Half an hour later, Ye Zhen, Li Xingming, and Wang Xiaoai reunited with Fang Xiu, Liu Qing'er, and Gu Chen.
"Ye Zhen, did everything go smoothly on your end?"
At that, Ye Zhen tilted his head forty-five degrees toward the ceiling and declared proudly, "Of course. With me, Ye Liangchen, on the job, how could a few tomb raiders possibly stand a chance..."
The others ignored him. Watching him stare at the ceiling like that, apparently without a sore neck, was bad enough. Saying another word to this hopelessly melodramatic fool would be a mistake.
"How did things go on your end?"
Liu Qing'er still looked shaken. "It went smoothly at first, but when we dealt with the bodyguards, they caught on and drew their guns. Luckily, Boss Beichen acted in time and knocked the shot off course. Otherwise, you wouldn't be seeing me now..."
Li Xingming and Wang Xiaoai both exclaimed at how close a call it had been.
Fang Xiu then placed the Fragmented Ancient Scroll on the table. Everyone picked it up for a curious look, but between the traditional characters and the blurry illustrations, they couldn't make much of it right away.
"I can barely make out anything on this antique. We'll need to find an expert. Those tomb raiders were unbelievably lucky to dig this up. Did you get any clues out of them?"
At Fang Xiu's question, Li Xingming and Wang Xiaoai exchanged a glance. Li Xingming soon answered.
"We bumped their car on a remote suburban road without cameras. Once we'd drawn them out, we took them down and started questioning them. We got quite a few clues..."
Li Xingming then recounted what they had learned from the three tomb raiders.
According to the three men, they had found it in the mountains several hundred kilometers away. They had only meant to rob a tomb and pick up a few antiques or relics. Unfortunately, their luck was poor: the Ming Dynasty Tomb they opened was a modest one with nothing valuable inside. They dug in another direction and accidentally uncovered a mysterious tomb complex.
The three tomb raiders said several of them had gone in. Lamps were still burning inside—rows of Eternal Lamps. Thinking they had found the grand tomb of a Ming Dynasty prince, the whole gang rushed in. Before long, they found themselves unable to control their bodies or move.
A roar suddenly rang out from the tomb, which had been buried for who knew how many centuries. It was as though some sleeping monster had awakened. Three people died the moment they encountered it. Five guns and explosives did them no good. Terrified, the survivors grabbed whatever they could and fled in a panic. Of the ten who went in, only three came out alive.
What happened afterward was simple. The three tomb raiders took the Fragmented Ancient Scroll they had brought out of that cursed place to the Sun Family, with whom they had worked before. They found Second Master Sun and sold it to him. Thoroughly frightened, they decided to take the money and leave tomb raiding behind for good.
After hearing what the three tomb raiders had revealed, Fang Xiu and Liu Qing'er drew sharp breaths. The news had shaken them both.
Gu Chen put on a look of surprise at just the right moment. It was an act, of course. He had created the Wu Ming Ruins with Refine Falsehood Into Truth, so he knew exactly what dangers lay inside. They had never been meant for ordinary people to explore. Anyone going in needed at least a Transformation Boxer to lead them, or a team like the government's elite special forces. Ordinary people would be easy prey, turned into controlled puppets in no time.
"I'd been thinking that once we had the clues, the six of us could join forces and explore the place. Maybe we'd find an opportunity, discover the Human Immortal Martial Dao described in the Fragmented Ancient Scroll, and uncover a martial path beyond mortal limits. Given what we know now, I think we'd better forget it..." Liu Qing'er sighed, regret plain on her face.
Fang Xiu, seated beside her, frowned and said gravely, "Judging by what those three tomb raiders told us, the Wu Ming Ruins must be extremely dangerous. First, something there can leave people rigid and unable to move. Second, there's a terrifying monster lurking inside..."
Li Xingming offered his own calm assessment. "The Great Ming was nearly five or six hundred years ago, wasn't it? A monster that's survived sealed underground for that long is already beyond the ordinary. And if even guns and explosives couldn't hurt it, that tells us how dangerous the place is..."
"I think only someone like a Transforming Strength Great Boxer or a Pillaring Grandmaster could explore the Wu Ming Ruins. Or a fully armed team of the government's elite special forces..." Fang Xiu laid out the harsh reality.
Wang Xiaoai sighed. "Having a mountain of treasure right in front of us and being unable to touch it is torture. What do you all think we should do with this secret?"
Everyone exchanged glances. From their earlier sparring and discussions, and from one another's boxing techniques, they had long since guessed that each of them had a teacher at the level of a Transforming Strength Great Boxer. Otherwise, how could they all have reached Manifesting Strength so young? They couldn't all be once-in-a-century prodigies.
An idea occurred to Liu Qing'er. "Why don't we agree on a date, ask our respective teachers about it, then go explore it together? What do you think?"
Everyone considered her suggestion. For the moment, it seemed like the best solution.
With their current strength, exploring the place on their own was out of the question. But if senior martial artists at the Transforming Strength Great Boxer level led the way, they could follow and broaden their horizons. And if their teachers obtained a method for practicing the Human Immortal Martial Dao, surely they would teach their disciples.
"I agree!"
"Good idea! It's not as if we can go in on our own!"
"Exactly! It's settled, then!"
"Ye Liangchen approves! Your petition is granted!" Ye Zhen declared with all his usual melodrama. Everyone ignored him in perfect unison.
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