"Of course we're going back together!"
Fatty Wang shouted at once.
"We got so many treasures this time. There are over eighty pieces from the village alone. How could one truck hold them all?"
"We'll take one load back first, then bring two more trucks next time."
Hu Bayi also said, "I'd like to go back for a while too."
"I've seen a lot and learned a lot on this trip."
"A lot of it matched what was recorded in my family's Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Art."
"We ended up in such a mess because we lacked experience and hadn't packed everything we needed. So I want to go back to Yanbei City and prepare more thoroughly. That way, our next trip into a tomb won't be such a disaster."
"Besides, I'd like to bring the villagers more everyday supplies when we come back."
Gu Cheng clapped his hands. "All right. Since we've all decided to go back, let's pack up and leave right away."
When they went to say goodbye to the village chief,
they happened to run into Yingzi and her father, who had also come to see him.
Her father looked to be in his forties. He was powerfully built, with calluses covering his hands and a rather gloomy expression.
Still, considering that he spent most of the year alone in the mountains, that hardly seemed strange.
"Yingzi, we're heading back to Yanbei for a while. Want to come along for a few days?"
"I'll take you all over Yanbei City and treat you to every kind of food."
Fatty Wang spoke with his usual easygoing manner.
"That's right, Yingzi. It's not good to stay cooped up in the mountains all the time. Come with us and see what's out there. The outside world might not be as peaceful as the village, but it has its own excitement."
Hu Bayi chimed in too.
Yingzi seemed tempted.
After all, she was a young girl who had only just come of age. Of course she was curious about the outside world.
She stole a glance at her father.
Her father tapped his pipe against the earthen wall beside him, then said calmly, "Go if you want. It'll do you good to see a bit of the world."
"Thank you, Dad."
Yingzi replied meekly, her eyes lowered.
Only after her father left did she act like a young girl again, her face beaming with excitement.
"Brother Fatty, everyone says Yanbei City is the biggest city in the country. Is that true?"
"Brother Fatty, is Yanbei City fun?"
"Brother Fatty, Yanbei City..."
Fatty Wang was a chatterbox himself and answered all her questions without losing patience.
After quite a bit of fuss,
the four of them finally returned to Yanbei City.
First, they delivered all the antiques loaded on the truck to the Treasure-Hiding Studio's warehouse. The items still needed work, including disinfection, cleaning, and repairs, before they could be put up for sale in the shop.
After giving Hu Bayi and Fatty Wang a few instructions,
and arranging for Yingzi to spend a few days having fun with Fatty Wang,
Gu Cheng went home.
"Dad, Mom, I missed you so much!"
Although he had only been away for a few days, seeing them again made Gu Cheng feel as if a lifetime had passed.
"Hmm? Son, how did you get better-looking after just a few days away?"
Gu Cheng looked exasperated. "Mom, I was already handsome, okay?!"
"Oh, I meant you're even better-looking than before."
Gu Cheng had noticed that long ago.
After his bath that night, he had discovered that his skin had become much fairer and smoother. It was probably the cleansing and marrow-refining effect of the Fetal Breathing Method.
His mother's remark brought it back to mind.
"Hey, Dad, have you had Mom practice the Fetal Breathing Method?"
Sitting on the sofa, Gu Sihai nodded. "Yes! But your mother and I are getting old, and our bodily functions have declined. The effects are very weak."
"That's all right. Look what good stuff I brought back for you."
He sat down on the sofa and took a wooden box from his pocket.
When he opened it, five grape-sized green fruits lay inside.
(A quick note here: someone said soybean-sized fruits were too small. What I want to say is that Gu Cheng saw them as soybean-sized from the surface of the water. Water refracts light, making things appear smaller. Their actual size was roughly that of a grape.)
Gu Sihai glanced at them and asked, "What are these?"
Zhou Xiumei sat down beside them too. "They look like unripe grapes."
Gu Cheng chuckled. "They're called Golden Cup Longevity Fruits. They're treasures I found on this trip!"
"They can increase true essence spiritual energy and help with cultivation. I ate two, and my Fetal Breathing Method has already advanced to level three."
"When you advance to level three, you undergo a cleansing and marrow refinement that greatly improves your physical condition."
"Mom, it's not that I got more handsome. My skin improved because of that cleansing and marrow refinement."
Gu Sihai and Zhou Xiumei were stunned.
Gu Sihai took the wooden box and stared at the five fruits, his eyes wide. "Something this miraculous actually exists?!"
"Come on, trust me. I wouldn't lie to you."
"I saved these five for you. Never mind anything else for now. Get your Fetal Breathing Method up to level three first. It should do your bodies a lot of good."
Gu Sihai and Zhou Xiumei exchanged a glance.
Then Gu Sihai closed the wooden box and set it back in front of Gu Cheng.
"You should eat these treasures yourself. We're old. There's no need to waste them on us."
"Eat them yourself. You'll need a strong body if you're going to be traveling all over the place."
Warmth filled Gu Cheng's heart.
"Dad, Mom, these are all for you."
"You don't seriously think this little bit was all I got from my trip, do you?!"
He looked around and asked quietly, "Is it safe to talk here at home?"
Zhou Xiumei laughed and scolded him. "You little rascal. How could it not be safe to talk in our own home?"
Gu Sihai, however, seemed to have guessed something. He raised a hand to interrupt Zhou Xiumei, then said, "Come with me to the study."
To all you handsome readers, writing a book isn't easy, and mine isn't one of those formulaic tomb-raiding novels.
If you think it's decent, please send some flowers, ratings, and tips.
If you like this book, remember to add it to your bookshelf so you don't lose track of it next time.