Tomb raiding: following the plot while tearing up the script

Because the obsession born from Wu Sansheng was not very harmful, Wu Xie woke up early.

Seeing that the four people were still not moving, Wu Xiaogou was so bored that he squatted in the pile of vines and stared at the fake Qilin.

It only imitated the appearance of a Qilin, but in reality, it had neither strength nor magic power. After being beaten by Su Li, the fake Qilin was now so weak and powerless that it could not even struggle.

Why do I feel inexplicably uneasy when this guy stares at me like that?

Wu Xie: By the way... can this thing be eaten?

It's a pity the two chefs weren't awake yet, otherwise they could have really studied it – this is a legendary Qilin!

Su Li tapped Wu Xie's head, which was starting to wander again...

"It's a Qilin corpse, but the emphasis isn't on the 'Qilin,' it's on the 'corpse'!!!"

Wu Xie scratched his head in confusion. When did I say what was on my mind?

The fake Qilin, almost cooked by his gaze: You didn't just say what was on your mind, you were practically drooling...

"Although it no longer looks human, there's no denying that it used the corpse of Zhang's ancestor. Little Innocent, are you planning to taste what Zhang's ancestor tastes like?"

Ah this...

Wu Xie was a little embarrassed. Wasn't he just woken up and his mind was still a bit foggy?

Let's have the little brother's ancestor taste it to see if it's salty or something...

It's not that bad...

The two sat comfortably in the pile of vines, chatting aimlessly. The fake Qilin, whether genuinely scared or something else, obediently stopped moving.

Just then, Fatty Wang, who had been keeping his eyes closed, suddenly trembled, opened his eyes with sweat pouring down his face, and gasped for breath. His eyes were bloodshot and glistening with tears.

This was quite a rare sight for Wu Xie and Su Li. Fatty Wang was always cheerful, and his rapid-fire delivery made people wonder if he was a stand-up comedian.

This was a completely new look for Fatty Wang.

The moment Wang Pangzi opened his eyes, Su Li and Wu Xie rushed over and supported him from both sides.

"Fatty! Fatty!!"

"Fatty, how are you???"

Wang Pangzi's complexion was not good at the moment. Large drops of sweat kept pouring down his slightly pale skin, and his wide eyes were bloodshot but lacked any spirit.

It wasn't until Wu Xie shook her vigorously twice and patted her face lightly for a while that she came back to her senses and stared blankly at Wu Xie and Su Li.

"Naive, Xiao Lizi..."

Upon hearing the weak voice, tinged with a sob, Wu Xie instinctively showed a shocked expression.

Is this really the Wang Pangzi I know?! Why is he so fragile?!

What on earth happened in this illusion?! It turned a grown man like me, a chubby little guy, into a whiny little monster?!

"I think you need this right now." A round pill lay in the palm of his hand and was presented to Fatty Wang.

Coming to his senses, Fatty Wang blushed as he realized he had almost hugged Tianzhen and Xiaolizi and started sobbing. He quickly adjusted his expression.

Faced with the pill that Wu Xie had shoved in front of him, Fatty Wang picked it up and smelled it.

"This is... a Rejuvenating Pill???" Fatty Wang asked in disbelief. "Does Fatty look very weak right now?"

That's... a good question.

Could he say that he saw the fat guy almost turn into a whiny monster just now and felt that he was a bit lacking in yang energy?

Wu Xie shook his head violently.

"What do you mean by 'weak'? You're not weak at all. Fatty, you look really manly right now. It's just that you look like you've used up a lot of energy, so I'm giving you some tonic."

"..."

"Fatty, what did you see in the illusion? Why do you look so frightened?"

Su Li rummaged through her spatial storage and pulled out a handkerchief, which she handed to Fatty Wang to wipe his sweat. Then she pulled out a thermos containing a bottle of hot milk tea.

The three of them sat on a futon, each holding a cup of milk tea, listening to Fatty Wang talk.

"So it was just an illusion..."

Fatty Wang took a sip of the hot milk tea and let out a long sigh.

"Fatty saw that bastard who took me down into the tomb the first time."

"The one who brought you into the industry?"

"Yeah! That bastard said he'd help us get rich. He brought seven or eight people with him that time, including me and one of my good brothers."

"Damn it, my best buddy of over ten years!!! And that bastard dragged him into blocking a trap for him!!! Right in front of me!!!"

Fatty Wang drank his milk tea with the gusto of a strong liquor, taking another swig.

"My brother was never a brave soul to begin with. If that bastard hadn't tricked him... he... he would have died right in front of me, broken into several pieces. I couldn't even have brought him out..."

As Wang Pangzi spoke, he cursed and swore, all the while pretending to wipe his face before the tears fell, so as not to look so ashamed.

Wu Xie and Su Li listened quietly, letting Fatty Wang vent his emotions.

While their attention was focused on Fatty Wang, an inconspicuous wisp of black smoke had somehow secretly landed on Black Bear.

........................

"Have you heard? The young prince of the Haoqite tribe who was kidnapped has been rescued!"

"That's right, but I heard he's not feeling well. He was carried back by guards from Haoqite Left Banner, and he's barely breathing!"

'Wouldn't Grand Princess Haoqi be devastated?'

'You guys are way behind the times. The young prince has already woken up; he won't die...'

'This person has woken up, but he's crippled. I heard that the young prince's eyes... tsk tsk tsk...'

A boy dressed in Mongolian attire, with a black ribbon covering his eyes, was leisurely sunbathing on a deck chair in the garden.

The gossip had spread from who-knows-where, but the maids and servants attending to him seemed not to hear a thing, continuing to fan him and serve him tea as usual.

But the chatter continued, as if they wanted to whisper in his ear.

She raised her hand to adjust the ribbon obscuring her vision, then touched the grapes that had just been taken from the ice cellar on the plate beside her. As if she weren't the one being gossiped about, she ate them while listening with great interest.

The boy, known as the young prince, looked to be only fifteen or sixteen years old, yet he was exceptionally handsome. Even with his eyes and eyebrows covered by ribbons and his carefree, playboy demeanor, he was still impossible to dislike.

"Greetings, Your Highness."

He heard a greeting, followed by a soft hand gently covering his cheek.

"How are you feeling today?" A soft, gentle female voice rang out, and the previously noisy chatter suddenly disappeared.

"It's fine." His voice, still going through puberty, was a little hoarse, but he didn't seem to care much as he popped the last grape into his mouth.

The woman didn't say anything more, but just sat quietly on the soft stool next to the rocking chair to keep him company.

The rocking chair swayed gently, and the warm winter sun shone on me, making me feel so comfortable that I felt drowsy.

Until a very faint cry reached my ears...

"Ugh……"

The young man, lying in the rocking chair, sighed with an air of maturity, sat up somewhat helplessly, ripped off the ribbon in front of him, and gazed with clear, bright eyes at the woman in front of him who was crying her eyes out, looking frail and helpless.

"Although you're quite good at pretending, actually... my mother is really not like that..."

The woman, dressed in the attire of a Mongolian imperial concubine, was wiping away tears with a handkerchief when her body stiffened slightly for a moment. Then she looked at him with an expression that seemed to say, "Is this child delirious from illness?" and even reached out to touch his forehead.

In an instant, he reached out and grabbed the wrist that was being held in front of him, and the boy stepped back slightly.

"You don't seem surprised at all by my eyes?"

I don't know if it's just my imagination, but those dark, shiny eyes, under the reflection of sunlight, seemed to have a faint golden base with a red glow.

It looks eerie and alluring.

"Child, child, what's wrong?! You've hurt Mother!!!"

The woman continued to struggle weakly, looking utterly pitiful.

The boy felt a pain in his eyes as he watched this woman, who had the face of his mother, acting all affected and tearful, groaning in pain. He couldn't help but rub his forehead with his other hand.

"If my mother knew I imagined her as this horrible creature in my dream, she wouldn't chase me down eighteen alleys with a knife, would she?!"

Just thinking about it makes me break out in a sweat, doesn't it?

Think of the most dazzling pearl of our Mongolian Khoqite tribe, a remarkable woman who dared to tame a wild horse and shoot down an eagle all by herself.

She became someone who would stagger around, clutching a handkerchief, panting after every five steps, and constantly whimpering at the slightest provocation, wiping away tears in front of him three times a day...

No, no, I can't take it anymore, I feel my mother's broadsword and whip are itching for more...

"Sigh... I was planning to stay a couple more days since I came back here, but you're such a disappointment. All these mannerisms you've picked up are memories that I've been influenced by watching Qing Dynasty dramas lately. How could you actually believe them???"

The problem is, why did you have to learn this? Our dignified First Consort of the Haoqite Tribe, why are you making me look like a delicate, innocent girl?!

If my mother were really that kind of person, would she still be able to control that old man at home? He'd be devoured by the demons and monsters below long ago!

"Nothing..."

Having regained his youthful appearance, Hei Xiazi stretched his neck and looked at the woman he was holding in his hand...

I really can't bring myself to do it to this girl with her mother's face on her back.

It's okay, we can dismantle the others too. Once we've dismantled everything, it should be almost done.