Chapter 22 - Hu Yifei Wants to Learn Cooking!!!

Chapter 22: Hu Yifei Wants to Learn Cooking!!!

Pangzi finally managed to calm down Old Hu, who was still half-asleep, and Old Hu stumbled back into the tent to sleep beside Chen Yuze. Hu Yifei and Lingzi also settled back in for the night. Left alone by the campfire, Pangzi grew bored and decided to inspect the gear Chen Yuze had given him.

He tightened the trench coat around him, a bit snug, but it helped against the chilly night air despite the fire. After a quick glance around, he saw nothing unusual. The dogs lay half-dozing, ears twitching occasionally, so he relaxed.

Pangzi examined the rifles and pistols. Over time, dirt and grime had inevitably clogged the barrels. Despite his rough exterior, Pangzi was meticulous when it came to firearms—anything affecting accuracy had to go. He disassembled the guns and cleaned them thoroughly.

A true marksman, Pangzi worked with practiced ease, reassembling the weapons flawlessly. He loaded the magazines, then aimed the rifle experimentally. He wanted to test-fire it, but there were no targets around, and the gunshot would surely wake the other four. If that happened, a beating would be unavoidable. No, he wasn’t about to risk that.

Setting the guns aside, he peeked into the tents—everyone was asleep. He fed the dogs some leftover boar meat from earlier, then, deciding it was late enough, crawled back into his own tent.

Before long, Pangzi’s thunderous snoring resumed. But this time, everyone was already deep asleep, undisturbed.

By dawn, Chen Yuze was the first to rise. He scanned the surroundings—nothing amiss. The dogs cracked open an eye at him before feigning sleep again.

Smiling, Chen Yuze walked to the nearby river. The icy-clear water sent a jolt through him as he splashed his face, instantly refreshing. He cupped his hands and drank—crisp and sweet, far better than any city-bought mineral water.

Soon, the others stirred. Lingzi began preparing breakfast with last night’s leftover boar and their supplies. Chen Yuze rummaged through his backpack and pulled out two packs of instant noodles and some dry rations—simple fare for the morning.

“Lingzi, let’s have noodles. Too much grease in the morning isn’t good—we’re still full from last night.” He handed her the instant noodles.

Lingzi stared at the strange packaging, baffled. “Kid, what is this?”

Chen Yuze suddenly remembered—she’d never seen instant noodles before. “Ah, right. Yifei, cook these for us. We’ll go check the site. If it’s doable, we’ll start work now. Lingzi, handle the side dishes—there’s plenty of wild greens here. Let’s taste something truly natural.”

Chen Yuze knew Hu Yifei’s cooking skills were… limited. Aside from fried rice, her dishes were inedible. But instant noodles? Even she couldn’t mess those up. Plain rice was safe too. Anything else? Well… best not to think about it.

“Got it. Perfect chance to learn a thing or two from Lingzi! I’ll cook for you all when we get back!” Hu Yifei, even barefaced, was strikingly beautiful. But at her words, Chen Yuze shuddered. Oh no. What have I done? He should’ve volunteered to cook instead. Pray no one dies from her cooking…

While the women handled breakfast, the three men geared up and headed to yesterday’s marked spot, ready to begin. They needed to confirm the location first—digging in the wrong place would be disastrous.

Armed with shovels, they got to work. Pangzi, impatient as ever, took the lead. Old Hu and Chen Yuze outlined a circle about a meter wide and let him loose.

True to form, Pangzi was a machine. By the time breakfast was nearly ready, he’d already dug half a meter down, still grinning like a madman without a hint of fatigue.

Crack!

A strange sound came from beneath Pangzi’s shovel. Old Hu and Chen Yuze shouted in unison: “Stop, Pangzi! We’re there!”

“Pangzi, get up here!” Old Hu yanked him out. Now wasn’t the time for brute force—ancient tomb defenses were no joke. At this depth, caution was critical. Most grand tombs had anti-theft mechanisms, and they’d dug straight toward the main burial chamber—the most dangerous spot.

Once Pangzi was out, Old Hu carefully descended, ditching the shovel to scoop dirt by hand, inch by inch. Soon, a glimmer of colored glaze peeked through.

“Found it!” Pangzi gasped at the vibrant hues.

Old Hu smirked, tapping the glazed tile lightly. “At least we’ve got something. But this spot’s a dead end. We’ll have to rethink our approach.”

“Huh?! We just dug all this way for nothing? Why abandon it now?” Pangzi protested.

“The ‘Flaming Dragon’s Glazed Roof’…” Chen Yuze muttered, matching the description to his memories. “This general must’ve been high-ranking to afford this. The haul won’t be small.”

“Sharp eyes, kid.” Old Hu climbed out, dusting himself off. Then, to Pangzi’s shock, he said, “Fill it back in.”

Pangzi gaped. “Why?!”

Chen Yuze patted his shoulder. “That ‘Flaming Dragon’s Glazed Roof’ is a trap. It’s filled with Western Regions’ Flaming Oil, break it, and the oil ignites, burning intruders alive. And once it starts burning, no amount of water can put it out. Going down there is suicide.”