Chapter 43

Chapter 43: The Tragic Man, Guo Polu

“Didn’t see it, didn’t see it!” The fat man hurriedly explained. “This is my fault, but Old Hu, you can’t seriously expect me to die for the young master, can you? I don’t deserve death, do I?”

“Before you keep talking, get off my hand first,” Old Hu said, holding a gun he’d somehow found in his other hand, pointed straight at the fat man. The fat man shuddered and quickly scrambled away.

“Hmm~ Looks lively enough to joke around. Probably fine.” Hu Yifei casually diagnosed Chen Yuze and Old Hu, who both rolled their eyes with great effort. Fine? They’d almost formed an “accidental manslaughter duo” just now—all thanks to these two troublemakers.

“How’s the situation? Old Hu, you alright?” Chen Yuze struggled to sit up, looking at Old Hu, who also sat up, taking a few deep breaths before shaking his head to signal he was okay.

“Good. Let’s get up. No telling how long this place will hold. After all this effort, if we don’t even crack open the coffin, wouldn’t it all be for nothing?” Chen Yuze swayed as he stood. Old Hu also got to his feet, still unsteady but not in serious condition—just a physical reaction from the earlier tension.

Chen Yuze took a few steps toward the giant serpent. Though it was dead, its body blown into two pieces, most of it remained intact—a large section below the head and a good portion of the tail. Even now, its muscles twitched, but it was no longer a threat. Snakes were like that, refusing to go limp even in death. Sometimes, a severed viper’s head could still strike, but this giant serpent was clearly done for—its skull had been split open by Hu Yifei.

“Fatty, skin this snake later. This hide is top-tier. Might not be literally bulletproof, but it’s definitely protective. Don’t miss the fangs either—they’re valuable. Craft a full set of armor, and you could practically call it ‘dragon-scale mail.’” Chen Yuze sighed as he examined the serpent. They’d just witnessed its power—even the rifles hadn’t been effective against it.

“Don’t worry, young master, I won’t forget. I’ll get Lingzi down here to help. We’ll each get a set of dragon-scale armor.” The fat man was just as excited. This thing’s defensive capabilities were no joke—the scales on its upper body were as big as a palm. Absolute treasure.

The fat man sent Hu Yifei to fetch Lingzi. Her family had been hunters for generations—skinning and butchering were child’s play for her, a true professional. The three of them retrieved the swords Chen Yuze and Hu Yifei had used earlier, along with the black iron dagger. They realized this serpent might actually be their biggest haul from this trip. Armor made from it would be a lifesaver for future tomb raids. The treasures inside the tomb weren’t going anywhere, and with gear like this, why worry about finding another grand tomb?

“By the way, young master, this tomb doesn’t look like it belongs to a Yuan Dynasty general. Figured anything out yet?” Old Hu asked as they worked on skinning the serpent, glancing toward the main hall they’d fought their way out of earlier.

Chen Yuze nodded slightly. “I had some guesses before, but I wasn’t sure until I saw this serpent. This isn’t a Yuan general—it’s someone from the late Song, early Yuan period. Technically Yuan, but he was a Song general.”

“Who? You mentioned having a guess earlier,” Hu Yifei said as she returned with Lingzi, who immediately circled the serpent with excitement, eyeing where to make the first cut.

“Young master, can I have a bit of this?” Lingzi was practically glowing, treating the serpent like a priceless treasure while ignoring everything else.

“Sure. This thing’s huge—we can’t use all of it. Take what you want,” Chen Yuze said, amused. Hunters really do see prey like treasure.

“Thanks, young master! If you ever need something special made from it, let me know. My dad can craft you a ‘Dragon-Tendon Jade Serpent Bow’—this stuff is premium.” Lingzi figured most people wouldn’t know how to handle such materials, but to her, they were worth more than gold.

“Deal. Just leave me some—I’ve got plans for it too,” Chen Yuze said.

“Don’t worry, there’s enough to outfit all of you and then some!” Lingzi was thrilled.

The fat man and the others agreed. They wouldn’t know what to do with it anyway, so leaving it to Lingzi was the best option. Besides, Hu Yifei and Chen Yuze had done most of the heavy lifting—they were happy just getting a set of armor each.

“Don’t change the subject! Who is this guy? You’re being way too mysterious,” the fat man pressed impatiently.

Leaving the swords and black iron dagger with Lingzi to handle the serpent, the four of them—Chen Yuze, Hu Yifei, Old Hu, and the fat man—moved deeper into the tomb. As they walked, Chen Yuze began his explanation.

“This man was a tragic figure. Guo Polu.”

“Who? Never heard of him,” Hu Yifei said, feeling like the name was vaguely familiar, while Old Hu and the fat man drew complete blanks.

Chen Yuze shook his head. “If I just say his name, you won’t know. But his family? You’ve definitely heard of them.”

The group stared blankly at him. Chen Yuze smirked.

“He had a twin sister, Guo Xiang. An older sister named Guo Fu. His father—”

“Guo Jing? Mother Huang Rong?” Hu Yifei blurted out. The others immediately recognized the names—how could they not?

“Exactly. When Xiangyang fell, Guo Jing and Huang Rong died fighting. But at the time, their only son was with them—their daughters had already left. Even their disciples were gone. That’s why I said he was a tragic man.” Chen Yuze had realized it the moment he saw the serpent. Its appearance matched the strange snakes from The Return of the Condor Heroes, the ones whose gallbladders Yang Guo consumed. But this one’s venom sac had been removed—likely bred intentionally for its gallbladder.

“Then does that mean Guo Jing and Huang Rong’s grand tomb is out there somewhere? How do you know this is Guo Polu’s and not theirs?” Hu Yifei asked. Logically, a tomb this grand should belong to Guo Jing and Huang Rong.

“Guo Jing? Pfft.” Chen Yuze scoffed. This tomb was built during the Yuan Dynasty, no way it belonged to them.