Tomb Raiding: My Family's Last Clan Chief is Little Brother

Chapter 303 The Three Protectors
Beside Mrs. Huo were a middle-aged woman and a young girl, both of whom were very fair-skinned, but their fair skin looked very natural.

In Wu Xiaoxie's eyes, all three of them were exceptionally good-looking, especially the girl. She spoke softly and had an elegant and gentle demeanor, clearly a well-bred young lady from a prominent family.

Wu Xiaoxie instinctively reached out to greet her politely, "Hello, Grandma Huo, I'm Wu Xie."

Before he could even extend his hand, Zhang Wuxun poked him from behind.

Wu Xiaoxie suddenly realized what was happening and subtly withdrew his hand.

The person opposite him was Old Madam Huo, the only female head of the Nine Gates. She was quite different from the small, individual customers he usually dealt with in business. Shaking hands with her would inevitably seem too mercenary.

Thank goodness, Wu Xiaoxie secretly breathed a sigh of relief, rubbing his fingertips together, he almost showed his timidity in front of the old woman.

Huo Xiangu looked Wu Xiaoxie up and down, her eyelids drooping, and said indifferently, "He really does resemble that old dog Wu. I didn't believe it when others told me, but it turns out this stinking dog really didn't die out."

There was a hint of bitterness in his words. It was about the older generation, and Wu Xiaoxie didn't know how to respond, so he could only give a wry smile.

Huo Xiangu stared at his face for a few seconds, then said irritably, "He looks even more like him when he smiles. He doesn't seem like a good person either."

Wu Xiaoxie's smile froze on his face. He thought to himself, "Why is this old lady so vengeful? Why is she making such a fuss about the muddle-headed affairs of the older generation?"

After saying that, Huo Xiangu continued drinking her tea, completely ignoring Wu Xiaoxie.

A cold glint flashed in Zhang Wuxun's eyes. He reached out and pulled over the empty chair on the right, pushing Wu Xiaoxie over. "Third Master, please sit down!"

"Oh, oh." Wu Xiaoxie was stunned, not thinking too much about it. He would just sit down if there was an empty seat. This old lady didn't care about hospitality at all.

Unexpectedly, Wu Xiaoxie had barely put his bottom on the chair and hadn't even settled in when Huo Xiangu's expression suddenly changed. She slammed her hand heavily on the table and hissed, "Who told you to sit down? Stand up!"

Everyone present was startled.

Wu Xiaoxie thought to himself that this old woman was not only being shameless and playing tricks on him, but also had such an unpredictable temper. So he simply lay down and said, "If you don't explain the matter of Yangshi Lei clearly today, I won't stand up."

Huo Xiangu's face turned ashen. She turned her eyes away and ordered, "Xiuxiu, call Xiao He and Xiao Li over here and kick these scoundrels out!"

The young woman next to her had already stood up, seemingly about to call for help.

Zhang Wuxun snorted coldly, raised his hand and placed it on Wu Xiaoxie's shoulder to calm him down and not panic. He stared at Huo Xiangu and said coldly, "It's just a seat. Why can Zhang Dafoye sit there, but our Wu Xiaosanye can't?"

Huo Xiangu was taken aback, her brows furrowed, and she stared at Zhang Wuxun carefully, but she couldn't figure it out.

However, it was clear from the young man's words that he understood the significance of this position.

He immediately sneered, "This is interesting."

Then he turned to look at Wu Xiaoxie and said in a calm tone, "Since the young master of the Wu family wants to sit, then let him sit."

The young girl beside her sounded anxious, "But Grandma, that spot..."

"What's the rush? Today's show is quite exciting." Huo Xiangu raised her hand to stop the girl's words and sneered, "Young Master Wu, if you want to know the answer to the question, you can sit here until 4:30. If you can sit still, I won't make things difficult for you."

Wu Xiaoxie suddenly had a bad feeling and asked her, "Should we sit here?"

“Yes, sit here alone.” Huo Xiangu took a sip of tea, a faint smile playing on her lips.

As soon as he finished speaking, a clear, ringing bell came from downstairs.

The once noisy environment suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Wu Xiaoxie inexplicably felt as if he were sitting on a time bomb covered in needles, his heart pounding as if it were about to jump out of his chest.

"What should I do?" He tilted his head slightly and squeezed out a few words through clenched teeth, "I feel like I've jumped into a pit."

Zhang Wuxun bowed slightly and whispered in his ear with a smile to comfort him, "Don't be afraid. Just sit still. With the three of us here, even if the sky falls, we'll lift it back up."

He didn't try to keep his voice down when he said this.

Huo Xiangu wasn't hard of hearing, so she naturally heard these words. She snorted coldly and said, "Arrogant! As expected, this young brat doesn't know his own limitations. He'll get what's coming to him later."

Zhang Wuxun retorted in a firm but not weak tone, "Grandma, until the very last moment, it's still uncertain who will win."

Although the fat man also sensed something was amiss, how could he boost others' morale and diminish his own at such a crucial moment? He immediately chimed in, "That's right, ma'am, you're getting on in years. This air will eventually belong to us young people. Let's see who's capable and prove it with our skills."

"Oh?" Huo Xiangu's face showed a hint of mockery. "Is that so? Then I, the old lady, will have to see today what kind of ability you have to contend with the century-old rules of the New Moon Hotel."

As they spoke, all the curtains in the building were drawn one by one, plunging the surroundings into complete darkness.

The central chandelier was turned on, and the magnificent light and shadow created a dazzling spectacle. Under the warm glow, the old utensils, carved buildings, carpets, and beaded curtains appeared extremely opulent and luxurious.

The young girl beside her gasped softly, her eyes fixed intently on the stage. "Has it started?"

"It's starting." Huo Xiangu's gaze softened as she looked at the young girl. "We're in for a good show today."

This place wasn't familiar territory for Fatty, so he was a little uneasy. He winked at Zhang Wuxun, meaning he should play it by ear later, as the old woman was definitely up to no good.

Zhang Wuxun gave him a reassuring look, which put the fat man somewhat at ease.

The staff on stage were adjusting the sound equipment and lights, and the noise from below was getting louder and louder.

The setup was completed quickly, and the staff withdrew.

A charming female emcee, dressed in a bright red cheongsam with gold plum blossoms, walked onto the stage, holding a microphone. Her clear voice rang out, "The auction is about to begin. All irrelevant personnel, please leave the venue. Please keep quiet. The staff may begin distributing the auction registers and collecting handprints."

The screens in the upstairs cubicles were removed, and the guests came out and sat by the railing.

Xie Yuchen was sitting on the left-hand chair in the second private room to the left opposite them.

He was casually flipping through the booklet in his hand when the shop assistant next to him suddenly leaned down and whispered something in his ear.

Xie Yuchen raised his head and his gaze immediately fell on Old Madam Huo's private room. When he saw Wu Xiaoxie sitting on his right, his brows immediately furrowed.

"Why was he sitting in that seat? Why didn't Grandma Huo remind him?"

Xie Yuchen hurriedly waved to his waiter to remind Wu Xiaoxie that if he took that position, the Wu family's meager fortune would likely be ruined. At that moment, Wu Xiaoxie finally realized that something was wrong.

In the private room within sight, regardless of their status, everyone, including Liuli Sun and the person in the pink shirt, sat on the chair to the left of the root carving table, while he alone sat on the chair to the right.

Could there be something fishy about this location?
Thinking of this, Wu Xiaoxie couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat.

Just then, the screen in their private room was moved aside, and a waitress wearing a lake-blue ink bamboo cheongsam entered, carrying a tray in her hand.

When she suddenly saw Wu Xiaoxie sitting in the chair on her right, she froze, then her face turned ashen, as if Wu Xiaoxie's behavior had offended her.

The waitress gave Wu Xiaoxie a cold look, then turned to Huo Xiangu and said respectfully, "Madam, your friend has taken the wrong seat, hasn't he?"

Huo Xiangu's eyes held a hint of mockery. Just as she was about to speak, Zhang Wuxun reached out and took the hardcover mahogany booklet from the waitress's tray, then handed it to Wu Xiaoxie.

“You didn’t sit in the wrong seat.” Zhang Wu glanced at the waitress, a slight smile curving his lips. “Our young master Wu came here today specifically to sit in this seat.”

The waitress frowned and turned to look at Old Mrs. Huo.

Huo Xiangu sneered, "Since they've said so, let's all open our eyes today."

He sighed dramatically, "It's been a long time since I've seen a scene like this. Ever since Old Changsheng sat here, no one has dared to sit in this seat for a long time. But what we're photographing today is a once-in-a-century event, so it's fitting that a few reckless people are showing up. Here's another booklet."

"Okay." The waitress replied, concealing her astonished expression, and quickly handed another booklet to Huo Xiangu.

At the same time, a pot of fine Biluochun tea was brought out. "Mr. Wu, this is a gift from our supervisor. Please enjoy."

After saying that, he withdrew.

Wu Xiaoxie felt both confused and very uneasy. While drinking tea, he quickly looked up at Zhang Wu, who was standing next to him, for help.

Zhang Wuxun nodded slightly, "Don't be impatient, I know what I'm doing, I won't let you suffer."

Seeing how composed he was, Wu Xiaoxie glanced at the expressionless Xiao Ge, then at the Fatty, and felt much more at ease.

I brought three great protectors with me today. At worst, we can just overturn the business and run away. That should be fine.

On Xie Yuchen's side, the servant he sent out quickly returned and whispered, "Master, the Huo family is blocking us from entering."

Xie Yuchen sat up straight, his expression slightly grave. "What exactly does Old Madam Huo want to do? Wu Xie doesn't know the rules; he's probably being pushed into a trap without even realizing it."

The fat man had already flipped through the roster and was looking at it; inside the mahogany cover were only two thin pages of paper.

The first page contained polite welcoming remarks, while the second page featured a large picture.

Upon seeing the picture, the fat man gasped in shock and quickly shoved the booklet in front of Wu Xiaoxie's eyes, "Heavens... Third Master, look at this."

Wu Xiaoxie was shocked when he saw it. Wasn't this the ghost seal that Xiao Ge was holding when he was mixed in with the ghost soldiers outside the bronze gate last time?

Seeing the words "Ghost Knob Dragon Fish Jade Seal" written below the picture, he was afraid he had misread it, so he quickly handed the brochure to the young man standing to the side pretending to be a cold-faced henchman.

The young man took it, glanced at it, and handed the booklet to Zhang Wuxun.

Wu Xiaoxie suddenly remembered that when the little brother appeared outside the bronze gate last time, Zhang Wuxun had fainted. He quickly turned around and whispered to him, "Muyu, look closely at this ghost seal. Last time, when that door in Changbai Mountain opened..."

"Shh." Before he could finish speaking, Zhang Wuxun interrupted him. He took out his phone from his pocket, opened the notes app, and tapped a message for the clueless Wu Xiaoxie to see.

We need to be extra careful when we speak here. The Crescent Hotel has many "listeners" with exceptionally sensitive ears. Even in such a noisy environment, they can hear us whispering even from a distance. The female emcee on stage is one of them.

After reading it, Wu Xiaoxie was still skeptical, so he showed it to Fatty.

The fat man was a little skeptical. "Is it really that weird?"

Zhang Wuxun put away his phone. "Why don't you try it and you'll see?"

"Let's give it a try." The fat man cleared his throat and shouted towards the stage in a low voice, "Little girl, hey little girl... can you hear what Fatty is saying..."

Before she could finish speaking, Sheng Shengman, who was standing on the stage, frowned and turned to look at Old Madam Huo's private box.

The fat man immediately fell silent, then turned his head and mouthed to Zhang Wuxun and the others, "Damn! She can really hear you."

Zhang Wuxun nodded, "Let's talk about it outside."

Upon hearing this, Huo Xiangu sneered, "I'm afraid that when the time comes, you and your young master won't be able to leave this place safely."

The fat man scoffed, "What do you mean by that, old woman? My legs are my own, I can go wherever I want, not even the Heavenly King himself can stop me!"

Huo Xiangu ignored him and simply sat quietly drinking tea.

The fat man's mind raced, and he finally realized what was going on. He pulled Zhang Wuxun aside and whispered, "Fatty, something feels off about what happened today. Are you sure you can handle it?"

Zhang Wuxun smiled faintly, "Don't worry, since our Third Master has already taken the position of the Sky Lantern, then the Ghost Seal is definitely ours."

"Lighting sky lanterns?" the fat man hissed. "Why does that sound familiar? I feel like I've heard it somewhere before."

On the stage, next to Sheng Sheng Man, there was a glass cabinet on the table, inside which was the very same ghost seal shown in the picture in the booklet.

Sheng Sheng Man also began to speak, "Dear bosses, we're starting to ship the goods now. Watch carefully, or you won't get a chance to buy them again."

After he finished speaking, a strong-looking guy with a bare chest wearing a vest walked onto the stage, holding a long bamboo pole with a hook at the end. He reached out and hooked the ring on the glass cabinet.

Like fishing, lift the glass case up and hold it up, letting the guests inside view it one by one along the edge of the second-floor private rooms.

The man's arm strength was astonishing; his hand holding the bamboo pole didn't tremble at all, and he looked relaxed without any discomfort.

Each private room was only visited for a few seconds, allowing for a close look before the room was turned around. The round was completed quickly, and the glass cabinet was then placed back on the display stand.

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(The next chapter is about lighting the sky lanterns. Guess how many lanterns Muyu will help Wu Xie light.)
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Thank you to the generous donor [秋露白V] for the donation.
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(End of this chapter)