Chapter 45

Chapter 45: A Close Call

As soon as Chen Yuze reached the surface, he heard Hu Yifei shouting, “Is everyone out? Sound off!” When it mattered, Hu Yifei was reliable—at least to her teammates. She wasn’t the type to abandon them and run.

“One,” the fat man groaned, dropping Lingzi onto the ground before weakly responding.

“Two, three,” Old Hu answered for Lingzi, who had been slung over the fat man’s shoulder the whole way. The constant jostling had left her stomach pressed against his shoulder, and now that she was finally set down, she looked like she was about to vomit—no chance of her calling out a number.

“Four!” Chen Yuze lazily plopped down on the ground before deciding to just lie back. For some reason, he felt unusually warm—probably from the frantic sprint earlier. He needed to rest, cool down, and catch his breath.

“Wait, we’re missing someone. Weren’t there five of us?” Hu Yifei blinked in confusion, anxiously staring at the cave entrance. She had the nagging feeling she’d forgotten something but couldn’t put her finger on it.

“You’re a person too, you know. You haven’t called out yet,” Chen Yuze said dryly, watching her with amusement. He knew exactly what she’d forgotten, but he wasn’t about to tell her. Let her figure it out herself.

“All the stuff’s still here. At least this trip wasn’t a waste,” the fat man said, eyeing the two backpacks nearby. These were the treasures Hu Yifei had hauled out from the side chambers earlier while they were searching for Lingzi. Chen Yuze had handpicked the best items—each one priceless on the outside.

“And that’s not all. We grabbed a few more things, though we didn’t have time to check them properly. Just stuffed them in blindly—no idea if they’re actually valuable,” Old Hu said, patting the backpack they’d brought out. The situation had been too chaotic; they’d just grabbed whatever was within reach.

“At least we got something out of it. So, boys, how about we treat ourselves? A good drink, a nice bath—right now, I’m dead tired,” the fat man chuckled, eyeing their haul. This trip hadn’t been for nothing.

“Oh crap! My vanity case! I have to go back!” Hu Yifei suddenly remembered her prized possession and, without thinking, grabbed her gear and made a dash for the cave. This was her first tomb-raiding souvenir—a gift from Chen Yuze, no less. She couldn’t just leave it behind. It was the first thing he’d ever given her, and she hadn’t even had the chance to admire it properly, let alone wear a piece or two to show off.

“Whoa, hold up, sis! Let’s talk this through!” The fat man and Old Hu scrambled to their feet, each grabbing one of Hu Yifei’s legs to stop her from charging back in.

“Come on, girl, this isn’t the time to risk your life for loot! Since when are you more money-hungry than the fat man? If you really want something, we’ll pick a few pieces from his share. But going back down now is suicide!” Old Hu panted, barely holding on as Hu Yifei dragged them forward. Even exhausted, her strength was terrifying.

“No way! This isn’t just my first tomb trophy—Xiao Ze picked it out specially for me! I don’t care if I have to blow this place up, I’m getting it back!” Hu Yifei was furious. Aside from the golden dagger in her hand (which she didn’t even care for), she’d come out empty-handed. This whole trip had been a bust for her.

“Relax, Yifei.” Chen Yuze unzipped his backpack and pulled out a small box. “Look what I’ve got.”

“My vanity case!” Hu Yifei’s eyes lit up as she rushed over, snatching the box and cradling it like a treasure. During her fight with the giant serpent, she’d completely forgotten about it—she’d assumed it had been destroyed. Yet here it was, safe in Chen Yuze’s hands.

Truth be told, Chen Yuze had grabbed it on a whim. When Hu Yifei had charged out earlier and he’d been injured, Old Hu and the fat man had helped him to the side to rest. The box had been left nearby, and while the others were busy fighting the serpent, he’d quietly slipped it into his spatial backpack. He’d planned to surprise her with it back at Love Apartment, but seeing how much it meant to her, he pretended he’d had it all along.

“Sorry for the trouble. Consider this one ours—you two can pick from the rest first,” Chen Yuze said, watching as the fat man and Old Hu finally relaxed. Now it was time to divide the spoils.

Old Hu shook his head. “Don’t even joke about that, Xiao Chen. If it weren’t for you and Yifei, we’d still be stuck in there—forget about loot. This little thing is just a bonus for Yifei. Consider it our thanks.”

“Yeah, it’s just a vanity case. Think of it as our wedding gift to Yifei,” the fat man chimed in. Sure, he loved treasure, but being stingy after surviving life-and-death together? That’d be shameful. In his eyes, they were brothers now—even if Chen Yuze took the lion’s share, he wouldn’t complain.

“Then we’ll take you up on that. How about we find a place to rest up? I’m beat,” Chen Yuze said, dropping the subject. They’d made their stance clear—refusing further would just be rude.

“Let’s head to Lingzi’s place. We can process the serpent hide there, have a proper meal, and you two can try some authentic Northeastern stew. Before you leave, we’ll pack you some local specialties too. How about we spend a couple of days here? Do some hunting, walk the dogs—real countryside living,” Old Hu suggested. They’d already discussed this earlier, and processing the serpent hide would take time anyway.

Besides, Old Hu wanted to learn how Chen Yuze identified valuable artifacts. With the serpent hide needing time to cure, they’d have plenty of opportunities to exchange knowledge.