"What's there to celebrate! Third, can't you see the state we're both in?" Red Sister, having dealt with several blackfish on her body, looked at Third Elder Sun.

It had been days since they last met, and Third Elder Sun looked travel-worn, seemingly thinner. He sighed, "It's a blessing from the heavens that we're able to meet again. Little Red, you have no idea how much hardship Big Brother and I endured searching for you and Cloud Peak."

"Cut the useless talk, Third. As long as everyone's safe, that's all that matters," Boss said softly. "Cloud Peak, Little Red, did you discover anything below? Let's put our heads together."

At that moment, I felt my eyelids heavy, weakly saying, "Big Brother, can you first take care of me? I can hardly hold on any longer."

"Cough, look at me."

"Hurry, Third, come and help."

Our backpacks weren't lost, and they still contained the emergency bandages we had prepared earlier. After tending to the wounds and consuming some dry food, the sustenance in my stomach made me feel somewhat better.

Red Sister recounted our experiences over the past few days in fits and starts, holding nothing back.

After listening, Third Elder Sun couldn't stop shaking his head, "The world is vast and full of wonders. To encounter a tomb like this once in a lifetime is truly to have one's eyes opened. Besides, Little Red, what really concerns me is this Chen Jiansheng you mentioned. Is this man truly a laborer from the Southern Sect, and he actively saved you?"

I corrected him, "Not Third Brother, the man should be called Bai Jiansheng. According to him, he's a descendant of Elder Bai Chun Dian."

"That's even more suspicious!"

Third Elder Sun furrowed his brows as he looked at me, "I've heard of some of the famous laborers in the Southern Sect. After all, I'm a laborer myself, but I have absolutely no recollection of this Chen Jiansheng."

"What about you, Big Brother?"

"No," Eldest Elder Sun thought carefully before speaking, "I have heard the Chen name mentioned in passing, probably associated with Zhao Hongshui's crowd, but this Chen Jiansheng... indeed, I've never heard of him."

Red Sister tidied her hair and said indifferently, "Then let's not dwell on it for now. The man is probably dead anyway. Without proof of his death, why bother pondering so much?"

Hearing this, I felt a bit uncomfortable. Regardless of the truth about Chen Jiansheng's identity, the man had saved us both. A drop of water should be returned with a spring in gratitude, let alone in such circumstances. Were we being too unappreciative of human kindness, too cold-blooded?

Seeing me with my head bowed in silent dejection, Boss seemed to guess my thoughts and said with a smile, "Cloud Peak, don't think that we are ungrateful. Although we are tomb raiders, we operate within the Martial Arts World and uphold the principles of righteousness and loyalty. However, the Northern Faction and Southern Sect are like fire and water, only recently having eased their hostilities. Had it been twenty years earlier, they would have been stabbing each other in the back."

"I'll tell you, Cloud Peak, there's always a reason behind everything. Little Red's father, Chen Zhiyong, was once trapped by the Southern Sect's local laborers through infighting, and in the end, he was buried alive in Tibet."

The author's narrative has been misappropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

Hearing this, my mind reeled with confusion – such a story was unfathomable! If true, this would be a vendetta for Red Sister, a blood debt owed for the murder of her father...

No wonder, from the very beginning, Red Sister never showed Chen Jiansheng a friendly face, even though he saved us, she remained cold.

"I'm sorry, Red Sister," I said, bowing my head.

Red Sister took a deep breath, "Every debt has its debtor. My vengeance will be exacted, intensified in due time. Once I've saved enough money, built enough connections, then I will ensure my father can rest in peace in the underworld."

Her tone was calm, but through this tranquility, I could hear it. I could hear her resolve.

"I know it's useless no matter how many times I try to persuade you, Little Red, but I still hope you can let go. We're at the very bottom of the martial arts world. Some people are beyond our reach, no matter how desperately we struggle. That's just fate," Boss said with a tinge of desolation in his voice.

"What fate! With money! With people!"

"What is fate!"

"Boss, tell me! Was my father's life not a life? Huh? Tell me!" Red Sister suddenly shouted hysterically, her voice filled with desperation.

"If one billion is not enough, then two billion! If two billion is not enough, then three billion! No one in the martial arts world dares to provoke them, but I, Chen Hong, dare!" Red Sister lost control of her emotions, her hysterical screams echoing loudly.

I didn't understand the grudges involved, but this was the first time I saw Red Sister like this, and to be honest, it was quite frightening.

The Sun Family Brothers remained silent, witnessing her outburst. The atmosphere turned peculiar.

I cautiously tried to ask, "Big Brother, when Red Sister says no one dares to provoke them, who is she referring to? Is it a person? Even the bosses dare not provoke?"

Big Brother and Third Brother exchanged a meaningful glance.

"No, it's not a person. It's an organization, a gang, a group of extraordinary individuals who stand at the upper echelons of the martial arts world."

"An extraordinary person? Who might that be?" I asked, perplexed.

"Ah," Boss patted my shoulder, "Cloud Peak, you're still young, there's no need to know too much. Just understand this: we can't afford to mess with these people. Not us, not Yao Yumen, and not even her uncle Yao Wenzhong... Don't worry your head about it. Little Red, we'll keep trying to persuade her. Once you've been in the business longer, you'll naturally come to understand these things."

I nodded, pretending to understand, and refrained from asking further questions.

If it was as Boss said, I was still young, and sooner or later, I would come to understand these matters clearly.

"Forget it, it's bad luck to talk about this. Let's drop the subject."

"Cloud Peak, Little Red," Boss continued as he and the third had nearly finished their scouting above, "we've found a place that's very peculiar. It might just be the Main Tomb Chamber, where the Tomb Owner's Coffin and Outer Coffin are hidden."

Boss squatted down, casually picking up a stone, and as he sketched, he explained: "Imagine this is Moth Mountain. We've been walking for so many days, and if we continue forward, there are two possibilities."

"The first is that this Grand Underground Palace stretches across two mountains, from Moth Mountain to Nine Dragon Mountain, similar to how the Qianling Mausoleum spans Liang Mountain and Rüshan Mountain."

"The second possibility is that we've been walking in circles, and we might actually be heading back without realizing it due to the complex geographical structure, and in fact, we're still beneath Moth Mountain."

Pondering these two scenarios, I felt that either could be possible; such were my current conjectures.

"Cloud Peak, Little Red, if you have any thoughts, feel free to share. We must try to figure this out; it's embarrassing to grope around in the dark like this..."

Everyone fell silent upon hearing this, and Red Sister too was lost in thought.

"Big Brother," I said, my voice trembling as I tentatively raised my hand.

"Oh, Cloud Peak, what are your thoughts? Let's hear them, take your time."

"Well, Big Brother," I organized my thoughts before speaking, "we previously discovered a battle-axe and also found the Stone Carving of the Eight Fine Horses belonging to King Mu of Zhou. Although we haven't found The Son of Heaven's Nine Tripods and Seven Gui, I believe it's only a matter of time." (To be continued)

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I have also posted the following more chapters [All free]: https://www.readgates.com/article/7b136c