Chapter 131

While waiting for the car, I asked Xiao Liang to stay with Xiao Juan and her boyfriend while I went back to the hotel to grab our grave robbing equipment.

With Xiao Juan as our guide, I felt it was very likely that we would find the Immortal Cave (shenxiandong), so to be safe, I needed to prepare for going underground.

By the time I returned with the equipment, the car Lao Wei had sent had arrived.

We piled into the car and sped towards Nanshan.

When we arrived at Nanshan, the sun was about to set. At most, we had an hour left. If we couldn't find the Immortal Cave, we would have to turn back and return the next day.

I was extremely anxious because we had finally found Little Mei, and I was afraid that if we delayed any longer, she would be taken away from the Crystal Palace (shuijinggong), and who knew when we would find her again? So, I silently prayed that we would find the Immortal Cave.

The car stopped halfway up Nanshan, and then the driver led us on foot to meet up with Lao Wei and the others.

Initially, the driver took a main road, but Xiao Juan asked, "Uncle, where on Nanshan are you going? The summit or the camphor forest?"

The driver briefly described the location of Lao Wei and the others, and Xiao Juan immediately understood. "I know," she said. "Come with me; I know a shortcut."

She then led us onto a small path, following a drainage ditch directly up the mountain.

I couldn't help but think, "As expected, Xiao Juan grew up on Nanshan; she's really familiar with this area."

We followed Xiao Juan along the small path, grabbing onto saplings and vines by the roadside, and walking along the drainage ditch. After only seven or eight minutes, we actually saw Lao Wei and the other Xiaoling Guards.

Hu Wazi, Yun Jie, and Er Jun were also there, all sweating profusely. They had obviously been working hard on Nanshan all day, but unfortunately, they still hadn't found the Immortal Cave.

Seeing us emerge from the bushes, Lao Wei was startled and said in surprise, "Damn! Where did you guys come from?"

I chuckled and said, "Didn't expect that, did you? The guide I found brought us up the mountain. It's much faster than taking the main road."

The driver who had led us also nodded and said, "That's right. It takes at least half an hour to come here by the main road, but only seven or eight minutes by the shortcut."

Lao Wei said admiringly, "Alright, Xiao Chen, you're really smart to find such an experienced guide."

Then he glanced around me, but suddenly stopped.

Because besides Xiao Liang, there were only two students in school uniforms – Xiao Juan and her boyfriend.

Lao Wei frowned and said in surprise, "Xiao Chen, where's your guide? Why did you bring two kids here?"

I smiled and said, "Lao Wei, this girl is the guide I found. Her name is Xiao Juan, and she's the daughter of the hotel owner where we're staying."

Lao Wei was speechless and stomped his foot, saying, "Nonsense! Xiao Chen, how can you bring two students for something so dangerous? If something happens to them, how am I going to explain it to their parents?"

I said, "Lao Wei, you're exaggerating a bit. I just asked them to come and find a grave robber's tunnel. Once we find it, we'll send them home. What could possibly happen?"

Lao Wei was about to say something more, but Xiao Juan spoke up first. "It's going to be dark soon," she said. "Are you guys still looking for the tunnel or not? If you don't, I'm going home. My dad will scold me if I get home late."

I quickly said, "Yes, yes, we're looking!"

Then I winked at Lao Wei and said, "Lao Wei, I've already invited the people. Stop messing around and hurry up and find the tunnel."

Hu Wazi was also anxious to find the tunnel and rescue Little Mei, so he chimed in, "That's right, Lao Wei, why are you being so long-winded? You're not acting like a man at all!"

Seeing that Xiao Juan and the others had already arrived, Lao Wei knew that it was too late to regret it, so he had to nod and say, "Alright, alright."

Then he looked at Xiao Juan and said, "Little girl, please help us find the nearby tunnels."

Xiao Juan glanced at Lao Wei and asked, "Uncle, have you been busy on Nanshan all day and haven't found a single tunnel?"

Lao Wei's face turned a little red when he heard this, and he coughed and said, "It's not that we haven't found any tunnels. We did find a few, but either the era doesn't match, or they've already been backfilled by tomb robbers. It's not the Immortal Cave we're looking for."

Xiao Juan tilted her head and asked, "Immortal Cave? What's an Immortal Cave?"

Although Xiao Juan knew Nanshan very well and was familiar with the location of the tunnels, she hadn't had much contact with tomb robbers after all, and didn't know the jargon of the tomb robbing trade.

Lao Wei immediately patiently explained to her what an Immortal Cave was. Simply put, it's a tunnel that directly leads to the top of the main tomb chamber.

After listening, Xiao Juan nodded and said, "Alright, I don't know which tunnel is the Immortal Cave, but I'll take you through all twenty or thirty of these tunnels, and you can see for yourselves."

Lao Wei nodded and said, "That's fine too. Thank you."

Xiao Juan said with a smile, "It's no trouble at all. I'm also contributing to the protection of cultural relics."

With that, she took the lead and ran into a thicket of trees like a little rabbit.

We followed closely behind, and when we reached the thicket, we saw that Xiao Juan was standing in front of a patch of weeds. She casually picked up a branch and poked open the weeds, revealing a two-meter-square tunnel.

However, because the vegetation was lush, the weeds had blocked the entrance to the tunnel. If you didn't know there was a tunnel here, you wouldn't even see it if you passed by.

Xiao Juan pointed to the tunnel and asked Lao Wei and the others, "Did you find this tunnel just now?"

Lao Wei's face turned red, and he shook his head and said, "No, we didn't."

The tunnel was only ten meters away from where they had been standing, practically right under their noses, but they hadn't found it. It was a bit embarrassing.

But I didn't blame them. After all, Nanshan was full of lush vegetation, and the tunnels were very hidden. It was normal not to find them.

Xiao Juan asked us, "Is this tunnel an Immortal Cave?"

Lao Wei shook his head and said, "The location doesn't seem right, and this tunnel is at least ten years old. The Immortal Cave we're looking for was just recently dug, so it's definitely not this one."

Xiao Juan nodded and said, "Alright, I'll take you to find other tunnels."

Then, like a little rabbit, she hopped and skipped to the side, running two or three hundred meters up the mountain before diving into the bushes again and shouting, "There's another one here!"