After the butler left, Zhang Tian and Hu Bayi returned to the room.
It was a square box wrapped in embroidered cloth. The embroidery was exquisite and bore the style of the Xie family.
Without hesitation, Zhang Tian gently opened the embroidered cloth.
Beneath the cloth was a wooden box. Hu Bayi’s gaze also shifted towards it.
“I didn’t expect it to be wrapped so tightly,” he remarked.
“Old Hu, you don’t understand. This is called ‘sense of ceremony’,” Zhang Tian said, gently opening the wooden box.
Next, a paper map appeared.
The material of the rolled paper was somewhat special, very stiff. It wasn’t quite like parchment, yet it possessed the suppleness of parchment.
His eyes fell upon it.
Drawn on it were some lines, mountain ranges, rivers, and so on. However, these depictions were very distorted, as if it weren’t a map of this world.
“Boss, why are these mountains so strange? They have a majestic, mountainous feel, and the vegetation is also peculiar. I’ve never seen anything like it,” Hu Bayi said, studying the map closely, a hint of confusion on his face.
Zhang Tian also frowned slightly. This thing looked a bit… different.
Could he have bought a pirated map?
“This is a fragment!” Zhang Qilin’s voice suddenly rang out as they were examining it. He was not far away, but his gaze had long been fixed on the map.
“A fragment?” Zhang Tian was taken aback. But it looked like a complete map; how could it be a fragment?
Zhang Qilin walked over slowly, his steps firm and gentle. He took the map and held it up above his head.
The morning sunlight shone on the map, and gradually, the map began to become transparent. On the transparent map, the depicted mountains began to divide. Gradually, the mountain ranges transformed into distinct mountains. However, there were no precise routes.
“This should be a type of vellum, with some special materials added. When exposed to sunlight, it turns transparent,” Zhang Tian said, amazed by the ingenuity of the ancients.
“Then, what does the other map refer to?”
“It should be another map to be overlapped,” Zhang Tian added, his gaze fixed on the map held by Zhang Qilin.
The map showed mountains but no paths, rivers but no trees, and villages but no people. Clearly, to obtain the complete map, they needed to find the other piece and overlap it to have a chance of locating the true King of Medicine’s tomb.
“Boss, it seems our tens of millions have gone down the drain,” Hu Bayi said in a hoarse voice. They had spent tens of millions on a broken map, and who knew where the other half was.
“It’s not a complete loss. Let’s keep this. Since the Xie family said they were giving it to us, there’s no reason to return it,” Zhang Tian said. Zhang Qilin carefully put the map away.
A half-fragment, frankly speaking, had limited use. Therefore, Zhang Tian’s focus would remain on the Xisha Underwater Tomb.
“By the way, Qilin, how did you know?” Zhang Tian asked.
Zhang Qilin simply shook his head, not knowing the reason himself.
“Chicken soup is here! Chicken soup is here!” As Zhang Qilin shook his head, Fatty, holding a large pot of chicken soup, ran out excitedly, looking happier than if he had cooked it himself.
Seeing the delicious chicken soup in the pot, Zhang Tian’s stomach rumbled uncontrollably.
“Heh heh, boss, look, what is this called… ‘subduing the enemy without fighting’,” Fatty chuckled, though his limited knowledge prevented him from finishing the idiom. He handed the soup over.
After drinking the chicken soup, the group began their cultivation. Zhang Tian cultivated diligently, not daring to slacken.
Time quietly passed.
The scene shifted to one month later.
Today, Zhang Tian, Fatty, Hu Bayi, Zhang Qilin, and the others had made their preparations. Zhang Qilin had brought nothing. To be precise, he had only brought the Black Gold Ancient Saber. Zhang Tian, Fatty, and Hu Bayi, however, were stuffing various items into their backpacks. Zhang Tian even put Little Turtle in his pack to avoid any unforeseen circumstances. Zhang Tian was a cautious person; he would rather prepare more than put himself in danger.
“Boss, Fatty is impressed. How did you catch so many chickens, snakes, and dogs? More importantly, you made Fatty carry them! Look at Second Brother, he’s traveling light,” Fatty said, his large backpack weighing him down, causing his back to bend. If he hadn’t been cultivating, he might have collapsed.
“These are useful. Besides, bringing them along is to prevent you from attracting other wandering souls,” Zhang Tian replied, causing Fatty’s face to turn green. He stammered and said no more.
Hu Bayi carried relatively little, just a compass, a Mojin talisman, food, tools, and other essentials. He didn’t have much else.
Once ready, Zhang Tian and the others headed towards the expert team.
In the viewing room, countless people became excited upon seeing this.
“Xisha Underwater Tomb, holy cow, it’s finally here, I’m so excited.”
“The person before, according to legend, the Xisha Underwater Tomb is terrifying. Be careful, you might get scared.”
“Children, please watch with the accompaniment of adults.”
“I still don’t understand why Zhang Tian is bringing the expert team. Aren’t they just dead weight?”
“I know. They call this selfless contribution, helping experts explore the ancient underwater tomb and donating to Xia Guo!” Countless people were discussing. Even more were diligently researching Zhang Tian’s decision to bring the expert team into the tomb. They were more serious about this than their own studies.
The scene continued.
As for the expert team, sixteen members were ready, including Shirley Yang.
“Haha, Comrade Xiao Hu, you’re finally here. Shall we set off now?” Professor Chen asked with a smile. In his opinion, Hu Bayi was more capable than Zhang Tian and the others, especially since he had found the location of the ancient tomb in just half a day. Professor Chen considered him to be of the greatest use.
“Boss, what do you think?” Hu Bayi understood that Zhang Tian was in charge here and had no intention of seeking prestige. It was unnecessary.
“Since everyone is ready, we will depart now,” Zhang Tian said, without further comment. To him, it didn’t matter who said it.
“Heh heh, Old Hu, look, that beauty keeps looking at you. Maybe she’s interested in you,” Fatty teased, seeing Shirley Yang looking at Hu Bayi.
“Get lost.” Hu Bayi rolled his eyes at Fatty. The group then prepared to depart. Professor Chen didn’t mind the addition of Zhang Qilin; he considered Zhang Tian’s group of unusual individuals to have an extra member as a stroke of luck.
Zhang Tian followed the expert team and soon arrived at the seaside. Shirley Yang’s family was wealthy, and she had enlisted this expert team to find clues about her father.
Looking at the large ship before them, Fatty glanced at the sea. “Uh, boss, Fatty is afraid of heights.” The ship was about several meters high, and with sea waves, it might rise even higher. For Fatty, who was afraid of heights, this was undoubtedly a disaster.
“Don’t worry, as long as we’re not afraid of heights,” Zhang Tian said, boarding the ship directly.
“Holy cow, boss, you’re heartless. The old man’s heart is cold, cold, cold.” Fatty clutched his chest and quickly followed. The ship was constructed entirely of wooden planks, not a cruise liner or anything similar, as such technology didn’t exist at the time. On board were some boatmen and crew. From their dark skin and sun-cracked faces, Zhang Tian could tell these were seasoned professionals. Standing on the deck, Zhang Tian looked into the distance and noticed what appeared to be another ship. People were continuously boarding that vessel.
“Holy cow, could it be such a coincidence?” Zhang Tian’s heart sank.