Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Early the next morning, Xiaohua found a pickup truck, the back of which was filled with various professional equipment and some specially made gear for their destination.

After a quick breakfast, the group drove their pickup truck out of Tianfu city and onto the highway.

It's worth mentioning that Wu Xie looked pale and sickly when he woke up this morning, his face as white as if he had applied foundation.

I struggled with the toilet all night and barely slept a wink.

Wu Xie swears that even now, his butt still aches slightly!
“I advised you before, you grew up in Hangzhou and got used to light flavors, you definitely won’t be able to stand the taste of Sichuan cuisine in your whole life.”

Hu Ming smiled sarcastically, took out a cigarette from his pocket, and lit one for himself.

Xiao Hua, also a student of Er Yuehong, has been learning opera for over ten years. Protecting his voice is a basic requirement for him, and he would never smoke.

Tobacco, alcohol, and spicy foods are all bad for the vocal cords to some extent.

For Xiaohua, being a tomb raider was her family's profession, and being the head of the Xie family was just a side job.

Singing opera is his favorite thing to do, and it's also his main profession!
"...I didn't know that people from Sichuan had such strong tastes."

"And, Uncle Ming, you know what? That spicy food is absolutely addictive. It has a special kind of magic. Even though I can't stand it, it's like a tempting devil, enticing me to keep eating it."

"Yes, chili peppers are the devil!"

Wu Xie grimaced and twisted his body in his seat, adjusting himself to a comfortable sitting posture.

"Okay, but will you regret it? Will you eat like this next time you come to Tianfu?"

Hu Ming shrugged and said dismissively.

As a spicy food enthusiast, Hu Ming knows all too well that chili peppers are truly addictive for those who love them.

Strictly speaking, taste only includes sour, sweet, bitter, salty, and umami; there is no spiciness. Spiciness is actually the sensation of pain!
"No regrets, I want to keep eating!"

After thinking for a moment, Wu Xie nodded and said seriously.

Okay!
Hu Ming grinned and said nothing more.

For a moment, the atmosphere in the car quieted down, with some gazing out the window and others closing their eyes to rest.

That evening, after reaching the mountainous area, they got out of the car and changed into a higher-performance off-road vehicle that Xiaohua had prepared, and officially drove into the mountain road.

At night, they took turns driving the road.

Until the next morning, four continuous snow-capped mountains appeared before them.

"This is Mount Siguniang, also known as the Alps of the East!"

Xiao Hua's assistant introduced her softly in Sichuan dialect.

At this moment, the car stopped at the edge of the mountain road. If you took another step to the side, you would be in a bottomless abyss. The view ahead was excellent, with no obstructions whatsoever.

Behind the continuous, verdant mountain range, four towering, pure white snow-capped mountains stand majestically.

The deep green, representing vitality, and the snow-white, representing the ultimate skill of life, are intertwined in a contradictory yet harmonious way, surrounded by swirling clouds and mist, creating a breathtakingly beautiful scene.

"This is the eldest sister, this is the second sister, the third sister, and that is the youngest sister. The youngest sister is the tallest and most beautiful, over six thousand meters tall."

“We call it the Fourth Sister. This area is full of Qiang and Tibetan people. There are many Qiang people in the places we go. Remember not to sit on their doorsteps or touch their tripods.”

During a short break, the Sichuanese man continued explaining the mountain range. "What's a tripod?"

Wu Xie asked softly.

“Every Qiang family has a pot-shaped stove, which looks like a tripod.”

"They call it Himi. A pot hangs on Himi, and below it is a bonfire, an eternal fire that will never go out. It is the fire that their fire god gave them tens of thousands of years ago and spread."

"So, that fire is very sacred. I had a friend who spat into a fire, and then..."

"I had to buy more than a hundred sheep to get him out of there."

Xiao Hua squatted on the edge of the cliff, brushing her teeth as she spoke.

"Have you been here before?"

Wu Xie asked his childhood sweetheart curiously.

When they were in Beijing, Xiao Hua thoughtfully explained to Wu Xie some things that happened half a century ago. Over the next few days, their relationship became much closer and they were no longer so distant.

"It's a long story, and these are some things about me that you wouldn't want to know."

Xiao Hua smiled at Wu Xie.

Hu Ming, biting his toothbrush, glanced at Xiao Hua. He knew perfectly well that Xiao Hua was paying extra attention to this place because of Xie Lianhuan's matter.

Many years ago, Xiaohua came here.

Unfortunately, the timing wasn't right then, and Xiaohua never had the chance to venture deep into the Four Sisters Mountains.

The road ahead was narrow and in poor condition, making it impossible for cars to drive through; only motorcycles could proceed.

Xiaohua had already prepared these things.

Clearly, he had already scouted the route and made thorough preparations based on the actual situation.

With all the equipment loaded onto motorcycles, the convoy continued along the mountain road.

During the journey, they passed through two or three villages, each with people from Xiaohua who provided supplies along the way. On the third day, the convoy arrived near a cliff.

Walking along the base of the cliff, we soon discovered caves starting to appear on the cliff face, one after another, some so densely packed that they were almost impossible to miss.

This is the site of what was once known as the "largest tomb raiding operation in history"!
Back then, many secrets were unearthed in a secret cave at the very top of this mountain.

This includes a complete set of Warring States period silk manuscripts, as well as the key to open the gate of the Zhang Family Ancient Building!
At the very beginning of the story, the rubbing of the Warring States silk manuscript that Wu Xie obtained from Da Jin Ya was one of the Warring States silk manuscripts unearthed here!
It is worth mentioning that back then, Lao Jin had already made a name for himself in the fields of antique appraisal and ancient book translation, and was invited to participate in the largest tomb raiding operation in history.

Of course, from beginning to end, Lao Jin had no idea what the Nine Gates were digging for, and of course he had no intention of delving into it!

"According to the information provided by the old lady, this is the place."

"Unfortunately, because it was too dangerous, many ominous things happened there. The old lady didn't go up there back then. She only knew that the location was here, but she didn't know exactly which cave it was."

"However, based on the information we have, we speculate that the cave should be located in the upper-middle section of the cliff face, at a very high altitude!"

"Let's get started without delay!"

Hu Ming looked at the cliff face that stretched endlessly into the clouds and said softly.