Tomb raiding: Trying to become a little painter

Qin Henian looked at Wu Xie, whose hands were still trembling, and was about to go forward to comfort him when he saw that just a few seconds after the person who was about to kill Wu Xie fell to the ground, Wu Xie's body went limp and he sat down on the ground.

The three approached and watched the entire process of Wu Xie killing people, and Wu Xie's current state, but they didn't say anything. Instead, they began to examine the four people lying on the ground next to Wu Xie.

Feeling the familiar pulse and smelling the faint fragrance of flowers wafting from the depths of the tomb, Black Bear raised an eyebrow, thinking to himself that this really was a big tomb. Since he, Black Bear, had stumbled upon it, he might as well go in and take a look. Anyway, he was currently having no idea what to do with the things he had to "store".

"Skullbud flower, poisonous! Its fragrance causes paralysis and drowsiness! Prolonged exposure to its fragrance will lead to death in one's sleep."

Wear a gas mask!

Zhang Qilin rarely spoke, but he offered a long explanation, the underlying message being that next time he entered a tomb, he should observe more carefully and wear a gas mask if the air seemed off.

This was Zhang Qilin teaching Wu Xie; although it's unknown whether Wu Xie listened, it's better to say something than nothing.

Hei Xiazi suddenly felt awkward listening to his brother, Dumb Zhang's, explanation. Wasn't he the one who was Wu Xie's cheap master? How could someone be competing with him for teaching someone...? What if he couldn't get his money from Second Master later...?

That won't do! You can mess with me, but you can't touch my money!

"You cheap apprentice, you said you've been downed into quite a few tombs too, so what?"

"Just gaining knowledge without developing intelligence?"

Hei Xiazi was furious at Wu Xie's foolish appearance. He had thought that after everything that had happened, the other man should have some sense of reason, but it seemed he had left his brain at home as soon as he entered the tomb...

"I... am not me..."

Hearing Hei Xiazi's complaints, Wu Xie felt a little strange. Why did becoming an apprentice feel like gaining a nagging father...?

"No, I didn't fall for it! I just didn't think of it for a moment. I was only thinking about making some money in the tomb and putting on my gear after entering so it would be faster. I had no idea what was going to happen next!"

He'll definitely find out next time! This time Wu Xie really learned his lesson... He'll change and transform little by little, as long as he has time.

"The fact that you didn't get infected isn't because you're so powerful, it's all thanks to the Qilin Blood you ate before!"

Black Bear relentlessly mocked him with an expression that said, "You're really bad."

"I...."

Wu Xie was momentarily speechless after being rebuked, but he also knew that this was indeed his situation.

"Stop talking, friend, let's save them first, okay?"

Qin Henian listened to the two arguing, then looked up and rolled his eyes dramatically.

"Oh, right! Bro, do you know how to wake someone up after smelling this Skullbud flower you mentioned?"

Wu turned sideways towards Zhang Qilin and asked anxiously.

"Cut the grass and root out the roots!"

Zhang Qilin uttered four words and strode into the depths of the tomb. His mind raced; to save Fatty, they needed to clean up the Skull Sprout Flower. Without its scent, the person would wake up in no time.

In the blink of an eye, Zhang Qilin disappeared into the darkness deep within the tomb.

Qin Henian and Hei Xiazi helped Wu Xie pull Wang Pangzi and the others together, leaning them against the wall of the tunnel. Once everything was settled, a questioning voice suddenly came from inside the tunnel from Wu Xie.

"He Nian! Those shadows looming over our Nine Gates belong to the Wang family, but where do you belong?"

After thinking for a long time, Wu Xie decided to ask directly. He didn't like to doubt his brother, but there were some things he couldn't just ignore. He just wanted to know the answer.

Qin Henian lowered his head, his pupils flashing with a scarlet light. Where did he belong? He belonged to nowhere; he was merely doing his job for a fee.

"At least... you know I'm on your side now, right?"

Qin Henian did not suppress the red light in his pupils. His phoenix eyes, with one red and one gold pupil, stared intently into Wu Xie's eyes.

"I see!"

Stunned by that gaze, Wu Xie's heart pounded wildly, his mind a mixture of shock and apprehension about his "bottom line."

Wu Xie nodded slowly and stopped speaking. Instead, he squatted down and waved his hand in front of Fatty Wang. Seeing no reaction, he suddenly smiled and thought of a good idea. He pressed his thumb and forefinger against his eyelids, pried them open, looked at the unfocused pupils, and then released his hand. He took out a black pen from his backpack and looked at Fatty Wang's chubby face with a grin...

Wu continued drawing, his brush twisting and turning, crisscrossing black lines. After a few minutes, he put down his brush, looking at his masterpiece with satisfaction. Then, itching with curiosity, he moved over to where the others were lying...

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

Deep within the tomb's tunnel, Zhang Qilin swiftly traversed it, leaping down into the underground palace. Stepping on the stone-paved ground, he carefully inhaled the scents, following his intuition. He switched on his flashlight, illuminating the passageway with the brushstrokes on the walls. Zhang Qilin began to feel the cracks in the murals, carefully examining them. Using his unique "tomb raiding" technique, he quickly discovered a hidden clasp recessed in a stone crevice on a piece of clothing in one of the murals...

Click!

Pressing the mechanism reversed all the murals in the tomb passage, revealing another side where tiny, winding, brown vines, about the size of an index finger, clung to the stone wall. Most of the vines had protrusions, resembling spheres wrapped around them...

Upon closer inspection, some white parts peek out from the spheres. A few more glances reveal that the white parts inside the countless spheres made of vines are actually stark white skulls, each topped with a small yellow flower.

A curious person seeing this might ask why only one flower blooms on a skeleton, but unfortunately, the one facing this scene is a mute who can't utter a sound...

Like a flash of white light, several slashes and twists of the blade repeatedly reversed on the stone wall. A few minutes later, the vines that had been growing on the stone wall and the head that had been wrapped around it fell to the ground with each thud. The strong fragrance that had been emanating from the tomb chamber began to slowly dissipate.

After resolving everything, Zhang Qilin's figure disappeared from the place covered with withered flowers. With a flash of black shadow, the tomb returned to silence.

"Ouch... Fatty's head! Who the hell scratched Fatty's head when I wasn't looking?! It hurts like hell!"

As the fragrance of flowers faded, Wang Pangzi and the others, who had been lying on the ground inside the tomb, began to wake up one by one, their sluggish brains and numb bodily functions working again. Wang Pangzi, who was now rubbing his head and grumbling, stood out.

"You fatso! Why are you yelling for no reason? Who hit you? Honestly, we're all our own people here."

Wu Xie listened to Fatty Wang start rambling as soon as he woke up and retorted irritably.

"How can it be!"

"How could no one have hit me! My head still hurts! Every time I touch it, I get a big bump. And... Little Innocent, can you please be mindful of your surroundings when you say that? Do you think my two big, copper-bell-sized eyes can't see the two people lying in the middle of this tomb passage?"

Even if he couldn't see it, he could smell the fishy odor. Fatty Wang was speechless, and he became even more convinced that there were treacherous subjects trying to harm him.