Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 129 The action begins

Is it frequently haunted and people die?
Upon hearing this, Hu Ming became even more certain. That meant they were right; the more dangerous the place, the more it meant they had found the right spot!
"Hu Ming, the mountain path is complicated, we should prepare more supplies." At this moment, Yang Xueli felt that this was indeed a problem. Then, she added, "Also, they say there are ghosts in there, should we get some talismans to ward off evil spirits?"

At this moment, Hu Ming stood by the window.

Looking down from Caiyun Inn, one is greeted by an endless expanse of lush, rolling green forest.

I must say, the scenery here is really beautiful.

Before Hu Ming could speak, the fat man said again, "There's no need for that. Mingzi and Lao Hu can handle it. Don't worry."

"However, I, Fatty, have never believed in those things; only the artifacts I acquire are real."

"The rest are just paper tigers!"

Hearing what the fat man said, Hu Bayi didn't think so. He hadn't really believed in ghosts and gods before, but when he thought about the Gu magic they had encountered before, and the little ancestor of Niuxin Mountain, he really had to be on guard!
"Mingzi, we have to be wary of Gu magic, don't we?"

Hearing Hu Bayi's words, Hu Ming nodded and agreed with Hu Bayi's idea.

"Bring more items for repelling insects and preventing Gu poison."

"Also, the tea merchants will be going out to buy tea early tomorrow morning. We'll set off after lunch, so let's take a break now."

The next day...

The next day at noon, after lunch, only the landlady and her daughter remained in the inn.

And also Hu Ming and his group.

Hu Ming gave the fat man a wink at the dinner table, and the fat man successfully received the signal from Hu Ming and continued chatting with the landlady.

"Hey boss, we're planning to go into the mountains to look for butterflies soon. What kind of butterflies are the rarest to see around here?"
"What kind of butterfly is the hardest to see?" The proprietress thought for a moment while clearing the dishes after hearing the fat man's question, and then said.

"There are many of those, but I can't identify what kind they are. If I had to say what kind they are, it would be the valleys over Zhelong Mountain."

"However, I advise you not to go."

"That place has been haunted by ghosts! People have even died there!"

"Oh? Someone died there. How did they die?" Hu Ming asked, somewhat out of curiosity.

The proprietress shook her head and said, "I don't know. All I know is that he died in the valley, and when he was pulled out, his body was mangled!"

Hearing the landlady's answer, Hu Ming nodded and didn't ask any more questions. The fat man chatted with the landlady for a few more minutes.

Inside the room, Hu Ming took out the human skin map he had obtained from Blind Chen and quickly marked two lines on it. These two routes represented the two paths they could take at the moment.

One option is to go directly over Zhelong Mountain, but that route is both time-consuming and energy-draining.

The second route, which is the method the landlady mentioned yesterday, involves the group riding a bamboo raft across the river below Zhelong Mountain.

"Mingzi, I think we should play it safe and cross the mountain instead." Hu Bayi recalled the landlady's words and couldn't help but feel uneasy, wondering if there really were some kind of Gu worms in the water that were affecting them.

Hu Ming shook his head and said, "That would slow us down a lot."

"Don't be fooled by the fact that it's just a line on the map; in reality, it's more than ten times longer than traveling by water!"

"Moreover, there are swamps on the mountain, and it's impossible to go there safely without seeing them," Hu Ming knew that neither of these two routes was easy to travel.

However, compared to waterways, he knew what might be on them, but mountain roads were somewhat unpredictable.

After thinking it over, Hu Ming decided to take the waterway. Although the landlady was a bit long-winded, she was a nice person. Before they left, she specially prepared some dry food and insect repellent herbs for them.

The proprietress's daughter blushed slightly when she handed the items to Hu Ming, as if the items in her hands were too hot to handle. She then ran away after handing them to Hu Ming.

This scene was witnessed by Hu Bayi and his two companions.

Taking the opportunity, Hu Bayi chuckled and teased, "Wow, Mingzi, you're as charming as ever!"

"Why don't we bring them together?"

"Being a guide on the road is not bad. You can even sing a song or dance during breaks."

"Once you start walking this road, you won't be lonely anymore!"

Hu Ming stubbed out his cigarette and threw it on the ground, laughing and cursing, "You bastard, get the hell out of here!"

Soon, Hu Ming and his group thanked the landlady and officially set off. To travel by water, they first needed to get a bamboo raft.

Hu Ming looked up at the clouds in the sky and immediately urged, "The weather is about to change, let's hurry!"

Listen up, Fatty and Lao Hu didn't slack off at all. At their base, the two of them carried machetes and went into the bamboo forest, specifically targeting the largest bamboo stalks to cut down. Yang Xueli wasn't idle either; she used a dagger to trim off the branches and leaves from the bamboo.

Hu Ming was responsible for keeping them closely together, and this division of labor made their cooperation very efficient.

After working for a while, Hu Bayi and Fatty were also tired.

"That's enough!"

At this moment, Hu Bayi also spoke up, telling them that they had enough bamboo and that they didn't need to continue.

Hu Bayi wiped his sweat as he watched how Hu Ming connected the bamboo together...

Hu Ming cut notches in the pillars and fastened them one by one, then added ropes, making them very secure.

"Hey! Mingzi, how come I never realized you were so versatile?"

"As your older brother, I have no idea how you can do everything!"

After taking a sip of water, Hu Bayi looked at Hu Ming and said.

Hu Ming chuckled, "Hey Lao Hu, you just haven't noticed. I know way more than you do, maybe a tiny bit better!"

Hey, you're getting cocky just because I called you fat!

"How's it going? Can you finish before dark?"

"Hehe, you should remove the word 'ma'. Let's go, we can go into the water now."

"Now?"

"Stop joking around, are you sure this bamboo raft is okay?"

"Get out!"

"I'm confident in this much. What, you don't trust me?"

"Hey, what are you saying? I just think you're moving way too fast."

At this moment, Hu Ming also knew that Hu Bayi was afraid that the bamboo raft would fall apart halfway.

Hu Ming explained that this amount of time would definitely not be enough for long-term use, but it would be sufficient for a round trip! He pushed the bamboo raft into the water, and it was indeed sturdy.

The fat man went up and tested it. "Mingzi was right, it's quite sturdy. Come on up, everyone!"

Hu Bayi showed that he had thrown all the equipment and people up there.

"Hurry, hurry, hurry! I can already feel a huge pile of funerary objects beckoning to me!" the fat man urged incessantly.

"What's the rush!"

"Such a big tomb can't be moved!" The bamboo raft glided smoothly forward with the current.

Yang Xueli was also a little excited, saying, "I don't care what kind of artifacts you bring, but don't forget the purpose of our operation."

"Hehe, don't worry, I won't forget."

"By the way, Hu Ming, Lao Hu, why don't we give this operation a code name? That way it will seem more planned and constantly remind us of our purpose."

The fat man waved his hand and said, "Hey Staff Officer Yang, this is China. Your foreign tricks won't work here!"

"I think it should be called Operation Finding the Exposed Artifacts."

"How about that? Pretty clear about your purpose, right?"

"Tacky!"

At this moment, Hu Bayi also joined in, saying, "How about we call it Operation Muchen Pearl?"

"Or... the operation to lift the curse?"

Hu Ming smiled and said, "I think we should call this operation 'Operation Butterfly'."

"Hey! This is great!"

"Let's call it Operation Butterfly!"

As they talked, the bamboo raft drifted downstream and entered a cave in Zhelong Mountain. However, as soon as they entered, they were plunged into complete darkness...

(End of this chapter)