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

Chapter 436 Wu Xie of Motuo
Xie Yuchen poured himself a cup of tea, took a small sip, and then said, "This force is more complex and mysterious than we imagined. Their thinking is on a completely different level from ours."

"In their understanding and rules, being caught is equivalent to death. The best way is to self-destruct the moment they are exposed, just like Chen Yaxiang, who disregarded everything and whose life and death were just a snap of the fingers."

"Even if they manage to escape in the end, they will not be accepted by that force, and they will be hunted down to ensure the secrecy."

“They have never received any orders to wait for rescue, nor do they need their fellow human beings to save them; they are constantly seeking death.”

Xie Yuchen tried every trick in the book against those people, but still couldn't get any information out of them. He only managed to rule out spies planted by other gambling dens, since the difference between a normal person's thought process and those people's was just too obvious.

Such brainwashing methods can be described as extremely cruel. During the period when their minds have not yet formed a sound system in their childhood, their consciousness is continuously destroyed and rebuilt, forcing them to separate their consciousness from the human level, until they create the living puppets whose minds are controlled, as desired by the upper class.

They always felt that their consciousness was above the ordinary, pursuing a goal with indifference and fervor—the ultimate.

This training method is cruel yet effective. When the minds of all members are controlled and integrated, the resulting team will be enormous and difficult to deal with, almost invincible.

The Zhang family was once like that, but over the course of history, the clash between the new era and old ideas, and the guidance of certain individuals, led to internal divisions within the organization until its outer shell collapsed, and the mysterious and powerful Zhang family was completely destroyed.

Wu Xie also realized that since his grandfather's generation, they had been dealing with a thorny and terrifying existence, a treacherous game that spanned the fates of three generations.

Now, the previous generation of chess players has handed over the unpredictable pieces to him. Every move he makes from now on is crucial; one wrong move and the whole game is lost.

-

One day in mid-August, after the start of autumn, it was the last day of the hottest period of summer, and the Ghost Festival was just five days away.

The weather is still hot, but a heavy rain last night made the air exceptionally refreshing this morning.

After washing up, Wu Xie, with a piece of chocolate in his mouth, pushed his bicycle out of the Wushan Residence and rode around West Lake for exercise.

After returning from western Sichuan, the period of high-calorie, high-intensity exercise that Hei Xiazi had arranged for Wu Xie to eat and drink had officially ended yesterday. When he took off his shoes and weighed himself, he found that he had not only not gained weight, but had actually lost five pounds, which made Wu Xie feel quite accomplished.

Hei Xiazi left with a look of satisfaction on his face, but he didn't say what the next stage of training would be.

On a rare free day, Wu Xie rode his bicycle while pondering what he should do to cultivate his mind after his workout.

After cycling back to Wushan Residence, Wu Xie felt a pang of conscience and thought he should treat Wang Mengmeng to a meal as a reward.

After all, he had been busy with training during this period, and he was the one who sorted out most of the accounts that were collected from the betting companies before showing them to me.

After parking his bicycle, Wu Xie walked into the shop and saw Wang Mengmeng coming up to him with a strange expression.

After this period of training, Wang Mengmeng has become a particularly calm child. His expression now indicates that he encountered a problem that he couldn't solve on his own today.

Wu Xie asked him, "What's wrong?"

Wang Mengmeng didn't say anything, but pointed to the corner of the shop.

Wu Xie looked over and saw a person standing with their back to him in the corner where the light and shadow from the window were shining in. The person was flipping through some unsold rubbings on the bookshelf.

Upon closer inspection, he realized that the person's figure was quite familiar, but for a moment his mind seemed to freeze, and he didn't recognize him.

Wu Xie stood there stunned for a long time before he came to his senses. He rushed in and stood behind him, wanting to speak, but found that his throat felt as if it were blocked by cotton.

The man turned his head and looked at him calmly, his eyes as still as water, unchanged from when they parted ways outside Zhangjia Ancient Tower Mountain a year ago.

Wu Xie looked away somewhat awkwardly, staring at the backpack he had placed to the side for a few seconds. He took a deep breath before finding his voice and looking up at him again, "Brother...you...how did you come back?"

As soon as he spoke, he couldn't hold back his emotions, and his eyes started to sting.

The warm memories of the four of them spending time together in the past flashed through his mind like a movie. The past is like fleeting clouds, and many years have passed since then.

Having not seen an old friend for so long, we suddenly met again, and we both wondered if it was a dream.

The young man looked at him quietly for a long time before finally speaking, "I've come to say goodbye. My time has come."

He had accomplished everything he wanted to accomplish, and now there was one last thing left, which was originally unnecessary, but he remembered the promise he made to Zhang Wuxun.

So he came to say goodbye to what was both the end and the beginning of this long journey.

-

It is late winter in Medog, southern Tibet.

Wu Xie and his group walked along the mountain path in the twilight.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't some romantic encounter with a snow-capped mountain sunset. Their car broke down halfway through the journey, forcing them to walk for five hours, finally reaching the county town near dusk, and they were exhausted.

Before coming here, Wu Xie specially selected a Tibetan-speaking colleague named Langka to act as a translator, since Tibetan is not a language that can be learned and mastered in a short time.

He brought two assistants with him to Motuo this time. The other one was Jinhe, who had a more calm personality and had always been by Panzi's side. He was considered Panzi's half-apprentice.

Langka quickly found out where they could stay, and led Wu Xie and the other to the Tibetan family's home, where they made arrangements for a temporary rest.

The owner of the house was an elderly Tibetan woman. When she saw the three young people coming to stay, she warmly cleaned the house, boiled water, and cooked.

Wu Xie and the others naturally couldn't just stand by and watch, so they also joined in to help, and they happily cooked a meal together.

While eating and chatting, we learned that the old lady had two sons and a daughter. Her younger son was serving in the army on the frontier, and her daughter had become a primary school teacher in a big city after graduating a couple of years ago. She only came back to visit during holidays.

The eldest son and daughter-in-law are both Tibetans and live at the street corner across the alley from here. They are very filial and come to help the old man chop firewood and fetch water every morning.

The old woman couldn't speak Mandarin, so Wu Xie wanted to find out more about Motuo, with Langka diligently acting as the translator.

However, the old lady rarely leaves the house, and after a series of conversations, she didn't gain much.

He slept soundly without any dreams. The next morning, Wu Xie, as was his habit, got up early and went out for a walk to exercise.

After wandering around the area, Wu Xie returned to the courtyard and found a Tibetan couple inside. They seemed to be getting along well with the old woman, and Wu Xie guessed that this must be Basang, the old woman's eldest son, and his wife. Wu Xie planned to greet them and then go back inside for a nap, but when he entered the house, he saw the Tibetan couple looking at him with great surprise.

The two muttered something to each other and asked each other to confirm something before warmly stepping forward to greet Wu Xie like an old friend.

Wu Xie paused, somewhat puzzled. He couldn't understand Tibetan, so he had to get up and help, "Quickly translate what they're saying."

Langka spoke with the two men for a while, his expression showing some surprise. He asked Wu Xie, "Third Master, have you been to Motuo before? Basang said they saw you a year ago, and you even stayed at their house."

Upon hearing this, Wu Xie immediately understood that the "Wu Xie" who had impersonated him in front of Jin Wantang had also come to Motuo.

The Basang couple did not realize that the Wu Xie in front of them was not the "Wu Xie" from before. They still chatted with him familiarly and invited him to their home later.

Wu Xie told Langka, "Tell them that I am a brother from that family, and that I came to Motuo to find someone. That person lost contact with his family after traveling in Motuo."

Langka repeated what he said in Tibetan.

Basang was stunned for a moment after hearing this. At first, she couldn't believe it, but after looking closely, she did find that the two had different expressions.

He had a deep impression of the handsome Han Chinese young man who was generous with his money. "That guest only stayed at my house for one night and left in a hurry the next day. I don't know where he went or whether he left Motuo later, but I can ask around for you."

Langka dutifully translated his words to Wu Xie, and then expressed his gratitude, saying, "Thank you for your trouble."

That afternoon, Basang found out where the young man from before was.

Outsiders who come to Medog have to go to the post office to send letters or packages. Because of its remote location, Medog doesn't see many people throughout the year, and most of them are familiar faces. So it's not difficult to find out about someone who doesn't keep a low profile.

Wu Xie had a gut feeling that the so-called post office mentioned by Basang must contain clues left to him by the "Wu Xie" person. So he and Langka followed Basang's lead and found the post office.

“This is it.” Basang pointed to the sign standing at the entrance.

As they lifted the heavy felt curtain, a rush of heat, thick and stuffy, hit them in the face.

The noisy sounds blocked by the curtain also reached Wu Xie and his companions' ears. Peeking inside, they were surprised to find the area around the stove packed with people.

The felt, smoldering from the heat, smelled unpleasant, like the steam rising up when hot water is poured on a chicken to pluck its feathers. Wu Xie frowned, stepped inside, and Langka and the other quickly followed.

The room was dimly lit by a yellowish light bulb, and crowded with people. Basang finally found the post office owner, who was drinking, joking, and boasting among the crowd. "Hey, old Batu, someone's looking for you."

Old Batu isn't actually old; it's just that his beard has grown so long that he looks a generation older than Basang.

Hearing this, he turned around, squinted, and glanced sideways at Wu Xie and the others standing at the door with a flushed face and a strong smell of alcohol. Because they were backlit, he couldn't see who they were or what they looked like.

Old Batu staggered to his feet and walked towards the door, muttering, "Who's looking for me?"

As Langka approached, he was about to explain his purpose when Old Batu suddenly tilted his head and looked at Wu Xie to the side, his eyes seemingly recalling something. "This... I seem to remember seeing you somewhere before... Ah, I remember now, you came here a year ago."

"Haha." Basang hurriedly explained with a laugh, "No wonder you think he looks familiar. After all, it's rare for a stranger with such a handsome and fair complexion to come here. But this isn't the person who came to the post office a year ago. This is his twin brother. He came here to find the Han Chinese man from back then."

Old Batu looked at Wu Xie's unfamiliar eyes, suddenly realized, and laughed loudly: "Then you've come to the wrong person. I only know that the Han man once went to Jila Temple with Chen Xuehan. I don't know where he went after that. If you want to know more specific information, you have to go and ask Chen Xuehan."

"Look!" He pointed to the boiler room across the street. "It's right there. You guys go find it. I won't go over there."

"Thank you." Wu Xie nodded slightly, and Langka walked ahead and lifted the curtain.

Just as Wu Xie was about to turn around, he caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of his eye and paused for a moment.

He wondered if he was seeing things, so he immediately looked up and saw the figure of the person he had parted ways with in the snow-capped mountains a few months ago, appearing in a painting.

He could hardly believe his eyes. It was Xiao Ge! It really was Xiao Ge!

But the young man is far away in the depths of Changbai Mountain, so why is he here again?

Wu Xie instantly realized that this was the message that person had left for him—an oil painting of Zhang Qiling.

He immediately pointed to the painting and asked, "Mr. Batu, who left this painting here?"

Old Batu laughed immediately. "Your elder brother once asked me the same question, but the owner of this painting is not me, but Chen Xuehan."

During the conversation, several clear barks were suddenly heard, and the sound was coming quickly toward the post office.

Wu Xie subconsciously turned his head and saw a middle-aged Tibetan man leading a very strong and agile wolfhound, striding towards him.

Wu Xie could sense that the person's goal was clearly to come at him.

But two meters away, the wolf-dog suddenly stopped, tilted its head and stared at Wu Xie in confusion, then turned its head and whimpered softly at Chen Xuehan.

Chen Xuehan was initially very excited when he saw the familiar face that had been nagging at him, but when he saw Yueya's reaction, he stopped in his tracks. His deep eyes swept over Wu Xie for a moment before he looked away, but his expression betrayed his disappointment.

As if a long-awaited surprise had been dashed, his eyes returned to a numb calm.

He then led Yueya to Wu Xie's side and said calmly, "You've finally arrived."

Wu Xie raised an eyebrow in surprise, "You recognize me?"

"I don't recognize you." Chen Xuehan shook her head. "I recognize you from that painting."

Then, changing the subject, he asked, "Are you also here to see the person in this painting?"

Wu Xie looked at the oil painting and remained silent.

"It doesn't seem so." Chen Xuehan smiled and turned to walk towards the boiler room. "Come with me, he has something for you."

Thank you to [醉茶XD], [秋风萧瑟ye微凉], and other generous donors for their generous donations! Sending love!
(End of this chapter)