Tomb Raiding: My Family's Last Clan Chief is Little Brother

Chapter 291 Torrential Night Rain
After finishing their meal, Zhang Wuxun was about to wash the dishes when the deliveryman suddenly spoke up, "Come with me."

Zhang Wuxun followed the young man with a suspicious look to several skeletons in the open space. The young man pointed to the right arm of each skeleton and said, "Look."

The area below the ulna and radius is empty; none of these seven skeletons have a right hand.

"What's going on?" Zhang Wuxun asked in surprise, "Where did all these people's right hands go!"

The young man shook his head, stretched out his right hand and looked at it, his expression somewhat solemn.

Zhang Wuxun pondered, "Pan Ma never said that he would cut off the person's hand after killing them. We've retrieved all the bones from the bottom of the water, except for those that were clearly not human. There's basically no possibility of missing any."

"So, after they died, someone took their right hand to avoid revealing anything."

Based on the original plot, these skeletons belong to the members of the original expedition team who were killed by Pan Ma. Chen Wenjin, Huo Ling, and the other two escaped underwater. The distinctive feature of their right hands is unique to the Zhang family. In other words, these seven skeletons are likely from Zhang Dafoye's branch of the Zhang family who served in the army.

No, Zhang Wuxun was startled. He suddenly realized that he had been overlooking a problem all along. The person who was digging for iron blocks by the lake with the expedition team was not the current Xiao Ge, but a person named "Zhang Qiling" created by Zhang Dafoye himself.

That person is the one with hunched shoulders who is now hiding in the shadows like a rat.

If the people underwater at that time were Chen Wenjin, Huo Ling, and "Zhang Qiling," and the remaining people on the shore were killed by Pan Ma and his group and thrown into the water, then Chen Wenjin and his group must have known that the original expedition team had encountered an accident.

"Zhang Qiling" was a substitute for Xiao Ge created by Zhang Dafoye. Zhang Dafoye was working for "it" at the time, so the seven members of the Zhang family were both protecting Chen Wenjin and the others and monitoring them.

The reason why the collapsed shoulder became collapsed shoulder was because it was corroded by alkali powder. Therefore, when it discovered that the expedition team had been switched, it was very likely that it was swept into Miluotuo Cave by the siphon tide before it could notify "it". This would explain why the collapsed shoulder knew so much about the situation at the bottom of the lake.

So, let's return to the topic: how did the seven members of the Zhang family who were murdered by Panma and their bodies dumped at the bottom of the water lose their right hands?

Did "it" sense something was wrong and send someone to Yangjiao Mountain to retrieve it? Or did the person with the drooping shoulder pick up those people's hands?
Zhang Wuxun felt that the person who took the right hand was most likely "It". "It" sent people to Banna and discovered that its own people in the expedition team had been killed. It realized that the mission had been exposed, which is why it spared no effort to hunt down and kill Master Jie Jiu, who took away the iron block and the coffin containing the corpse and materials.

Finally, Master Jie was rescued by the Wu family, who then got involved and began this multi-generational plan.

Perhaps "it" did not find Chen Wenjin and Huo Ling's bodies at the time, so it assumed that the two were alive. This is also why the fake Wenjin and Huo Ling were still able to operate in the organization until they were switched back by the real Wenjin and Huo Ling in Xisha.

It's impossible for "it" to enter the Zhang Family Ancient Building in Banna without the guidance of a direct descendant of the Zhang family. However, the Zhang family patriarch has a fatal flaw: amnesia. This is very likely the reason why "it" chose to abandon Xiao Ge and use the imposter "Zhang Qiling".

Zhang Wuxun speculated that the real Xiao Ge might have escaped from the place where Zhang Dafoye imprisoned him with the help of Xie Jiuye and the others. Afterwards, he somehow met Chen Wenjin and the others. Subsequently, Chen Wenjin and the others replaced the fake Wenjin and the others. This mixed expedition team to Xisha was still under "its" control, and the fake "Zhang Qiling" had been tacitly considered dead by "it".

In other words, although the slumped-shoulder person is still "it"'s person, it is also hiding from "it" because the slumped-shoulder person knows too many secrets.

(Note: This was the largest tomb raiding operation organized by Zhang Qishan's Nine Gates. Xiao Ge was severely injured and lost his memory in the Four Sisters Mountain. The team split into two factions. One faction, represented by the Huo, Wu, Xie, and Zhang families, were loyal to Xiao Ge. The other faction, led by Zhang Qishan, blamed Xiao Ge for the failure and launched a purge against Zhang Qiling's faction. They imprisoned the severely injured and amnesiac Xiao Ge in the Golmud Sanatorium for twenty years. Later, with the help of Xie Jiuye, Xiao Ge escaped from the sanatorium.)
After the expedition team perished, the man with the collapsed shoulder miraculously survived and remained in Banna to guard the Zhang Family Ancient Building, completely unaware of what was happening outside.

The reason why the slumped-shouldered man harbored such deep hostility towards Xiao Ge was because, under Zhang Qishan's brainwashing, he insisted that he was Zhang Qiling and did not believe that Xiao Ge was a member of the Zhang family.

A cool sensation landed on his face, startling Zhang Wuxun from his reverie. He looked up and saw the young man staring at his face with worry in his eyes.

Zhang Wuxun paused for a moment, then realized something and reached up to touch his right cheek. "It's grown back again?"

The young man nodded, and seeing that his eyes had regained their clarity, he didn't say anything more.

Another drop of water landed on his face. Zhang Wuxun looked up at the darkening sky. "It's raining. Let's move these skeletons into the tent."

The young man nodded without asking any questions.

Before the heavy rain, the two moved all the things outside into the empty tent, reduced the size of the fire, and put up an umbrella over it to keep out the rain.

After cleaning up, both of their clothes were completely soaked.

Zhang Wuxun urged the young man to change his clothes quickly, cut two pieces of ginger and threw them into the pot, then scooped a lump of tea leaves from Wu Xiaoxie's tea canister and threw it in, sprinkled in half a bag of brown sugar, and put the lid on the pot.

After finishing all that, Zhang Wuxun returned to the tent to change into clean clothes. When he came out, he saw Xiao Ge gazing at the lake hidden in the rain, lost in thought.

The thunder roared like a bell, pouring down from the mountaintop, passing through the ground beneath our feet, and reflecting back into the lake. The lake water hummed, and the siphon tide arrived earlier due to the influence of the thunder.

The rain grew heavier, pounding against the tent like drumbeats, making one's ears ring.

Due to its terrain and environment, this tidal flat lake is surrounded by peaks and forests, so although the rain was heavy, there was not much wind.

The ginger tea soup in the iron pot was bubbling and gurgling. When the lid was lifted, white steam billowed out like clouds and mist, spreading into the air.

The pungent smell made Zhang Wuxun turn his head and sneeze loudly.

He used a large iron ladle to stir up the tea leaves that had sunk to the bottom of the pot, and then served each of them a bowl.

"Hey, be careful, it's hot." Zhang Wuxun handed the bowl to the waiter.

The young man thanked him and sipped the ginger tea in his bowl.

After covering the pot with the lid, Zhang Wuxun sat down next to the waiter with his bowl. He blew on it, but it was still too hot, so he had to put it aside.

"When do you think he'll come?" Zhang Wuxun asked.

After a long silence, the young man finally said, "Tonight."

Zhang Wuxun chuckled lightly, "It's a dark and rainy night, the perfect time to kill someone."

As if in response to his words, a bolt of lightning, carrying an aura that seemed capable of splitting the heavens and earth, exploded above their heads as soon as he finished speaking.

"Then guess again, will he target me first, or will he deal with you first?" Zhang Wuxun teased.

The young man turned his head and glanced at him, silently saying four words: "Boring, not guessing."

Zhang Wuxun let out a long sigh. Well, he really was a little bored.

He took out the jade fragments he had previously scraped from the crack in the underwater shaft from his pocket, examined them by the firelight, and immediately curled his lip in boredom. There were too many impurities, and the scattered white spots hadn't formed any floating patterns. They weren't worth much.

The jade he can sculpt using his materialization abilities is worth more than this.

"Let's go take a look at the underwater crevice again tomorrow after the rain stops," Zhang Wuxun said to the young man.

The young man nodded, got up, scooped some water from a basin that collected rainwater, and prepared to wash the dishes.

Zhang Wuxun was startled and quickly told him to put the bowl down. "Damn it, don't move, don't move, let me do it." The young man gave him a strange look, and Zhang Wuxun coughed. "Well, you go to sleep first, I'll wash the bowl."

Heavenly God, how could he dare let his clan chief wash the dishes? He'd probably shorten his lifespan.

﹉﹉﹉

Thunder rumbled and rain poured down.

Even with earplugs, Zhang Wuxun couldn't sleep peacefully due to the noise. His right chest felt hot, and he had many bizarre dreams in a daze.

It was as if he had returned to the time when he followed the clues left in the tattered scrolls and found the Zhang Family Ancient Building.

He stood before the magnificent gate, tentatively reaching out to push it, but his hand suddenly slipped from his grasp, and he uncontrollably tumbled into the icy water.

After a dizzying spin, he opened his eyes again and found himself standing in the center of a water mirror, surrounded by thick fog. He tentatively took two steps forward, and the deep sound of bells rang in his ears. The fog dissipated, and a giant bronze gate appeared before him.

It looks very similar to the bronze gate on Changbai Mountain, but upon closer inspection, you can still find the differences.

The door appeared to be crafted from a single piece of meteorite jade, and the patterns carved on it were very similar to those on the stone door he had previously seen beneath the bronze tree altar.

Zhang Wuxun's eyes gradually became unfocused, and a voice in his mind urged him to keep moving forward.

"Awuchile—come here—"

Zhang Wuxun took a step forward, when a sharp pain suddenly shot through his mind, causing him to fall to his knees. He clutched his head, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. He bit his lip hard, and the taste of blood instantly spread through his mouth.

After an unknown amount of time, a thunderclap, accompanied by lightning, shattered the darkness.

Before the water mirror, the figure that had fainted on the ground gradually faded and finally disappeared into the gathering mist.

The young man in the tent was awakened by the sudden increase in the volume of thunder. He opened his eyes and a faint, peculiar scent of blood drifted to the tip of his nose.

The young man suddenly stood up, grabbed the black gold ancient sword beside him, and rushed into the rain.

At the same time, inside Zhang Wuxun's tent, a flash of lightning illuminated the entire space for a few moments, and a dark figure stood silently beside him, tightly gripping a gleaming Yao knife.

The dagger that should have been plunged into the chest was now trembling slightly, and the masked man's eyes, the only part of his face visible, were filled with horror.

He reached out his trembling hand, wanting to touch the lines on Zhang Wuxun's right cheek that resembled dried blood.

A flash of cold light pierced through the air and struck the masked man's right hand.

A scream pierced the darkness, and a few drops of blood splattered on the tattoo on Zhang Wuxun's right cheek. The masked man rolled to the other side of the tent, and with a swipe of his Yao knife, the tent was sliced ​​open by the sharp blade.

By the time the young man lifted the curtain and rushed in, the masked man had already escaped through the hole in the tent and disappeared into the dense forest not far behind the tent.

Only two remaining fingers were left on the ground.

The few drops of blood that had just dripped onto Zhang Wuxun's face were being absorbed by the crimson tattoo at an extremely slow pace.

The young man stared at the tattoo for a few seconds, then suddenly reached out and wiped away the remaining trace of blood.

Then she gently patted Zhang Wuxun's face, trying to wake him up, "Wooden Fish, wake up."

Zhang Wuxun lay motionless in his sleeping bag. If it weren't for the slight rise and fall of his chest, one might have thought he was dead.

The young man frowned even more deeply, looking somewhat helpless in the face of the current situation.

After thinking for a moment, he bent down and carried Zhang Wuxun, along with his sleeping bag, into his tent.

Zhang Wuxun's tent was already torn, and raindrops would blow in, while the other tents were piled with things.

After settling Zhang Wuxun in, the young man turned around and ran under the umbrella, lit the fire he had been covering, boiled water, and then took out a fever-reducing patch from the first-aid kit and placed it on Zhang Wuxun's forehead.

He then sat down next to Zhang Wuxun, holding the knife and quietly guarding him.

As the night passed, the rain finally subsided a bit.

The young man blinked and turned to look at Zhang Wuxun, who was lying in the sleeping bag, still showing no signs of waking up.

A hint of anxiety flashed in the young man's eyes. He reached out and checked Zhang Wuxun's pulse. It was slow but strong, and a look of confusion crossed his face.

A series of heavy footsteps came from outside the tent. When the young man went out to see what was happening, he found that it was A-Gui leading a mule out of the woods.

When Ah Gui saw the young man, he immediately greeted him warmly, "Where is Boss Yu?"

The young man didn't say anything and turned back to his tent.

Ah Gui was used to this. He guessed that was just the boss's personality. If a hundred words from outsiders could make this person even flinch, then that person was truly remarkable.

Shaking his head, A-Gui took off his raincoat, drove the mule under the umbrella, took down the two boxes covered with waterproof cloth from the mule, and took out a lot of green vegetables and several earthenware jars containing cured meat.

The young man replaced Zhang Wuxun's fever patch with another one, then placed the Black Gold Ancient Sword beside him, walked out of the tent, and said to A-Gui, "Keep an eye on him."

Ah Gui peeked out and assumed Zhang Wuxun had caught a cold and fever from being caught in the rain, so he readily agreed.

The young man turned around and went to another tent, took out the tools for going into the water, and then walked straight to the lake.

Last night's heavy rain caused the lake level to rise significantly, and the stones with the rubber boats tied to them were submerged by the waterline.

The young man untied the rope and rowed the boat into the lake by himself.

While A-Gui turned around to wash some vegetables, he realized that the person was gone. Looking left and right, he suddenly noticed a dark shadow floating on the lake. Upon closer inspection, he realized that the cold-faced boss had actually rowed his boat into the water at that moment.

This is just plain reckless!

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(End of this chapter)