Tomb Raiding: All Things Merge, Starting with 400x Strength

"Leave us the exact location where you found the sacred tree, and we can buy the bronze bell."

Just as the fat man was about to ask something else, Zhang Hao stopped him.

He already knew why this person had come here; he wasn't just after him, but was casting a wide net.

Zhang Hao believed that they were not the only ones who received the bronze bell; there were many others like them.

"I'll sell you the bell for fifty thousand and I'll also tell you the exact location where you found it!"

Old Ma spread his five fingers and extended his palm to gesture.

"Okay, fifty thousand it is."

Zhang Hao didn't waste any words and transferred the money directly.

After leaving the bell, Lao Ma also told Zhang Hao the exact location where the bell was found.

He left in a hurry after the transaction was completed.

"Brother Zhang Hao, are you just going to let him go like this? Aren't you afraid the address he left might be fake?"

The fat man asked doubtfully, "The person has already left. What if we find out the address is fake and we have nowhere to look for them?"

Zhang Hao smiled. Since he already understood that Lao Ma's purpose in appearing was to lure them to the Qinling Mountains, the address he left must be genuine, so he wasn't worried at all.

"Don't worry, he won't leave a fake address."

Zhang Hao carefully put away the note with the address written on it, then turned to Yi Sa and Ding Yudie and said, "Don't worry, there's no rush. Let's attend the New Moon Hotel auction first, and then go to Sanjiangyuan together to find the Ancestral Golden Soup."

"That's great, boss. I was worried you'd have to go to the Qinling Mountains first, and then..."

Although Ding Yudie didn't say it aloud, Zhang Hao understood what she meant.

The stench of death emanating from Yi Sa intensified, indicating that her time was running out and she would die if a solution wasn't found soon.

In fact, not only Yi Sa, but Ding Yudie's situation was not much better.

However, because Yi Sa became a water demon at a very young age, much earlier than Ding Yudie, this day also came earlier for her than for Ding Yudie.

What Yi Sa is going through now, Ding Yudie will also go through in a few years.

While becoming a water demon gave them special abilities that others didn't have, they also lost a lot because of it.

For the two of them, what they lost was far more important than what they gained, which is why they wanted to find out the truth and escape their fate as water demons.

However, not everyone in the Sanxing Shuixiao family thinks this way.

Some people crave strength and are willing to give up everything for it.

Ding Changsheng, the head of the Ding family, is such a person; he is willing to give up everything to become a water demon.

That's why he tried every means to stop Yi Sa and Ding Yudie from investigating.

Zhang Hao is currently short of fusion attempts. Each time he enters a tomb, he can get a few to ten fusion attempts depending on the difficulty of the tomb.

But that's all.

He had a plan ever since he learned that killing enemies in ancient tombs could also earn him fusion attempts.

Since Ding Changsheng doesn't want Yi Sa and Ding Yudie to investigate the truth behind the water demon's mutation, he will definitely send people to the Three Rivers Source area to stop them.

By luring those people into the Ancestral Golden Soup and then killing them, each person can obtain one fusion attempt.

Zhang Hao is now hoping that he can send more people.

After all, he gets one more fusion attempt for each additional person.

"Alright, let's not talk about this anymore. Now that we're here in Panjiayuan, let's go out and have a good look around."

Since he had nothing else to do, Zhang Hao didn't want to stay in Fatty's shop any longer.

I used to hear stories of people finding bargains at the antique market, though I knew it was practically impossible—the buyer is never as shrewd as the seller.

But I always wanted to give it a try and see what the chance was like.

Now that we've come to the largest antique market in the country, it would be a shame not to take a look.

"That's great! Maybe we can even snag a bargain."

Wu Tianzhen and the others agreed to Zhang Hao's suggestion, so the group left the fat man's shop and strolled around the Panjiayuan Antique Market.

"Boss, take a look at the Chinese cabbage that Empress Dowager Cixi loved most, it's only 20,000."

"Emperor Qianlong's snuff bottle".

"A complete set of Five Emperor Coins!"

……

The market was bustling with tourists, filled with the shouts of vendors and the sounds of bargaining.

Zhang Hao and his group were initially quite interested, but after browsing through a few stalls, they lost interest, as each stall sold almost the same things.

No matter how much the boss raves about it, anyone with eyes can see that it's just a modern craft.

The fat man, having observed all this, chuckled and said, "We're just joining in the fun on the street. The really good stuff is all in the shops. Why don't we go inside and take a look?"

"Forget it, if there are any good things in the shop, the owner will treasure them. There's no way you can find a bargain."

That being said, Zhang Hao had already determined that there were no special items in the shop when he passed by, so there was no need to waste time going in.

Special items are antiques, objects, or creatures with special abilities.

They may not necessarily be of high value, but they must have special abilities.

The system will alert you whenever such a thing appears within 20 meters.

So Zhang Hao wanted to try his luck and see if he could find one or two pieces in the entire antique market.

"Hey, why are there so many people gathered up ahead? What happened? Let's go over and see what's going on."

The fat man suddenly pointed forward and said.

Zhang Hao looked up and saw a group of people pointing and gesturing in front of a stall.

"Isn't Baldy Liu harming people? Everyone knows that there's a curse on that piece of bronze tree branch; whoever gets it will be doomed!"

"That's right. Ever since he picked up the bronze tree branch, his family has fallen into poverty, his wife and children have been separated, and his family has been destroyed."

"They actually dare to sell bronze tree branches now; it's utterly outrageous."

……

Zhang Hao heard people talking from afar and immediately became interested.

Whether it's a curse or a blessing, anything with special abilities is likely a special item.

Perhaps the bronze tree branch that everyone calls an ominous object is actually a special item.

"Fatty, go ask what's going on!"

"Brother Zhang Hao, no need to ask, I already know about this."

"Oh, tell me what happened."

"Ah."

The fat man responded and began to tell his story.

"A few years ago, someone bought a piece of bronze tree branch for 50 yuan in Panjiayuan. Later, experts identified it as something that predates the Shang and Zhou dynasties and is priceless."

That man became famous overnight, and after that, news of his lucky break spread throughout the capital, bringing him immense prestige.

But his good fortune didn't last long; soon his family was destroyed and he himself went blind.

In order to survive, the man had no choice but to resell the bronze tree branch at a low price, which was then picked up by Baldy Liu.

As fate would have it, not long after, Liu the Bald also suffered misfortune. One family member after another died in an accident, and he himself broke his leg and became a cripple.

This is when the legend of the bronze tree branch being cursed arose.

"Come on, let's go over and take a look."

If what the fat man said is true, then the bronze branch must be a special item.

Zhang Hao decided to go and check out the situation.

As soon as he got close, a system notification sounded in his mind.

[Ding! Rare item: Bronze Divine Tree Branch Found.]