Tomb raiding: Trying to become a little painter

Three months passed in the blink of an eye, and during these three months, Wu Xie deeply felt the warm "love" from his brothers.

First, the Changsha gambling dens were completely subdued and suppressed by the men sent by Qin Henian. Then came the custom of serving chicken soup in the morning, pork rib soup at noon, and fresh soup in the evening…

In short, Wu Xie has become quite plump and healthy over the past three months thanks to the care of several people.

On a jade-white stone table crafted from Yunying jade, which was gradually turning yellowish, lay a pale-faced man with a lifeless expression, his eyes unfocused. In front of his head was a porcelain bowl larger than his head, containing a large pot of stewed, well-cooked pig's feet.

"Can we stop eating? I still have to run five kilometers this afternoon, and you even added an hour of tomb-related knowledge for me, blind man. I also have to take a medicinal bath made by He Nian tonight, and I don't know what you'll be doing in the early morning... If I keep eating this much every day, I'll start to throw up!"

Wu's eyes were vacant and numb, and he began his usual babbling.

Wu Xie truly felt he couldn't continue like this. He ate and trained relentlessly every day, trying to improve his stamina and coordination. Every night, around 1 or 2 AM, he would be woken up either by a bucket of cold water, or by Hei Xiazi banging a large gong on his forehead, or by some "specially made" smoke bomb being thrown into his bedroom and locked, keeping him awake all night...

Never before had he suffered so much in the Wu family! Wu Xie wished he could squeeze out twenty-five hours out of the day!

"No way~ my dear disciple~ I've specially set up several traps in the 'empty' underground parking garage today. You'd better eat quickly, and after you finish eating, run around for a while to burn off some calories before continuing your training!"

Hei Xiazi sat diagonally opposite Wu, holding a box of green pepper and shredded pork rice that he had cooked that day. He ate with his chopsticks flying, but his manners were still very elegant, as he devoured the delicious food he had worked so hard to make...

"what!"

"Black Bear! You're a monster! I'm still a patient!"

Wu Xie let out a miserable scream, recounting the suffering he had endured in the days since he had rested for a month and a half!

Snapped!

Hei Xiazi stood up and slapped Wu Xie on the head to signal for quiet!

"Stop howling! All thunder and no rain! Your dear master is doing this for your own good!"

"If you were taught by a mute, you'd know what it means to train like a madman 'for the sake of the family'! You don't want to die young, do you, Third Master?"

After giving Wu Xie a lesson, Hei Xiazi returned to his seat and continued to eat his rice.

As for the other three people on either side of the table, they were already used to this scene. Qin Henian, Zhang Qilin, and Fatty Wang were "invisible" at the table.

They looked at each other, already understanding each other perfectly.

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

Beijing.

Inside the lobby of the Crescent Hotel.

A magnificent crystal chandelier hangs in mid-air, and the surrounding decorations are exquisite and beautiful, combining the charm of ancient China with modern art. The floors are polished and there are various wooden tables and chairs. Staff members dressed in uniform cheongsams and suits stand at their respective work stations.

The Crescent Moon Hotel was not open for business today, because the Huo family of the Nine Gates in the underworld had made a big move. In the middle of the lobby on the first floor of the Crescent Moon Hotel, there were three large mahogany round tables. At the head of each round table sat two men and one woman, all dressed in formal attire and gorgeous red dresses.

Seven or eight men and women, who were not young, stood in front of the three tables. After a dozen minutes, a man with white hair and beard walked out from inside.

The man's gaze was deep as he swept over the three people sitting at the three tables. With a smile on his face, he coughed lightly and spoke.

"Ahem... Today is the day of the Huo family's successor election. The three people before you are all outstanding members of the younger generation of the Huo family!"

"Huo Jincheng! Huo Youxue! Huo Jintong! If the three of you want to be in charge of the Huo family, then you'd better show us your strength and make us old folks and the young ones below you completely convinced!"

"It is also so that the future successor of the Huo family among you will have the strength to shoulder the rise and fall of a family!"

"This election tests strength. Everyone knows what the Huo family does, so I won't say more! Here is a book with writing carved on human skin, marked with a Yuan Dynasty tomb. We don't know whose tomb it is! We don't know what dangers are inside! We don't know the exact location of the tomb either!"

"But the three of you need to know that you must enter the tomb, retrieve the most important or most valuable antique from within, and return safely alive to complete this test!"

"That's all I have to say. I'll give you three and a half months to gather people and prepare equipment. After half a month, you'll draw lots and set off from three different cities to the locations listed in the Human Skin Book!"

The man from the Huo family spoke loudly about the purpose of holding such a large meeting, while holding a palm-sized book, as big as a human skin, in one hand and waving it under the light.

"Uncle, we understand all the rules you mentioned, but are there any requirements on the number of people we lead? Could you take a picture of the human skin book for our reference?"

Huo Youxue, who was sitting at the head of the mahogany table in the middle, reacted quickly and was very smart. After sorting out her thoughts, she asked loudly.

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

Inside a villa in Changsha.

Upon receiving the firsthand news from the Huo family, Xie Yuchen sent a text message early in the morning.

At this moment, Wu Xie, Wang Pangzi, Zhang Qilin, Hei Xiazi, and Qin Henian gathered in the living room, looking at the route map printed out from their phones.

The winding route, the locations marked with red circles, crosses, and checkmarks, and the news circulating on the street that the Huo family is gathering people.

"The Wang family will definitely not let this opportunity pass by, as it will determine the successor of the Huo family. They have been trying to replace the members of your Nine Gates for a long time, but we have never been able to catch a key figure!"

"I've received word that there's someone we absolutely must capture this time!"

"As for the other group of lackeys, we won't get any information out of them. We can disguise ourselves and go with them to the tomb to test the waters and observe the changes on the Huo family's side."

It might just be a big surprise for them!

Qin Henian had far more information than Xie Yuchen had. In this farce that started with the Huo family, there was a member of the Wang family whom the Qin family had been keeping an eye on for a long time.

He's an upper-middle-class person; if we could catch him, that would be a huge surprise!