Chapter 222 The Little Brother Returns
(There was an unexpected incident yesterday. The guys who were fixing the streetlights used an excavator to pull down the overhead power lines outside my house, causing a power outage and preventing me from writing. It was finally fixed this afternoon.)
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After a long journey, Zhang Wuxun and his group finally found Wu Sansheng's camp.

On the flat ground in front of the temple, a large area of ​​tents stretched out, varying in size and scattered.

After confirming with the fat man, Wu Xiaoxie was so excited that he was almost in tears, and immediately ran towards the camp.

Zhang Wuxun and the others quickly followed him.

But before he got close, Wu Xiaoxie realized something was wrong.

The entire camp was eerily quiet, and the furnishings outside looked as if they had been ransacked by robbers, leaving them in a chaotic mess.

The fat man muttered, "Old Pan, something seems amiss."

Pan Zi hurried over and lifted the curtains of several tents, only to find them empty. His expression immediately changed drastically. "Oh no! Something might really have happened to Third Master and the others."

Wu Xiaoxie had thought that the light of hope was right there, but the sudden situation caught him off guard. He suddenly remembered that the red smoke Pan Zi had said meant "don't come near," and his unease grew stronger.

Looking at the messy bowls and chopsticks under the sunshade, and the toothbrush with white toothpaste still on it lying haphazardly on the makeshift stove, there were also some equipment that hadn't been packed away in some of the tents.

Multiple signs indicate that Wu Sansheng and his group must have encountered something extremely urgent, forcing them to abandon the camp and leave in a very hurry.

The fat man was at a loss for what to do, so he quietly approached Zhang Wu to ask what to do next.

Zhang Wuxun knew that he had not given up on the idea of ​​breaking up the partnership and going solo.

Upon seeing this situation, anyone would subconsciously assume that Wu Sansheng and his group had encountered misfortune, or that something had forced them to flee at top speed, and that they would most likely never return to this temporary camp.

Fatty had never been interested in Wu Sansheng, that old fox. His purpose in coming here was to team up with someone to search for artifacts, but considering Wu Xiaoxie's feelings, he couldn't directly say that they should part ways.

Zhang Wuxun shook his head at him and said softly, "We've had a long and tiring journey, so let's rest for a while before making any plans for the future."

The fat man nodded and said nothing more.

The group set up two tents for resting. Zhang Wuxun and Wu Xiaoxie tidied up the remaining usable equipment in the camp, while Fatty and Panzi, who were both good cooks, prepared lunch for the group.

In this open space without any trees to provide shade, the midday sun beats down fiercely, burning one's skin.

The fat man then carried the large pot directly under the sunshade and served rice to the group.

The two fat men used up three of the five cans of beef they found in the camp, making a particularly sumptuous beef noodle soup.

The fat man wandered around like a groundhog after finishing his meal, then rummaged through one of the guys' tents and found a small jar of canned yellow peaches. He poured some water on it, boiled it up, and made a bowl of soup for each of them as dessert.

As he drank the sweet water, Wu Xiaoxie's tightly furrowed brows relaxed a little, and he sighed.

The sun had already set in the west, and there was still no sign of Uncle Three and the others returning.

The fat man tried to persuade him that his third uncle and the others might have already found the entrance to the Queen Mother of the West's underground palace and, fearing they might waste time, had gone down ahead of time. Wu Xiaoxie smiled wryly, "If that's really the case, that would be great, but I'm afraid that old fox might encounter a danger that even he can't handle."

Pan Zi patted him on the shoulder reassuringly. In fact, he was more anxious than anyone else, but he also knew that the worst thing to do at this time was to lose his composure.

Zhang Wuxun got up, brushed the dirt off his pants, and stretched. "Alright, you've all had a long day. Get some rest. I'll keep watch for the first half of the night."

Pan Zi nodded, "Then I'll keep watch for the second half of the night."

Wu Xiaoxie felt a little ashamed. Although he had experienced so many dangerous situations since entering the industry, he was much better than when he was a complete novice.

Although he had gained a lot of experience, his physical strength and energy were still a major weakness. Compared to Zhang Wuxun and the others who could be in combat mode at any time even when they were exhausted, he always felt that he was a burden in this respect, which made him feel somewhat frustrated.

The fat man could tell what he was thinking from the subtle expressions on his face. He put his arm around his shoulder and led him into the tent, teasing him, "Go and rest, Comrade Tianzhen. You are the brains of our team. Once we enter the Queen Mother of the West's treasure room, we'll have to rely on you to determine whether the items inside are valuable."

Pan Zichong and Zhang Wuxun nodded and went into another tent.

Zhang Wuxun sprinkled snake repellent around the two tents and the campfire, then turned the fire up brighter, warmed some meat broth, took a few sweet potatoes from his spatial storage and stuffed them into the ashes under the fire to roast, and then sat quietly to the side and waited.

Half an hour later.

A dark figure covered in mud, with only his eyes showing, sprang out of the bushes. When he saw Zhang Wuxun sitting by the fire with one leg bent and his eyes open, he paused, then walked straight over and sat down. He took the knife off his back and put it aside, then looked at Zhang Wuxun and asked.

"Is there anything to eat?"

Zhang Wuxun took the broth down and handed it to him, looking him up and down with a complicated expression. "How did you get yourself into this state?"

Upon hearing this, the young man swallowed the food in his mouth, put down his spoon, took out the safety amulet that had been broken in two from his pocket, placed it in Zhang Wuxun's palm, and looked somewhat innocent, "It's broken."

Oh, Zhang Wuxun understands now. The safety amulet broke, and the egg white inside leaked out, so it couldn't repel snakes anymore. That's why he covered himself in mud.

Watching the young man puff out his cheeks and devour his food, looking like he hadn't eaten in days, with the dried mud on his cheeks clinging to him as he chewed, Zhang Wuxun couldn't help but chuckle.

"Where is she?" Zhang Wuxun used two sticks to flip the sweet potatoes over one by one. "You left all the food for her."

When the young man chased after him, Zhang Wuxun was worried that he would go hungry, so he specially gave him a backpack full of food. Judging from this situation, it was clear that the food was definitely left for Chen Wenjin.

The young man gave a soft "hmm," placed the empty metal bowl beside him, wiped his mouth with the back of his hand, and said softly, "Nearby."

Zhang Wuxun nodded and didn't ask any further questions. He took out a new safety buckle from his inner pocket and handed it to him. "Are you full? I'll get you another self-heating meal. Go wash your face in the pool over there first."

It looked dirty and grimy, which was quite unsettling.

After finishing his meal, the young man briefly recounted what had happened after he chased after them, then asked somewhat curiously, "Where are Wu Sansheng and the others?"

Zhang Wuxun shook his head. "I don't know. It was already like this when we arrived. But judging from the marks around the camp, I think they were attacked in large numbers by wild chickens last night. They probably won't be quiet tonight either."

(End of this chapter)

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