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墨書 Inktalez
I suddenly found myself unsure whether to feel joy or worry. The joy came from the fact that I was no longer fighting alone with A Li; as the saying goes, many hands make light work. Seeing so many compatriots from the Great Motherland made me feel a surge of strength. However, the worry stemmed from Old Ge's warning still echoing in my ears, reminding me to be cautious of Third Granduncle Master and his disciple Shishu. They were the sworn enemies of my master and would undoubtedly become my adversaries as well. I had to ensure that I did not fall into their hands.
At that moment, I was completely unprepared, both mentally and in terms of military defense, and here I was, facing them without any protection!
Just then, Liuzi recognized me and came over, swinging his fists: "Don’t think just because you’ve shaved your head that I won’t recognize you! I haven’t settled the score from last time yet, and you dare to use poison against me!"
Before I could respond, A Li lashed out with her whip in front of Liuzi. If he hadn’t dodged quickly, his arm would have been torn apart: "Watch your mouth! Don’t bite the hand that feeds you. If it weren’t for my Brother Qian Yi saving you, you’d be six feet under by now!"
Liuzi glared at her, his face twitching with anger: "Who the hell are you to interrupt?!" He drew his weapon and was ready to fight A Li.
A Li wasn’t intimidated; she let out a cold snort and narrowed her eyes at Liuzi. With a flick of her left hand on the Nine-Tailed Whip, the bells rang out with a sound that sent shivers down one’s spine. Every time she got angry, she had this habitual way of acting, indicating that Liuzi had truly provoked her this time.
The atmosphere became tense, and a fight seemed imminent.
However, we were outnumbered; if a real fight broke out, we would definitely be at a disadvantage. A phrase flashed through my mind: "A wise man does not suffer losses for the sake of immediate gain!" I quickly reached out to pull A Li back just as Third Granduncle Master restrained the restless Liuzi.
Liuzi was clearly unwilling to back down, grumbling as he struggled against Third Granduncle Master ’s hold, his teeth grinding together: "You guys are lucky! If it weren’t for my master’s face, I’d make sure you wouldn’t even be recognized by your own mothers today!"
Third Granduncle Master was cunning and shrewd; he must have held a grudge about the poison incident in the underground palace. I could only imagine how he planned to get back at me tenfold or even a hundredfold. Even when Liuzi was ready to strike, he managed to keep his composure and maintained an expressionless demeanor as if nothing had happened. His depth of character was certainly on par with my master.
Dealing with this old fox meant that no amount of caution on my part would be enough.
Third Granduncle Master had been staring at A Li for quite some time now with an almost penetrating gaze—one he had used on me during our first meeting. Therefore, I could understand A Li's feelings at this moment; although her face showed no cracks in composure, the cold sweat in her palms betrayed her anxiety.
I couldn’t help but grip A Li’s hand tighter, wanting to give her more strength.
Finally, Third Granduncle Master spoke in a sinister tone: "And who might this young lady be?" The question was clearly directed at me, but his eyes never left A Li.
My mind raced quickly; it seemed Third Granduncle Master hadn’t recognized A Li’s identity yet. Even if he had some suspicions in his mind, he wasn’t entirely certain—that’s why he asked.
Both A Li and I belonged to the New School; this identity made us targets in Third Granduncle Master's eyes—symbols of enemies that could never be tolerated. On the other hand, I didn’t want to make it easy for Third Granduncle Master either; I wanted him to guess and second-guess himself so he wouldn’t dare act against A Li.
In a flash of inspiration, I had already formulated my response: "This is Qiao Qi’s younger sister. You should know Qiao Qi—the Tu Fuzi you invited last time."
If I'm not mistaken, the woman dressed as a Witch in Third Granduncle Master's team is the strategist they hired this time, taking over the role of Old Qiao from last time.
Third Granduncle Master is ruthless and reckless; in his eyes, even the king is just someone to carry his chamber pot. Yet for some reason, he holds a certain degree of respect for those in the profession of "Tu Fuzi," though it’s definitely not out of fear. If he gets annoyed, being thrown into the Mekong River to feed crocodiles would be a matter of minutes.
I suspect that Third Granduncle Master doesn’t fully understand the Tomb Raiding trade and sees a potential use for them, which is why he treats them with a bit of courtesy. As A Chen put it, “When it comes to underground matters, we still have to rely on Qiao Master.”
Moreover, Old Qiao is quite smooth in his dealings. From what I gather, their previous collaboration with Third Granduncle Master was relatively pleasant, resulting in a good parting. That’s why I thought to borrow his name to give A Li an identity. As the saying goes, one should not only consider the monk’s face but also the Buddha’s face; Third Granduncle Master likely keeps Old Qiao in mind for future usefulness and should treat his sister well.
Earlier, I intentionally called out “ Third Granduncle Master ” to remind A Li not to slip up while also preparing myself mentally. A Li exchanged glances with me, signaling her understanding.
Third Granduncle Master responded with an “Oh?” It was hard to tell how much he believed me, but he certainly seemed to think I was talking nonsense: “Qiao Master is here too? Where is he? Does he really trust you to take care of his sister? Are you two that close?”
I couldn’t shake the feeling that Third Granduncle Master emphasized the word "sister" on purpose.
Having learned from my previous experience in the Bagua Underground Palace (from the prequel Errand Runner), I figured out a trick: when dealing with an old fox like Third Granduncle Master, neither complete honesty nor complete lies would work; I needed a mix of truth and deception. Regardless of what I said, he would doubt me three or four times anyway, so let him keep doubting.
I replied, “Yes, Qiao Master is here, but we got separated. You know how Qiao Master is—if there’s money involved, he’ll be a strategist for anyone. Our relationship isn’t particularly close; it’s just a regular client relationship. As for him leaving his sister with me… well, I don’t think it was entirely voluntary.” My words were quite tactful; the implication was clear: she’s no longer a child; you can handle this.
Sure enough, Third Granduncle Master and his companions focused their attention on our tightly clasped hands, which explained why A Li had been so protective of me earlier. I hoped this would temporarily blind that old fox.
It seemed like this old fellow had been single all his life and knew nothing about matters between men and women; thus, he had nothing more to say.
Sixth Brother scoffed disdainfully and twisted his neck with a cracking sound, clearly expressing disbelief: “You? You actually have a woman interested in you? Are you blind or something?”
Upon hearing “Qiao Master,” the Witch recognized him as a fellow professional and sensed Third Granduncle Master's lingering thoughts about this former partner could affect her standing in the team. Eager to make an impression, she began observing her surroundings discreetly. After figuring something out, she approached Third Granduncle Master: “Boss, I noticed that the water flows toward the stone wall; there must be an exit below. Let me take some people to check it out.”
Third Granduncle Master nodded silently. The Witch then signaled two others to go check the stone wall. I put on my clothes—though tattered, at least they provided some modesty. The rest of the group had sustained various injuries; Third Granduncle Master instructed A Chen to tell everyone to rest in place—those who needed medicine should take it, and those who needed food should eat.
A Li and I found a spot to sit down a little distance away from Third Granduncle Master's group. At that moment, my stomach growled with hunger. A Li took out three packs of compressed biscuits from her backpack and we shared them. After finishing them off, I still felt ravenous but didn’t dare drink too much water since there wasn’t much left.
A Li rummaged through her backpack and found only four packs of biscuits remaining—our entire food supply. Until we could escape this cursed place, we couldn’t afford to eat our fill; we had to leave some provisions for ourselves as a backup plan.
Third Granduncle Master maintained his usual capitalist indulgence style—better for soldiers to suffer than mouths to go hungry—eating fish and beef canned goods. The moment he opened one can, I caught a whiff of its aroma. A Li pressed down on my shoulder as if she hadn’t noticed anything while continuing to bandage my wounds; I could hear her stomach growling too.
I suddenly recalled a saying: men fear choosing the wrong profession, while women fear marrying the wrong man. If A Li were to follow Third Granduncle Master and the others, she certainly wouldn't be suffering as she was now.
A Li seemed to have guessed my thoughts; she suddenly smiled and leaned close to my ear, saying, "Marry a chicken, follow a chicken; marry a dog, follow a dog. I'm happy with that."
I felt my face flush. I was about to explain that what I said earlier was just to fool Third Granduncle Master and didn’t count. Just then, A Chen rushed over, holding a bag in his hand and handed it to me. "You and the Qiao Family girl haven't eaten yet, right? Here! We brought plenty anyway." A Chen was sincere, showing no sign of boasting or humiliation.
I still held onto my earlier thought: if he weren't with Third Granduncle Master, we might have become good friends. I suddenly remembered Lao Wantong and decided I would definitely ask A Chen at some point if he was a successor of the Turtle Breathing Technique.
As I hesitated whether to accept it, I realized that A Chen had come over with Third Granduncle Master's tacit approval. A gentleman does not bow for five pecks of rice; how could I, Qian Yi, accept the charity of that old fox?
Just then, Liu Zi shouted from over there, "Damn it! There's food and you're still hesitating? A Chen, you don't even need to feed them!"
His shout made me immediately reach out to take the bag. I wanted to give him a hard time and insisted on pulling A Chen down to eat together.
Liu Zi was indeed furious. He cursed loudly and lifted himself to come over but was held back by Third Granduncle Master. "We're all on the same side; by seniority, you still have to call him Big Senior Brother."
Liu Zi snorted disdainfully. "Big Senior Brother? Pfft! He's just a wild seed thrown out by the Old Poison King. He even dares to kill his master; he’s not worthy of being my fellow disciple!"
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