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

Octopus 308 is with me
Before leaving, Huo Xiuxiu glanced subtly at the brocade box in Zhang Wuxun's hand.

Suddenly remembering something, she said, "Brother Wu Xie, let's add each other's phone numbers, that way it will be easier to contact each other."

"Okay." Wu Xiaoxie gave his phone number.

Watching Huo Xiuxiu walk briskly out of the courtyard with her driver, Xiao Li.

The fat man quickly ran over and peeked out to see what was going on. He found that the two people had indeed driven away, so he closed the door and came back.

Wu Xiaoxie's tense shoulders relaxed, and he began to think about why Grandma Huo had kept them here. "I always felt that Grandma Huo's kindness in taking us in was just a temporary delaying tactic."

After all, this guy doesn't play by the rules; he leaves whenever he wants. I bet even Huo Xiangu was stunned by his decisiveness.

“I think so too,” the fat man chimed in. “That old lady seemed incredibly shrewd, but she was caught off guard by the sudden turn of events. After recognizing the young man, she started making excuses and deliberately changing the subject, clearly trying to fool people. However, Muyu and the young man saw through her, so she came up with this plan to keep us calm for now.”

Zhang Wuxun said softly, "After learning about Xiao Ge's identity, her original plan should have been disrupted. Just wait, she will come up with a solution soon."

"Regardless of what that old lady thinks, let's clean this place first, since we'll be staying here for several days." The fat man looked around and found only a broken iron bucket and a few bald brooms, but no rags or mops.

Just as Zhang Wuxun was about to take out the towel Huo Xiuxiu had prepared from the snakeskin bag and cut it, he took out several brand-new rags from his spatial storage.

"Take off that suit, it's quite expensive. You can wear it again next time." Zhang Wuxun then took out the white wooden box with cloud patterns that had previously held the suit and four sets of casual clothes.

The four changed their clothes, got water from the outdoor tap in the yard, put on masks, and began cleaning the house.

The fat man, who looked like a construction worker wearing a white hat with a blue dust cap over his head, assigned them tasks: Wu Xiaoxie swept the floor, and Zhang Wuxun wiped the table.

The main problem is that a lot of white plaster has fallen off the second-floor floor due to the dampness, and some of it has stuck to the floor after being wet.

They didn't have a mop to clean the floor, and Zhang Wuxun, who has a bit of OCD, got impatient when he found some white patches that he couldn't sweep away after a few sweeps.

He used more and more force in his hands, and then broke the bald broom in two.

When the fat man saw that this wouldn't work, he suggested that he and Wu Xiaoxie switch places, with Wu Xiaoxie sweeping the floor and Zhang Wuxun wiping the table.

The young man didn't even have time to daydream anymore, because the fat man had assigned him to clean the windows.

After cleaning the house, they went to other rooms and found some furniture such as sofas, wiped them clean, and moved them upstairs to the second floor.

After finally finishing tidying up, everyone collapsed onto the sofa, exhausted.

Oh wait, only Zhang Wuxun and the other two were sprawled out like dried salted fish; the young man always sat upright, no matter what.

The fat man rubbed his aching back and sighed, "Cleaning is definitely not an easy job. It's much more tiring than fighting zombies in a tomb."

Wu Xiaoxie laughed and scolded him, "You're just asking for trouble, you can't stand a peaceful life."

The fat man chuckled and patted the brocade box on the table. "Alright, since we have some time now, let's take a good look at this treasure worth 660 million."

He opened the box, placed a towel under his hand, and took out the Ghost Seal, placing it on another towel that had been wrung out.

Sunlight streamed through the window, casting its light on the dark green seal. Waves of light rippled across the seal, and it seemed as if a faint green liquid was seeping out.

The fat man asked blankly, "Wooden Fish, did you wipe the Ghost Seal while you were wiping the table? Why is there water on it?"

Zhang Wuxun, who was preparing food for the group, was puzzled when he heard this. "What? I didn't wipe it."

As he spoke, he picked up the instant noodle bowl and put it down, carefully examining the Ghost Seal. "It looks like there's a piece missing from this."

"Damn it!" the fat man yelled, "Did we get ripped off by the Crescent Hotel? Is this thing a defective product?"

Upon hearing this, the young man became somewhat anxious and reached out to pick it up and examine it.

Zhang Wuxun quickly stopped him, "Don't touch it, it's poisonous."

“Look at the powder in that brocade box.” Zhang Wuxun pointed to the box that originally contained the Ghost Seal, where a layer of light green powder floated on the tray below.

Wu Xiaoxie held his breath and carefully leaned over to take a look, then pulled his head back, closed the brocade box, and pointed at the Ghost Seal, saying, "This should be a protective device that the New Moon Hotel uses to protect its treasures. It won't damage the items, but it will affect people."

The fat man slapped his thigh and exclaimed, "Damn it! That woman didn't even tell us beforehand. We're big customers, we paid for this!"

"This might be their usual practice, but we're just greenhorns and have no experience with this," Wu Xiaoxie said.

"Eat first, then try rinsing it with water later." Zhang Wuxun put on rubber gloves and put the Ghost Seal back into the brocade box.

The towel was stained with green juice, so he picked it up and threw it directly into the makeshift trash can made from a rotten wooden crate.

Each person had a bowl of instant noodles and ate until they were only half full.

The fat man said he couldn't stretch his stomach too much, otherwise Huo Xiuxiu would notice something was wrong when she came back, and it would be hard to explain.

After finishing his meal, the fat man dug a hole in the yard behind the building and buried the instant noodle paper bowl to destroy the evidence.

Afterwards, Zhang Wuxun put on rubber gloves and rinsed the Ghost Seal at the tap below more than a dozen times.

The seal became exquisite and translucent, with a cool touch. In the sunlight, the jade inside the seal seemed to come alive, exquisite and translucent, with a halo contained within, making it beautiful and magnificent.

Its carving is so exquisite that it is almost divine.

The entire jade seal is shaped like a Qilin stepping on a ghost. The black Qilin stands tall and majestic, with a three-headed ghost under its front paws.

The little imp had sharp, menacing ears and seemed to be fighting desperately, its claws gripping one of the qilin's feet.

At first glance, it looks like a carving of a Qilin subduing demons, but upon closer inspection, you'll find that the Qilin is actually composed of many evil spirits, making the carving extremely ingenious.

If you look at the Ghost Seal from a different angle, the shape of the Qilin changes into the shape of countless dragon fish under the refraction of light. If you look at the little ghosts sideways, you can also see the meaning of dragon fish in the places where they intertwine.

No wonder this thing is called the "Ghost-knobbed Dragon Fish Jade Seal".

Just now, Zhang Wuxun said that in the missing piece, the head of a little devil was missing.

Upon closer inspection, there are three similar places where the delicate patterns are broken abruptly, yet the break is very smooth, appearing as if it were intentionally done.

The fat man gestured with his hand over it, then suddenly realized, "I understand, that's how it is."

Then he explained to Zhang Wuxun and the others the principles behind the waxing and waning of the old Beijing mandarin jacket and vest. "It seems that these three ghost heads are actually three rings. The person wearing the three rings grabbed the jade seal, and the position of the rings was exactly right on the broken edge. Only after this whole process was completed could the jade seal be formed." The fat man clapped his hands excitedly and said, "Damn it, it's really a coincidence that Brother Qiao beat up Brother Miao. It's both coincidental and wonderful."

Wu Xiaoxie also reached out to try, and it seemed to be true. He wanted to turn around and confirm with Xiao Ge, "Xiao Ge, you—never mind, you probably don't remember."

Just then, the sound of a car horn suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

“Someone’s here, let’s go back inside.” Zhang Wuxun frowned and looked towards the door.

The four quickly returned to the second floor. Zhang Wuxun took out a new brocade box, put the Ghost Seal inside, and then put it back into his spatial storage.

The old brocade box was on the table, and the fat man, being mischievous, deliberately stuffed a fist-sized stone into it.

"Oh, right." Wu Xiaoxie suddenly felt a little embarrassed, "Um, Muyu, I'll owe you the 330 million for now, and I'll pay you back slowly later..."

Zhang Wuxun chuckled, "What do you mean 'pay back'? Do we brothers need to be so formal about this? I don't need that little bit of money, so there's no need to pay it back."

Wu Xiaoxie raised an eyebrow. "Are you serious? Then I really won't pay you back."

Zhang Wuxun waved his hand dismissively, "When have I ever lied to you? If I say I don't need it, I don't need it. That money is just sitting there doing nothing. Spending it will make me feel better."

The fat man murmured from the side, "Is this the joy of being kept by a rich and handsome guy? Can I apply to participate too?"

Zhang Wuxun drew a circle in front of him with his hand and said with a grin, "You two and Little Brother were already in my fishpond, weren't you?"

The fat man exclaimed, "Ouch! You're fickle, a total scumbag!"

"Get lost, stop slandering me." Zhang Wuxun laughed and scolded, "If I ever have a wife, I'll definitely be devoted to her."

"Tch~" the fat man scoffed, "I don't believe you."

Soon, footsteps came from downstairs. Wu Xiaoxie stood at the top of the stairs and looked down, and found that Huo Xiuxiu was followed by several people carrying large and small bags.

The fat man immediately rubbed his hands together and went up to her with a grin, "Oh, little sister, you've come at just the right time! Where's the wine? Where's the wine?"

Huo Xiuxiu pulled two unlabeled flat bottles out of her handbag. "Here, the best Erguotou in Beijing. I guarantee you've never tasted anything like it."

"You're just bragging. There's no such thing as the best Erguotou, is there?" The fat man said dismissively, taking the bottle.

After Huo Xiuxiu's servant put down his things, he said goodbye to Huo Xiuxiu and left.

Huo Xiuxiu didn't leave. She took out a large fast food container from her bag, opened it, and a fragrant aroma wafted out: "Fried peanuts."

The fat man grabbed a pill and popped it into his mouth, raising an eyebrow at her. "Aren't you going back with them?"

"If I go back, you'll be in a terrible state. A desolate old house, four old men, Erguotou (a type of Chinese liquor), all you're missing is a rope. After you finish drinking, you can all hang yourselves from the roof beams," Huo Xiuxiu said slowly.

Zhang Wuxun lifted his eyelids and said lazily, "Nonsense, the youngest of us are only two years older than you. Where did you get this term 'old man' from?"

“That’s right,” the fat man chimed in. “I’m only in my forties, and a man is a boy until he dies, his heart remains unchanged.”

Huo Xiuxiu made a playful face, "Getting a year older is still getting old."

"Not very old, but incredibly shrewd," Zhang Wuxun chuckled. "Don't you already know what's in the box? Why do you still want to exchange information with us?"

Seeing that he had clearly stated her purpose in one sentence, Huo Xiuxiu nodded, "That's right."

"That depends on whether your information is valuable," Zhang Wuxun said calmly.

Wu Xiaoxie asked her, "Does your grandma know you're here? She might be looking for you later."

Huo Xiuxiu pouted in dissatisfaction, "Brother Wu Xie, you have such a bad memory. I dared to take a plane by myself when I was eight years old. I often travel between Beijing and Changsha. My grandma knows I have a wild nature and never restricts me. Don't worry, she doesn't know this time. Since I'm here, I've naturally taken precautions."

Looking at her smug expression, Wu Xiaoxie almost laughed, but coughed to suppress his laughter and said, "How can I believe what you're saying is true?"

Huo Xiuxiu raised her chin. "You can tell me something to test me."

Zhang Wuxun, who had been listening to their conversation, murmured, "The fish is with me?"

Huo Xiuxiu was extremely surprised, "How did you know?"

Zhang Wuxun tapped the table with his finger. "Little girl, the internet is very advanced these days. If you want to find out, you can find it."

"Okay." Huo Xiuxiu was a little dejected, but she immediately perked up again. "Even if you know that I posted this message, you definitely don't know what's behind it."

Wu Xiaoxie was somewhat surprised. She looked at Zhang Wuxun, swallowed the question she wanted to ask, and then asked her, "Do you have that photo?"

Huo Xiuxiu nodded, took out a black notebook with many cartoon stickers on it from her bag, and tucked inside a black and white photo. She handed the photo to Wu Xiaoxie, "Here, take a look."

This is a group photo taken by Wu Sansheng at the Xisha Wharf when Chen Wenjin and his group were there. However, the photos they had seen before were all somewhat blurry, but this one is different.

This group photo is very well preserved. On the off-white paper, the facial features of those people are so clear that it's as if they've traveled through time and are standing right in front of you.

Zhang Wuxun was a little curious, "Since you've already seen this photo, how come you don't recognize the young man?"

Huo Xiuxiu pointed to the young man in the photo and said, "His hairstyle has changed, and with so many years having passed, who would have thought that an old-fashioned person would suddenly appear in front of you? There are plenty of people in the world who look alike."

He then took out another photo from his notebook, saying, "Brother Wu Xie, take a look at this one."

Wu Xiaoxie took it, and froze at the sight of it.

The photo shows Huo Ling as a young girl, standing in front of a tiled building, in a full-body shot.

Upon closer inspection, it was discovered that Huo Ling in the photo bore at least a 60% resemblance to Huo Xiuxiu in front of her.

“This photo was taken in Wangfujing when my aunt was eighteen years old,” Huo Xiuxiu explained, then took out a photo of Huo Ling.

“Look closely at these two photos, what do you notice?” Huo Xiuxiu asked Wu Xiaoxie expectantly.

Wu Xiaoxie stared at the two photos of Huo Ling, examining them closely. His brows gradually furrowed. Then he placed the second photo of Huo Ling that Huo Xiuxiu had given him on the table and said, "This isn't Huo Ling, or rather, someone has replaced Huo Ling."

Thank you so much to the generous donors [不念], [眠龙勿扰], [沐虚], [悟道臧], and [失忆不失你] for their generous donations! Sending you a huge heart! (^o^)
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(End of this chapter)