Tomb raiding: Trying to become a little painter

After finishing his meal, Qin Henian reluctantly left his "dining pit" every three steps, turning back to look at it again and again.

Back at the bottom of the large hole where he had jumped from the wrecked wooden boat, Qin Henian looked up and met a pair of scrutinizing eyes.

"He Nian goes out without the blind man by his side. Is he doing something bad that he doesn't want anyone to know?"

On the edge of the hole in the ship, Black Bear looked down at the handsome young man who had just returned with a mocking expression.

"Ahem... well, I was just hungry, so I went out to get some food."

With a "whoosh," Qin Henian lightly jumped onto the edge of the hole, looking at the grinning Black Bear on the other side, feeling somewhat guilty.

"Oh? Rice? What kind of rice smells so good that our Henian wants to go out and eat it all by himself!"

Hei Xiazi wasn't buying it. He had been in contact with Qin Henian for a while, and the other man's facial expressions were sometimes hard to understand and sometimes very easy to understand. For example, the way the other man was looking down at the wooden board was a clear sign of his guilty conscience.

"Next time I'll try to save some and pack some for you to try...hehe..."

Qin Henian didn't know what he was feeling guilty about, but he had a feeling that he had been caught doing something wrong. It felt familiar, like the feeling of being criticized by Zhao Zheng before.

"Is what He Nian said true? He's not lying?"

Suddenly, Hei Xiazi took a large stride closer to the other side. Looking down slightly, he could see Qin Henian's long eyelashes fluttering, just like the thumping of his own heart aching at that moment...

"I'm not lying to you, I really haven't eaten bugs in a long time, or they'll spoil!"

Qin Henian was feeling extremely guilty, which made his voice slightly hoarse and his words soft, making him look like a punching bag being questioned.

"insect?"

"What insects? Are there insects here?" Black Bear was momentarily stunned by this question. He seemed to remember that there were many insects in the rainforest of Tamutuo, but they hadn't even gone in yet, so where would insects come from...?

Wait... bugs, shipwreck... damn it!

"He Nian, you, you, you...did you eat those little red bugs from those jars?!"

"How could you eat that stuff! Those little guys are poisonous..."

Hei Xiazi's voice suddenly rose several octaves as he stared in shock at the person in front of him, grabbing the other's wrist with lightning speed to check their pulse.

The group of people who were studying the cast-in-place coffin were startled by Hei Xiazi's sudden loud voice and turned to look at the hole on the side of the boat.

Zhang Qilin had the best hearing. He heard every word Qin Henian and Hei Xiazi said. His expression immediately turned serious, his brows furrowed slightly, and he quickly walked towards Qin Henian.

"Spit it out, Crane Year!"

hold head high?

Throw it out! No way! How can I possibly throw up a delicious meal I finally got to eat!

Immediately, Qin Henian reflexively raised both hands to cover his mouth, his eyes protesting.

Please! He's a noble white... ugh... he's a real mythical beast, the Bifang Bird, a bird, you know, a nemesis of insects!

"I won't vomit!"

"Don't even think about it! I earned this through my own abilities, why should I throw it up!"

Looking at the two people surrounding him, Qin Henian, to show that he was in good health, broke free from Hei Xiazi's hand, brushed off his wide robe sleeves, and slapped his fair and tender arms with a loud slapping sound.

"Look! So healthy! Even those bugs smell amazing!"

"There wasn't much meat... and I even left two for you guys... you didn't finish them..."

Qin Henian looked up at the two of them, grinning and trying to ingratiate himself.

After being pulled away, the soft, warm touch was gone, and Hei Xiazi felt a pang of reluctance. He checked Qin Henian's pulse and, finding him unharmed, felt much relieved. His thoughts returned to normal; how could he forget that the Henian before him was no ordinary person...?

According to the food chain, it's normal for birds to eat insects.

After giving the mute Zhang a reassuring look, Hei Xiazi began to miss the feeling of his earlier encounter with Qin Henian.

"Next time you eat...cough cough...dry rice, tell me or Zhang the mute first. Ask us if you want the best food, otherwise we...won't trust you."

Hei Xiazi seriously pushed up his sunglasses, walked over to Zhang Qilin, and nudged him with his elbow to get the other to agree with what he was saying.

"That's nonsense."

Zhang Qilin successfully grasped Hei Xiazi's meaning and echoed it.

Qin Henian, though he had clearly seen what the two were doing, could only nod helplessly.

"Got it, you little brats!"

Ugh!

Qin Henian sighed silently. What kind of elder is he?! His son is so strict with him! Waaah!

After taking the clothes from the coffin, Wu Xie and Xie Yuchen stuffed them into Pan Zi's backpack. Poor Fatty Wang's face was practically trembling with embarrassment; his little darling was clearly not going to mention him.

Sigh! (jpg)

After getting off the wooden boat, Wu Xie carried A Ning on his back, Wang Pangzi carried Wu Xie's backpack, and the rest of the group got off the boat together.

As soon as they disembarked and turned on their flashlights, the group gathered around and all looked at Wu Xie.

"What are you all looking at me for? Aren't we leaving?"

Wu Xie was puzzled by the stares and silently increased the force he used to carry A Ning on his back.

"Setting off now? That might not be a good idea. It's too dark and late. We need to find a place to rest first and then continue tomorrow."

Xie Yuchen rubbed his temples helplessly. Sometimes he was truly speechless about his childhood friend.

"Okay, I'll listen to Xiaohua. I've been on the boat for so long, and I haven't quite recovered yet. I need to rest for a bit."

Wu Xie echoed Xie Yuchen's words, then turned around and shone his flashlight around, intending to find a reliable place to rest.

“I went out for a walk before, and there was a place where a shipwreck was stuck underground in the mountains. It was a good place to take shelter from the rain and wind, and I could make do for one night.”

Qin Henian spoke up at the appropriate time and led the group to a place he had passed through while searching for the little bug.

The night receded like the tide, and the sun shone brightly on the earth.

"Who knocked us brothers unconscious last night? Did any of you see it? Where's the team leader?"

"Didn't see it. It was too late last night. Did the other brothers see it?"

“…”

Early in the morning, a noisy commotion arose in the distance. The few people who were resting under the boat gradually opened their eyes and looked at the mercenaries walking towards them from not far away.

Ah Ning, who was being taken care of by Wu Xie, also woke up. Seeing her subordinates not far away, she quickly called them over.

Once everyone was gathered, Ah Ning couldn't say anything about the extra people, because she knew very well that her men couldn't defeat the other group.

"What's that over there? A lot of earthenware jars, are they filled with treasures?"

Just then, one of the mercenaries who had just met up with Ah Ning was looking for a place to urinate when he suddenly saw a dozen or so ceramic jars on the ground not far away.

"What treasure? Where is it? Let me, Fatty, take a look!"

Upon hearing the word "baby," the quickest-witted one was Fatty Wang. He had just been concerned about his frail child, Tianzhen, but his attention was instantly drawn away.