, "What is it? Zhiguo de, what did you encounter…what happened?"

Boss Wang took a deep breath and said in a low voice, "When we came to this tomb chamber, Tu Gou was leading the way, and just as we reached the halfway point, we suddenly saw a woman in white standing in the tomb passage ahead…"

"A woman in white?" I asked, baffled. "There are women in white in tombs?"

Xiao Wu beside me whispered, "A woman in white is a female ghost…In tombs, if we encounter the spirit of the deceased, we usually use honorifics…If it's a male tomb owner, we call him Xianjun (Immortal Lord); if it's a female tomb owner, we call her Xianggu (Immortal Maiden). Disrespectful language is taboo!"

I suddenly understood, having learned some more knowledge of the tomb raiding business.

So, Boss Wang and Tu Gou had just run into a female ghost.

At this moment, Boss Wang continued, "That Xiangu was standing deep in the tomb passage, walking as if her feet weren't touching the ground. When the light shone on her, she immediately stopped, turned her head, and stared straight at us."

Hearing this, Hong Jie looked terrified and tense, clearly believing every word.

I was skeptical, listening to Boss Wang's story while secretly observing the other tomb raiders' reactions. But based on my observations, their expressions were normal during Boss Wang's description. From their reactions, it was clear that Boss Wang wasn't lying, and this story was actually true!

"Strange, did Boss Wang and the others really encounter a ghost?" I couldn't help but wonder.

At this time, Boss Wang continued, "I immediately warned everyone to kneel down and kowtow to the Xiangu, begging her to forgive our intrusion. Some were quick-witted and knelt down on the spot, but others were slow to react. Tu Gou hesitated for a moment and didn't kneel in time. Unexpectedly, the Xiangu was ruthless and took Tu Gou's life with a wave of her hand, alas!"

After recounting the events of Tu Gou's death, Boss Wang couldn't help but sigh deeply. It was clear that he had genuine affection for Tu Gou and greatly regretted his death.

I offered my condolences and couldn't help but ask, "Boss Wang, may I ask, how did the… the Xiangu take Tu Gou's life? I saw a bronze dagger stuck in Tu Gou's neck. Did the Xiangu use a flying dagger?"

Boss Wang nodded and said, "Yes, the Xiangu didn't even come close to us. From a distance of more than ten steps, with a wave of her hand, a bronze dagger pierced Tu Gou's neck. The rest of us quickly knelt down and kowtowed, saving our lives."

At this point, the surrounding tomb raiders all looked fearful, clearly still shaken.

Seeing their reactions, I knew that Boss Wang's words were entirely true.

But I couldn't help but question, "Boss Wang, with all due respect, does a vengeful spirit need a bronze dagger to take a life? I think the Xiangu's methods don't seem like the work of a vengeful spirit, but rather like some esoteric technique of someone in the martial world?"

As soon as I said this, Boss Wang narrowed his eyes slightly, somewhat displeased, and said in a deep voice, "Boy, what do you mean? You don't believe what I'm saying?"

Hong Jie hurriedly tugged at my clothes and whispered, "Rongsheng, what is Boss Wang's status? What he says is what it is. You can't question him randomly."

I knew that as the respected Zhiguo Ren (literally: one who supports the pot), Boss Wang's authority couldn't be challenged, but to clarify the facts, I said tactfully, "Boss Wang, I don't mean to be disrespectful, and I certainly wouldn't dare to doubt the truth of your words. I just think that the Xiangu's method of killing is more like someone from the martial world. After all, the vengeful spirits in the movies I've seen kill people invisibly. What kind of vengeful spirit needs to use a flying dagger to kill someone? Isn't that ridiculous?"

Boss Wang sneered and said, "Hmph! In the movies? That's the only place you've seen such a scene, right? Let me tell you, I've been tomb raiding since I was seventeen, and it's been over thirty years now. What haven't I seen? If that woman in white wasn't a Xiangu, what else could she be? A living person pretending to be a ghost?"

Seeing me arguing with Boss Wang, no one else dared to express their opinion. These people were all Boss Wang's subordinates, and they wouldn't dare to go against him.

Hong Jie was worried that I would anger the Zhiguo Ren, and secretly tugged at my clothes, giving me a warning look.

Just as the atmosphere was becoming more tense, an old voice suddenly came from behind Boss Wang:

"Boss Wang, I think this young man makes some sense. That woman in white may not be a vengeful spirit. When the light shone on her, she had a shadow. If she were a ghost, how could she have a shadow?"

Hearing someone dare to publicly stand on my side, I guessed that he must be an elder with status. In this tomb raiding gang, if not on par with Boss Wang, at least his position wouldn't be much lower.

Sure enough, looking in the direction of the voice, I saw a thin old man. He looked at least sixty years old, with sparse white hair, ugly features, a collapsed nose, and buck teeth, looking like a bulldog.

But when he stepped forward, these tomb raiders made way for him, clearly showing him respect.

Even Boss Wang treated this old gentleman with courtesy. Hearing him refute him, he was not angry, but responded politely:

"Mr. Liao, did you really see that the Xiangu had a shadow?"

This Mr. Liao nodded slowly and said firmly, "Absolutely. She definitely had a shadow. And judging from her knife throwing action, she is clearly a trained martial artist. I guessed just now that she is not a ghost, but just another tomb raider."

Boss Wang said with some reproach, "Mr. Liao, you should have said this earlier!"

Mr. Liao chuckled, revealing a mouth of missing teeth, and shook his head. "The situation was critical, and we were all too busy to think. We all knelt and kowtowed to the Xiangu. I only realized it later. If I were to tell everyone afterwards that she wasn't the tomb owner, but rather one of us, wouldn't that be embarrassing? And make everyone lose face."

These words left Boss Wang speechless, and the other tomb raiders were both annoyed and ashamed.

Seeing everyone's reaction, Mr. Liao smiled and comforted them, "Forget it, forget it, everyone makes mistakes. You all walk in this underworld all year round, how can you not be tricked? Now that we know that the Xiangu is a person, not a ghost, we can settle the score with her next time we meet her. It's no big deal."

Hearing this, Boss Wang clenched his fist and said through gritted teeth, "That's for sure! She dared to hurt my brother. I must settle this blood debt with her!"