Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 100 Preparing to Go to Shaanxi
After the story was finished, Li Chunlai took out embroidered shoes from his backpack.

They then handed it to Hu Bayi, but Hu Bayi and Fatty Wang were clearly puzzled by the embroidered shoe.

She could only look to Hu Ming for help. The latter also got up from the bench and said, "Judging from the style of these shoes, they should be from the Ming Dynasty. You can see that the shoes are embroidered with peonies. Since the Tang Dynasty, people have regarded peonies as precious, so there are such patterns on the shoes. Moreover, these peonies are different from ordinary ones. They are inlaid with gold edges. It can be seen that the owner of these shoes must be from a wealthy family."

"How much money can you offer?" Li Chunlai asked with a look of delight.

“If it were a pair, fifty yuan would be no problem! However, there’s only one of these shoes, so the price will have to be discounted. After all, this thing is only good for looking at; it doesn’t have any collectible value. How about I take it for twenty yuan? Consider it making friends.” Hu Ming said, a slight smile still appearing on his lips. The reason he mentioned the other shoe was to give Wang Chunlai an opportunity.

As expected, the latter didn't notice anything amiss and even asked excitedly, "Boss, were you serious? You can sell it for fifty yuan if we can find the other shoe?"

"Of course it's true. Why would I tease you for no reason? One of these shoes isn't worth much, but if you have two, a lot of people will collect them. They might fetch more than fifty yuan, maybe even more," Hu Ming said, still throwing out the bait.

Upon hearing the higher price, Li Chunlai instantly became excited.

You know, fifty yuan is a lot of money. In their rural area, it would be enough to get married. Of course, more importantly, these bosses look like they are rich. So if they can be fooled, they can kill and rob them.

They've made a fortune, not to mention the initial four thousand dollars.

That's enough for those brothers to live a carefree and happy life for the rest of their days.

Therefore, Li Chunlai immediately said, "Gentlemen, I actually have more than just these shoes. I have many other treasures. If you're interested, how about coming back to my hometown with me? I guarantee they're all top-quality items. You definitely won't lose money this time. Also, if you come back with me, I'll consider these shoes a gift..."

Li Chunlai spoke with his usual generous manner. In his view, once they reached their own territory, they could get all these things back. So giving Hu Ming and the others some benefits first was no big deal. Anyway, once they reached the Dragon Ridge Mountains, these bosses would all die, and then they could just take the shoes back.

"Holy crap, didn't you just say you only had one embroidered shoe? Now you have a whole box of treasures? You're not lying to me, are you?" Fatty Wang said.

"No, of course I wouldn't lie to you. The truth is, after Ma Dadan and his men took everything, they were struck dead by lightning halfway there. After they died, I took all the stuff home! To be honest, I came out this time to find buyers. I see you guys are quite capable. Come with me back home and buy everything. That way, I can finally marry a good wife. What do you say?"

It has to be said, Li Chunlai really has some guts. If anyone else were questioned by the fat man, they probably wouldn't be able to give such a convincing answer. But this guy managed to make it all work out perfectly. His lying skills are truly impressive!
It's no wonder the fat man didn't realize it; after all, who would have thought that this seemingly honest man would be a conman?

If Hu Ming hadn't known the plot, he probably would have been fooled by this person just like Hu Bayi and Fatty.

"So that's it."

"Of course we'll take it."

"Ahem, Fatty, don't rush. How about this, brother, this isn't a small matter. From your description, there should be quite a few treasures in that box. We also need to prepare money. How about this, you leave your address, and the three of us discuss it and then decide whether to go or not, okay?"

Although I want to go to the Dragon Ridge Caves, there's no need to rush.

After all, this was no small matter. Falling for it too quickly would only arouse suspicion, so it was best to remain calm. "No problem! I'll wait for your reply then." As expected, Li Chunlai didn't suspect anything and casually wrote down an address, handing it to Hu Ming.

After seeing the address, Hu Ming nodded. After Li Chunlai left, the fat man said anxiously, "Mingzi, is there any need to discuss this? There are so many treasures, we can't miss them! If we can bring them all back, we can make a lot more money."

"Fatty, shut up. Mingzi has his reasons for saying that," Hu Bayi said from the side.

“That’s right, I do have my reasons. As the saying goes, there’s no such thing as a free lunch. So many treasures won’t just be handed to us out of thin air. Besides, there were many flaws in Li Chunlai’s words just now. So, I suspect he’s trying to lure us over there to kill and rob us,” Hu Ming said calmly.

"What? That old bastard actually dared to fool us? I'll kill him!" Fatty Wang said angrily.

You know, all these years on the battlefield, he's always been the one fooling others; no one has ever fooled him. That Wang Chunlai actually wanted to kill him and rob him—that guy was practically asking for death!
"Fatty, don't be so impulsive. We haven't even made a move yet. At worst, we just won't go. What can he do to us?" Hu Bayi said calmly.

“No, we must go,” Hu Ming said firmly.

"Why? Mingzi, didn't you just say those people wanted to kill and rob us? Why should we go and get ourselves killed?" Hu Bayi asked curiously. Although he wasn't afraid, knowing it was a trap, why jump in?
This doesn't seem to align with Hu Ming's mindset.

"Although they have a trap, the items are genuine. Besides, with their limited skills, they're far from being able to scam me. This time, I'll go and teach them a lesson! Moreover, our Treasure Pavilion only has one painting right now; it's time to get some nicer things to put in it." Hu Ming said, a smile still appearing on his face.

After packing their bags, Hu Ming led Hu Bayi and Fatty Wang on their journey.

Enjoying the beautiful scenery along the way, Hu Ming was in a very good mood. However, Hu Bayi and Fatty Wang were a little nervous. Although they were also experienced in many battles, they still felt a little scared when they thought that it was a trap.

"What kind of traps will this guy set for us? Should we make some preparations in advance?" Hu Bayi said worriedly, while his eyes were fixed on Hu Ming.

Unfortunately, he didn't see the fear he should have on Hu Ming's face. That's just how this kid is; no matter what happens, he always remains calm.

“Yeah, we need to be prepared, lest that kid underestimate us…” Fatty Wang chimed in.

Hu Ming smiled and turned to them. "So what kind of trap do you think this guy will set? He's just after our money and wants to steal it from us."

“That’s not right, Mingzi. If he wanted our money, why didn’t he just lead a group of people to rob and kidnap us? Why did he have to lure us all the way here?” Hu Bayi asked, scratching his head in confusion.

"It's blatant for goods to die on the spot. How could he dare to attract so many people to rob him? His territory is a different story. But I do want to see the treasures he has."

"I've heard before that there is indeed a very large ancient tomb in the Qinling Mountains, and it is also the imperial mausoleum of a Tang Dynasty emperor. The things buried in that imperial mausoleum must be countless. If it really is in this kid's hands, then we've struck it rich this time," Hu Ming said with a smile.

(End of this chapter)