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

Chapter 432 Undercurrent surging
The time goes back to half a month ago.

Jin Wantang, who is known as a know-it-all, inadvertently revealed a piece of information while drunk at a gathering with friends.

Not long ago, Wu Xiaosanye from Changsha obtained a clue about the tomb of a foreign king from the early Han Dynasty through special channels.

It is said that this clue came from an antique that Little Third Master's men had found in the folk. The antique was a meteorite jade stone with countless tiny holes.

These seemingly ordinary holes actually have a significant origin. Only when it rains and there is thunder and lightning, by constantly adjusting the position of the celestial stone in front of the lightning outside, a complete map of the royal tomb palace will be projected onto the wall like a projector.

In their view, Master Wu was still inexperienced and had actually invited the unreliable Jin Wantang to discuss the matter with Master Xie.

According to Jin Wantang, it took him seven whole days to completely replicate the correct map of the royal tomb. After that, Wu Xiaosanye personally led his men to capture that group of lamas.

When Wang Baichuan told Chen Yaxiang what he had found out, the two of them discussed it and estimated that it was probably true.

"As for the so-called 'Record Stone of Heaven,' it is very likely that Fatty Wang obtained it from Banna as an object recording an ancient tomb," Chen Yaxiang said calmly.

After learning this news, they secretly consulted a large amount of information. Chen Yaxiang herself had studied archaeology with her master for a period of time, so she was very certain that there was a large tomb in the Yunnan-Guizhou-Sichuan region.

“I’ve already gotten a feel for it from Big Gold Tooth. Wu Xie went to more than just the tomb of a foreign king. It’s very likely a large-scale hereditary burial complex with inexhaustible gold and silver treasures inside.”

Chen Yaxiang's voice was filled with undisguised excitement and jealousy, "Wu Xie is really lucky. He managed to stumble upon such a rare and exceptional ancient tomb."

But it doesn't matter. Soon, Wu Xie will find out that his advance deployment of his men into the dungeon was just a prelude to their success.

The next day, several betting operators who had learned of the news gathered together at Wang Baichuan's invitation.

Wang Baichuan used the excuse of a shipment going wrong to lure Pan Zi away from Changsha. Wu Shanju's head housekeeper, Wang Mengmeng, and the others didn't take him seriously at all; they could easily get him held back by the smallest thing.

After a long exchange of forced smiles and pleasantries, and a round of tea, the conversation finally got on track.

Wang Baichuan smiled sinisterly, his words full of dissatisfaction with Wu Xie's actions, "Third Master is really not a good friend. The situation was tense a while ago, and now that we've finally found a golden goblet, he would rather share the fruit with Master Xie in the capital than help us brothers who followed Third Master through thick and thin to get rich. It's really disheartening for us brothers."

Once the conversation started, the others also had their own opinions. Since Wu Xie cleaned up the gambling den a year ago, only four old people were left: Wang Ba Qiu, who was half-dead in the hospital after suffering a cerebral hemorrhage; a balding man; a crazy Lao Liu; and a mute woman who had an ambiguous relationship with Third Master back then.

The mute girl was probably because of her relationship with Third Master. He had strongly supported her when he took action to eliminate dissidents, so she was considered a definite member of his faction. This gathering was also kept from her.

The newly promoted managers of the gambling dens were all excluded this time.

"Young Master San is still young and lacks courage. His indecisive and hesitant nature is nothing compared to the Third Master of yesteryear, who took down Chen Pi in one fell swoop..." Crazy Old Six had just started to speak eloquently when he caught a glimpse of Chen Yaxiang standing behind Wang Baichuan and paused in his speech.

"After that incident, our gang's operations did expand quite a bit, but we all know exactly how much we actually got. Young Master San is too meticulous in his calculations, not letting us slip through his fingers a single bean. How can this go on? We still have hundreds of brothers in our gang to support their families. We can't all follow me to beg for food on the street."

"Don't take offense at my harsh words, brothers. It's true that Big Head is tough, that's the rule in this business. But he can't just let us pick up the sunflower seed shells that leak from his mouth. Those little things are worthless." Crazy Old Six had been suppressing his dissatisfaction for a long time, and he got angrier and angrier as he spoke, slamming a small teacup on the table and smashing it.

Mediterranean hurriedly had his men collect the broken porcelain shards and replace them with new teacups. He then offered a few words of advice: "Although we earn less by following Young Master San, it's more stable. Look at those groups of people who were arrested in Panjiayuan a while ago; they were all too impulsive and that's how they exposed their crimes."

Crazy Six didn't listen to much of what he said; what he was most dissatisfied with was that Little Third Master was too serious.

In the past, as long as the monthly accounts matched up, Third Master would turn a blind eye to their little tricks in private. They could also take on goods from other young lamas. Even a mosquito's leg is meat, and who would complain about having too much money?

"Stable? Humph, he's just too stable. He's like a tortoise carrying a turtle, never stepping out of his house. He has the Wu family's wealth to back him up, while we're left with nothing but the northwest wind."

Seeing that he didn't appreciate it, Mediterranean snorted coldly, "Besides Third Master, where else can you find iron chopsticks that can reach this level? Don't even mention sunflower seed shells, without Third Master you won't even be able to smell them."

That's definitely the truth. There are other iron chopsticks, but they're not quite as good as Wu Xie, let alone compared to Third Master and Chen Pi Asi back then. Wu Xie had some savings, enough to at least support them.

Chen Yaxiang, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up, "Who said there weren't any iron chopsticks?"

All eyes were on her. They didn't take Chen Yaxiang, this young woman, seriously. The only women who could stand on equal footing with them were Ah Hong, who died young, and the mute sister who wasn't present. These two were the heroines who had fought their way out of the dead.

Just as Crazy Old Six was about to open his mouth and mock Wang Baichuan for keeping his woman in check, he heard a commotion at the door.

Chen Jinshui, accompanied by two muscular and burly men, lifted the curtain and walked in. He glanced at everyone present and said with a smile, "You guys are all here, that's perfect, better early than late."

He was taken aback at first, then they looked at each other, their eyes not particularly friendly.

After all, when they learned from the white-clad ghost who smashed the signboard that Chen Pi Asi had died in the tomb, the two sides fought each other to seize territory while Chen Pi Asi's territory was in chaos.

Chen Jinshui eventually broke through the encirclement, but he also became the target of everyone's criticism. He was forced to retreat with his men to a small village on the border of Guangxi and Myanmar. After that, they had no close interaction and now their sudden meeting was only awkward.

Mediterranean's mind raced. He glanced at Chen Jinshui, then at Wang Baichuan, who seemed completely unsurprised. He immediately understood. It seemed that Wang Baqiu's son had already colluded with Chen Jinshui. Today's gathering was a carefully orchestrated scheme to win him over.

It seems that something might have happened on Young Master San's side, otherwise they wouldn't dare to rebel so openly. Mediterranean decided to wait and see.

Crazy Six didn't like Chen Jinshui at all. Just seeing him made his chest ache. He'd been scratched by this kid's nine-clawed hook when they were fighting over a source of goods. If he hadn't pulled his men away in time, that hook would have pierced his heart. Now that there were more of them, he wasn't intimidated and immediately mocked, "You? Who do you think you are? Instead of staying in Myanmar as a stray dog, you've come to Third Master Changsha's territory to cause trouble?"

Chen Jinshui's face darkened for a moment, then he smiled and said, "I admit I was outmatched before. What's in your hands is yours, and I won't say anything more. But if Wu Xie finds out about this today, ask yourselves if he will still tolerate you."

"Don't forget what happened to Chen Ahong back then. Wu Xie can be just as ruthless as Third Master back then. After all, he was Third Master's successor, so his methods shouldn't be underestimated."

Chen Jinshui left half of his message unsaid, but his meaning was clear: he wanted these people to choose sides today—whether to continue following the original owner or to find another path.

He knew that Crazy Six was more dissatisfied with and wary of Wu Xie than he was, since Wu Xie hadn't shown any mercy when dealing with those old guys.

Sure enough, the next second Crazy Old Six took the bait. He frowned and asked, "What qualifications do you have? Anyone can make empty promises."

Chen Jinshui glanced around; everyone's faces were full of curiosity. They all wanted to know where Chen Jinshui's confidence came from in speaking so arrogantly.

"Ah Xiang." Chen Jinshui lived up to expectations and called out to Chen Yaxiang, "Take out the things and let your uncles see them. We've been dealing with each other for so many years. When have I, Chen Jinshui, ever fooled anyone?"

Chen Yaxiang smiled slightly, took out a blueprint from the small box on her back, walked to the table and unfolded it, "You've all probably heard about the recent rumors, right? This blueprint is the source of those rumors."

The crowd gathered around to examine it closely and discovered that it was a map of the underground palace of a city, but only a small part of it.

"What is this?" Mediterranean asked.

"The tomb of Moses, the Gu King of the Han Dynasty, the legendary Kingdom of Immortality," Chen Yaxiang said slowly.

"What!" Everyone was astonished.

Crazy Old Six was so excited that he smashed his teacup. "The legendary Kingdom of Immortality really exists? Girl Chen, how can you be sure?"

Chen Yaxiang smiled faintly: "The source of the information is naturally Wu Xie's side. Wu Xie has been away for a while. He and that Fatty Wang led their men to ambush the lamas there."

"However," Chen Yaxiang changed the subject, "the so-called Kingdom of Immortality actually has another name, the Kingdom of Little Queen Mother of the West, which is fraught with danger and mystery."

"Wu Xie is quick-witted, but to be honest, his fighting skills are probably not even as good as some of my men."

“In the past, when he went down those dangerous tombs, he always managed to escape danger by having two highly skilled noblemen by his side. But now, that guy named Yu Mu died in Banna a year ago, and the other one is missing. He has some capable men by his side, but none of them can compare to those two. So, he will most likely perish in there this time.”

Chen Yaxiang's tone was very certain, but others weren't stupid either. Mediterranean guessed, "You've planted someone by Third Master's side?"

Chen Yaxiang smiled slightly, "No, but I can guarantee that Wu Xie will not come out of the tomb alive."

Chen Jinshui clapped his hands, confidently stating, "I have a complete map of the Changsheng Kingdom's underground palace, and I have already located the exact location of the Changsheng Kingdom. Gentlemen, since ancient times, wise birds have chosen wise trees to perch on. I think you should already know how to choose."

The manager of a small gambling den was still somewhat hesitant. "But the Third Master and the Ninth Master in the capital have such a good relationship, and there's also the Second Master Wu. I'm afraid it will be difficult to explain later."

Chen Jinshui scoffed, "What's there to be afraid of? No one survives a tomb raiding trip. Everyone has one head and two arms and legs. What good is Wu Xie's brain? When the King of Hell takes people, he doesn't care if they are Wu Xie, Zhang Xie, or Wang Xie. As long as they die in the tomb, even if Second Master Wu is dissatisfied, he can't say anything. No matter how far Xie Yuchen's reach is, it can't extend to Changsha."

Crazy Old Six cursed, "Damn it, everyone, are you in or not? Just give me a straight answer, and I, Old Six, will do it."

Several small-time operators who had always followed the lead of Crazy Old Six also quickly expressed their opinions.

Mediterranean glanced around discreetly, already understanding the thoughts of everyone present. He then probed, "I remember that strange man named Black Bear who often appears under Master Xie Xiaojiu's command seems to have a good relationship with Master Xiaosan as well."

Chen Jinshui gave him a cryptic look, and the man with the receding hairline twitched, then quickly said, "Since we're going to take sides, we have to clear up all the potential problems. I don't want to get involved with that troublesome guy."

“I had already considered that,” Chen Jinshui said. “Hei Xiazi is a money-grubbing guy. He has always been a free man, doing whatever anyone pays him. I’ve already hired him in advance, and he will come with us into the dungeon.”

Chen Jinshui laid out his conditions clearly: "I don't need to take the lion's share of what you bring up from the tomb. Whatever you get is yours to keep, it all depends on your own abilities."

"Of course, the choice is yours." Chen Jinshui waved his hand generously, found an empty seat, and waited calmly for everyone to express their opinions.

Mediterranean knew perfectly well that Chen Jinshui's so-called pledge was just a pledge of allegiance. Knowing so many secrets, how could he possibly let that person leave safely? The essence of the choice was either death or standing on the same side as Chen Jinshui.

He was the second to express his opinion. Anyway, everything was within the Third Master's expectations, and by joining in, he could easily find out Chen Jinshui's next move.

Soon, everyone present had lined up. All the people present today had been carefully selected by Chen Yaxiang and Wang Baichuan, and no one had any objections.

The plan was quickly finalized, and three days later they set off for the ancient town in western Sichuan.

After resting for one night, they entered the mountains the next day under Chen Jinshui's guidance.

Thank you so much to [Keep Going] for the generous donation! Sending you love!



(End of this chapter)