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墨書 Inktalez
Mu Xuanche took my hand and sat down, silent.
As soon as we settled, Bai Qiling and the others followed suit.
We remained quiet, waiting for Grandma to speak up.
Grandma slowly walked over to Mingyue and me, placing a leaf in each of our palms.
"What is this for?" I looked up at her, puzzled.
"Just eat it. The water you drank might have been problematic too."
In the morning, Grandma had specially brought us warm water, and I had thought it was considerate of her to warm our stomachs. Little did I know it was all part of a scheme, a trap.
Worried about what else Grandma might be up to, I hesitated to eat the leaf.
I turned to Mu Xuanche for his opinion. He nodded, and only then did I dare to put the leaf in my mouth.
It was cold and slightly bitter, tasting somewhat like mint leaves but lacking that toothpaste flavor.
Seeing us finish, Grandma turned to Wang Kun and instructed him.
"Kunzi, take the guests to Old Mountain this afternoon, understood?"
With those words, Wang Kun, who had been puffing on his pipe, suddenly became excited.
"Mother, how could you be so forgetful? You even mentioned Old Mountain!"
Grandma remained calm and composed after being scolded by her son. "Your mother is much smarter than you. Don't worry, she wouldn't send you off wrong. This is someone your father has been waiting for, but he didn't have the fortune to meet them. Now it's up to you."
I couldn't understand their conversation at all. Looking at Mu Xuanche's confident demeanor, it seemed he was in on the details.
In the afternoon, as soon as we finished eating, Wang Kun urged us to pack up and get ready to leave.
Before we set off, Grandma insisted that Wang Kun take a rooster from the front of the house with us.
"Yan Xi, what is Grandma thinking? We're going to find an ancient tomb, not having a picnic. Is she worried we won't have food and wants to bring a chicken for us to roast?"
I tugged at Mingyue, signaling her to stop talking nonsense.
Although Grandma seemed a bit harsh, she had her reasons for sending her son with a rooster up the mountain. It was best not to question it too much.
Wang Kun led me along the same path we had taken last night. Thanks to him guiding us, we saved a lot of trouble and moved much faster.
I followed closely behind Wang Kun, hoping to glean some information from him.
"Big Brother, how did you know there was a tomb here?"
Wang Kun was honest but straightforward. Ever since he found out we had deceived him that morning, he had been ignoring us and didn't respond to my question.
It seemed I wouldn't be able to extract any information from him, so I had no choice but to return to Mu Xuanche's side.
Just as I walked back, I heard Jin Ping's affected voice. "Oh, so you decided to come back? It's disgusting how some women just throw themselves at men."
I was so angry that I almost wanted to throw a stack of talismans at her, scattering her soul in the process.
To strike at the heart, I knew she liked Mu Xuanche, so I decided to make him furious.
I hooked my finger at Mu Xuanche and frowned at him. "Can you carry me? My stomach hurts a bit from walking too long."
He glanced at me without saying a word, then took a couple of steps forward and squatted down.
A wave of satisfaction washed over me as I climbed onto his back, turning to Jin Ping with a triumphant smile.
I could see her nearly grinding her teeth in anger. Since she enjoyed mocking me, I would show off my affection for him as much as possible.
We arrived at the grove we reached last night, and Wang Kun signaled for us to stop.
Then he walked ahead alone, carefully watching the bushes while continuously sprinkling white powder along the way.
After walking for a while, Wang Kun finally stopped and shouted back at us, "You all come towards the white line; don't stray off course!"
It seemed this ancient tomb indeed had some connection to Wang Kun's family. Initially, we expected traps or poisonous creatures inside, but under Wang Kun's guidance, nothing had happened so far.
Having passed through this area of trees without incident, we continued on without any problems.
Once we were through the grove, Wang Kun stopped again and suggested we rest until it got darker.
Having already witnessed Wang Kun's familiarity with this area, no one objected. We all followed his instructions and paused to regroup.
Since I climbed onto Mu Xuanche's back and he carried me through the forest, Wang Kun's gaze towards me has been somewhat off—it's that particularly disdainful look.
Now that we've stopped, after he distributed the dry rations to everyone, when he handed some to me, he couldn't help but sarcastically comment, "City folks are so delicate. Can you handle our coarse grains?"
I smiled lightly and glanced at him without saying a word. However, Mu Xuanche, who was nearby, heard him and leaned over to break off a piece of flatbread to give to me.
Wang Kun noticed this and spoke again, but this time not to me, rather to Mu Xuanche beside him. "My brother, women shouldn't be so finicky. The women in our village can carry their weight; they can climb several mountains!"
I took his sarcastic remarks in stride but didn't let them bother me. Such comments are just for listening; there's no need to take them to heart.
To my surprise, Mu Xuanche actually responded to him, "There's nothing she can do; she's just gotten pregnant and can't handle it," while affectionately patting my head.
Now it was Wang Kun's turn to be shocked. His eyes widened as he exclaimed, "You're having a baby?"
Mu Xuanche nodded, and Wang Kun playfully punched him on the chest in a joking manner. "Brother, that's where you're wrong. Now that you have a wife, how can you bring her to endure such hardships?"
Mu Xuanche turned to look at me, a hint of a smile on his handsome face as he spoke with a touch of helplessness, "She insisted on coming along; I had no choice."
Seeing Jin Ping's fiery gaze from the side made me feel exhilarated. Since Mu Xuanche was so cooperative today, I had to make sure to play my part well in this act.
She wrapped her arms around his waist and leaned against his shoulder.
"Marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog. Wherever he goes, I will naturally go," she said.
Wang Kun's previously disdainful gaze immediately transformed into one of admiration.
"Girl, you make a good point," he replied.
Seeing the opportunity, I quickly asked, "Big Brother, how come you're so familiar with the traps here?"
Wang Kun scratched his head, looking a bit embarrassed. "The traps in this forest were all set by my family. My great-great-grandfather started it, so after I came of age, my dad brought me here to get acquainted with them."
"The guardians of the tomb; their family has been the guardians of this tomb for generations," Mu Xuanche whispered to me.
It was astonishing that they had been guarding since the Qin State era; such loyalty was truly remarkable.
As night fell, Wang Kun led us onward.
Ahead lay a river, and we had to wade through it in the dark of night.
It was too dark to see clearly, so for safety, both Shangguan Mingyue and I were carried on someone's back.
As soon as we entered the river, a strong fishy smell assaulted my senses.
Suddenly, white smoke began to rise from the water. Wang Kun shouted for us to hold hands.
The scent of white smoke carried a faint sweetness. As I took a breath, my mouth was suddenly blocked by Mu Xuanche.
"Don't inhale; this is dangerous," he warned.
His words startled me into immediately closing my mouth and pinching my nose shut.
It seemed too late, for before my eyes appeared an entire army.
Leading them was a formidable general clad in armor, his face adorned with a thick beard, exuding an air of authority. He held a greatsword in one hand and gripped the reins of his horse with the other.
His eyes widened as he pointed at me. "Upon seeing this general, why aren't you kneeling?"
I stood frozen in place. Although I knew this was an illusion, fear gripped my body.
"Bold one, kneel at once!"
With a thunderous roar from the general, the atmosphere shifted dramatically. The previously dark surroundings brightened as a bolt of lightning struck down before me, sending sparks flying.
"Boom!"
Another flash of lightning struck right beside my feet.
"Ah!"
I let out a scream and crouched down.
Thud, thud, thud, thud.
A series of powerful footsteps approached me relentlessly.
In an instant, a shadow loomed over me.
When I looked up, I found myself surrounded by several armored soldiers.
Each of those soldiers was a Menacing Brute, towering in stature, with broad shoulders and a physique as solid as a wall.
Being encircled by them made me feel like I was suffocating; the air around us was thick with tension.
Suddenly, one soldier raised his Halberd, preparing to thrust it toward me.
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