Chapter 36 - Discoveries

Chapter 36: Discoveries

“Kid, you’re overthinking it. The door’s already open, let’s just go in and see!” The chubby guy sided with Hu Yifei, too impatient to wait any longer. At this point, what was there to hesitate about?

“You’re right.” Chen Yuze stopped hesitating. It wasn’t like they could just turn around and close the door again now.

With Yifei leading the way, the four of them stepped inside. None of them could match her pace, she was practically buzzing with excitement. This trip had been way more thrilling than she expected, and she hadn’t felt this alive in ages.

The moment they entered, their eyes locked onto the massive stone coffin at the center of the grand hall.

Exquisitely carved and adorned with intricate designs, the craftsmanship was undeniable. Even though it was just stone, the level of detail spoke volumes about the effort put into it.

The four of them swallowed hard.

“Kid, that’s the general’s coffin, right? Should we… open it?” The chubby guy licked his lips, practically vibrating with anticipation.

“Should be. But don’t forget the rules.” Chen Yuze pulled out his compass, preparing to locate the southeast corner—the traditional spot for lighting the “ghost lamp” in tomb raiding.

“Relax, we remember.” Old Hu was just as eager. After all this trouble, they’d finally reached their goal. This was their first real expedition—how could they not be excited?

“Huh? There are two side chambers too?” Chen Yuze noticed two smaller rooms branching off from the main hall. They didn’t look particularly large, but they were worth checking out.

“Old Hu, there are side chambers. I’m going to take a look. Let’s split up.” Chen Yuze could tell Old Hu and the chubby guy were itching to crack open the coffin, while Yifei was busy examining the surroundings.

Since money wasn’t an issue for him, and there didn’t seem to be any traps left, he figured they had time to explore.

“Fine. The heavy lifting’s on us, then.” Old Hu agreed. After all, the real valuables would be inside the coffin, and he trusted Chen Yuze and Yifei enough to believe they wouldn’t screw them over. If those two had wanted to betray them, they’d had plenty of chances already.

“Yifei, let’s check the side chambers.” Chen Yuze tugged her toward one of the smaller rooms while Old Hu and the chubby guy got to work on the coffin.

The side chamber was far less grand than the main hall. Items were haphazardly piled up, as if someone had dumped them in a hurry.

Which made no sense—if they had time to build such an elaborate tomb, why leave the side chambers in such disarray?

Chen Yuze frowned, scanning the room. Many of the burial goods were shattered, and everything seemed thrown together carelessly.

Shing!

A blade hissed out of its sheath.

Chen Yuze turned to see Yifei holding a gleaming golden saber, its edge shimmering faintly. She gave it a few experimental swings before nodding approvingly.

“Not bad.”

“It is nice. Let’s keep looking.” Chen Yuze resumed searching the chamber.

“Yuan Dynasty blue-and-white porcelain? And more than one?” He paused in front of two large porcelain jars, his curiosity piqued.

As someone raised in the antique trade, he knew his stuff—these were legit.

“How the hell are you planning to carry those out? On your back?” Yifei eyed the massive jars skeptically. Each stood waist-high, making them near-impossible to transport.

Chen Yuze smirked, reached out—

And the jars vanished into thin air.

Yifei stared, dumbfounded. Then she looked down at her new saber, as if expecting it to disappear too. When nothing happened, she scowled.

“Bullshit! Why do you get a damn inventory system? Did you skim my share?!”

Chen Yuze shot her the smuggest look imaginable—shoulders shrugging, hands spreading, eyebrows wiggling.

Yifei’s grip on the saber tightened. She was this close to stabbing him.

“Relax, you’ll get one eventually.” He chuckled before turning serious. “Aren’t you curious about this tomb’s owner?”

He kept searching but didn’t take everything—leaving plenty of valuables behind for Old Hu and the chubby guy. Not that he and Yifei cared much for those things anyway.

“Whoever’s buried here must’ve been a real loser. Who the hell buries books in their tomb?” Yifei picked up a dust-covered volume, blowing off the grime—

Cough! Cough!

—and promptly choked on the resulting cloud.

Waving the dust away, she squinted at the text. It was in Chinese, not Mongolian, and she could just barely make it out.

“‘Flower-Plucking Technique’? Ugh, this guy was probably another Ziqiao.”

Chen Yuze knew what she meant—Ziqiao was their resident womanizer, and Yifei had long noticed his… appreciative glances at women.

“Wait, martial arts manuals?” Chen Yuze blinked. “Let me see that. That name sounds familiar.”

“Oh? You’ve practiced it before?” Yifei sneered, shoving the book at him. “Men really are all the same. Thinking with your—”

“Whoa, I just wanna appreciate ancient wisdom! Want to study it together?”

“I’ll make you practice the ‘Sunflower Manual’ instead!” Yifei growled, referencing the infamous self-castration technique.

Chen Yuze flinched, scrambling away with the book before she could act on her threat.

Once at a safe distance, he peeked inside.

Hey, a man’s gotta have some curiosity, right?