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

Chapter 439 The Weeping Statue
"Not a foreigner?" Wu Xie frowned slightly, pondering the question carefully, and said nothing more.

However, when he went out for some fresh air at night, he happened to run into that group of people.

No, it should be said that there was more than one group of people.

As Wu Xie passed by, he saw two groups of people confronting each other in the dining hall. However, they did not show it on their faces. There was a clear dividing line between the two groups.

The young monks who used to eat in the dining hall tactfully moved to a small hall on the other side, using it as a temporary place to eat.

Upon seeing Wu Xie approach, both sides became much more reserved, acting as if nothing had happened.

Wu Xie paused, then went into the dining hall to get his food. He sat down on a bench near the center, eating while discreetly observing them.

The group of people on the left side of the food serving area was larger, and they were dressed in similar uniforms. Judging from their attire, they seemed to be a tour photography team, including both men and women.

They were talking about something while they were eating: they were going to a very deep place in the mountains to take pictures of the snow scenery. The best time for snow hadn't arrived yet, so they were resting at the Lama Temple. They had only arrived at the temple today.

You could tell from their accents that they were from Hong Kong. They came here because they heard the scenery was beautiful, so they organized a trip through a travel website and seemed to be planning to stay for a long time.

If it were the old Wu Xie, he would definitely have thought they were just tourists. But after systematic training, Wu Xie could tell at a glance that these people were on edge, wary of another group of people, and that someone would occasionally glance at Wu Xie out of the corner of their eye.

Moreover, these people are all of very average physical condition. At a glance, you can tell that there are at least three people among them who are definitely skilled. At the very least, Wu Xie feels that he could not beat any one of them in a one-on-one fight.

The other seven or eight people were those who had arrived a few days earlier. They were the strange people with unknown origins that Langka had mentioned. It seemed that they had started moving in one after another since the night Wu Xie arrived at the temple.

Compared to the group of backpackers, these people were much more relaxed, like a hastily assembled adventure team. They were all strong and healthy young men, and they were communicating in Tibetan, which Wu Xie couldn't understand.

Just then, a young man dressed in an elaborate blue Tibetan robe walked in from the doorway carrying two lunch boxes.

The entire expedition team turned to look, and they all stopped eating in unison.

Wu Xie was startled and wondered what was going on. Could it be an enemy? But judging from their expressions, it didn't seem like it.

The Tibetan in the blue robe nodded slightly to them, went over, got two servings of food, and was about to leave.

One of the expedition members stood up and called out to him, asking something in Tibetan. The blue-robed Tibetan replied with something, and it was clear that the members of the expedition all breathed a sigh of relief.

Judging from the limited interactions between this group and the Tibetans in blue robes, they belonged to the same group, and the Tibetans in blue robes held a slightly higher status.

Even though he tried his best to cover it up, Wu Xie had been sitting in his third uncle's chair for so long and had been to many places with all sorts of people, so this unintentional flaw was not difficult for him to hide.

The Tibetan in the blue robe brought two meals; it was obvious that the other meal was for someone else, and the person the expedition members were asking about was probably that person as well.

That person seemed quite important to them.

After quickly finishing his meal, Wu Xie left the dining hall with lingering doubts.

Unbeknownst to him, a strange scene unfolded in the canteen the moment he turned to leave.

Everyone who was eating turned to look at his retreating figure until he disappeared through the door.

Then the two groups exchanged a glance, looked away in disgust, and went back to eating.

After the group of hikers left the dining hall first, Wu Xie peeked out from behind a pillar and looked at the few people still slowly clearing away their dishes in the dining hall before turning around and going back to his house in the back mountain.

He didn't want to cause any unnecessary trouble before he had a clear understanding of some things.

Not feeling sleepy at night, Wu Xie chatted with Chen Xuehan and learned that the hiking group would come here every winter during this time, sometimes early and sometimes late, and Chen Xuehan had even acted as their guide a few times.

Furthermore, Chen Xuehan revealed a crucial piece of information to Wu Xie: the first person destined to see that oil painting in Motuo ten years ago was accompanied by a woman, but today, Chen Xuehan saw that woman again in the group of backpackers.

The clues in Wu Xie's mind connected one by one, and he was very certain that this group of hikers had the same goal as him: to find something deep in the snow-capped mountains.

The purpose of the expedition team, which was clearly in opposition to them, became obvious.

It's too early to say whether these two groups are friends or foes to him.

Wu Xie felt he should investigate first, so the next day he asked Langka to go down the mountain to investigate the woman's information based on the sketch drawn by Chen Xuehan, starting with her, while he stayed in the Lama Temple to continue to observe secretly.

However, the next day, something unexpected happened to him. He saw that there was another group of people in the Lama Temple. Including the previous two groups and himself, there were now four groups of people in the Lama Temple. Moreover, the group he met today were genuine Germans.

Chen Xuehan also realized something was wrong. He looked at Wu Xie and intuitively felt that the reason these people were gathered here was probably related to him.

What Chen Xuehan could think of, Wu Xie could naturally think of as well. What he feared was that their target was not only him, but also the information left to him by the wooden fish.

"Do me a favor," he said to Chen Xuehan.

"What kind of help?" Chen Xuehan became wary.

"It's nothing much." Wu Xie looked Chen Xuehan up and down. The two were about the same height, and because of the thick winter clothes, the difference in their figures was not obvious when covered by their clothes.

Wu Xie pulled out a wad of bills and said, "I need you to impersonate me for a few days to buy some time."

Chen Xuehan looked at him incredulously, wondering if he had lost his mind. Their skin tones were so different, they were not the same color at all. Anyone with eyes could tell the difference.

"You don't need to worry about that." Wu Xie stuffed the money into his hand, then turned around and pulled out a small box from under the box Zhang Wuxun had left him.

Inside, there was a mask and some special potion.

He was once again impressed by Muyu's foresight; while Chen Xuehan was completely bewildered, he quickly pressed the "Wu Xie" face onto his own.

Wu Xie is experienced; Hei Xiazi is a master of disguise, so the little bit he's learned is enough to get by temporarily.

There was no mirror in the room. After he finished, he took a picture of Chen Xuehan with his phone to show her what she looked like. Then he said, "You should also pay attention these days. The skin on your neck is not very noticeable because it is covered by your collar and scarf. When you are outside, don't show your hands. Your hands are as black as roasted lamb trotters."

It was the first time Chen Xuehan had ever seen such a novel thing. She thought it was fun and that she could make money from it. She rolled her eyes at Wu Xie's mockery of her being a black person and didn't say anything more in the way of objecting.

For the next few days, Chen Xuehan wore Wu Xie's face, occasionally going out for a stroll during meals, and then staying quietly in the house like a corpse afterward, temporarily deceiving those watching Wu Xie. While those people weren't focused on him, Wu Xie secretly applied black face paint, changed into Chen Xuehan's clothes, and went to Deren in the evening to discuss some matters concerning Zhang Wuxun.

De Ren is a bit stingy. He only squeezes out a little bit each time, like toothpaste. Only after Wu Xie has deduced some clues and asks him will he smile and tell him the next little bit of information.

On the third day, when Wu Xie went to find Deren again, the little lama told him that all the senior lamas had gone to the top floor of the temple to discuss some unexpected events. That was a place where outsiders and unqualified people had no right to enter.

Wu Xie also wanted to join the discussion, but the little lama who delivered the message told him that he would be notified of the time and place of the discussion, and he could not join the discussion at any time.

Wu Xie sighed somewhat dejectedly, intending to quietly return the way he came.

As Wu Xie approached a courtyard near Mu Yu's house, he suddenly saw a person standing sideways by a railing pillar in the corridor ahead, gazing at the poignant sunset over the distant mountains.

The sunset cast its glow from the eaves of the opposite house, casting reddish patches of light on his profile. He was wearing a red and white Tibetan robe, and his hair was tied into many pretty little braids with colorful threads, loosely draped over his back along with the rest of his long hair.

Wu Xie stared at the person quietly for a long time, and suddenly felt that his profile looked familiar, but because he was backlit, he couldn't see it clearly.

Sensing someone watching him, the person slightly turned their head to look at Wu Xie, paused for two seconds, and then turned and walked away.

That one glance sent a shiver down Wu Xie's spine. He snapped back to his senses and immediately took off after them.

That's Wu Xie's face! That person has the exact same face as Wu Xie!
He followed "Wu Xie" for a long time until he arrived at this Lama temple, a place he had never set foot in before.

The lama temple has many small courtyards, which are now very desolate, devoid of any human presence, and you can't hear a single sound.

There are some mottled Buddhist murals on the walls of the courtyard. Because they are exposed to the elements, the patterns on them have peeled away and only some color patches remain, making it impossible to identify the original patterns.

The man walked slowly ahead, his pace gentle, but Wu Xie was always left behind, unable to catch up no matter what he did.

As Wu Xie walked to the corner of the corridor, he could see the red sun on the snow-capped mountain peaks brushing directly past the roof tiles and casting its rays at an angle, giving the person a halo of golden light that created a blurry outline.

In the blinding light, there was only a straight black figure. When Wu Xie took two steps to catch up, the light was blocked by shadow. In the blink of an eye, the figure that was just walking in the halo of light had disappeared.

Wu Xie hurriedly looked around and saw a person's back in the middle of the courtyard.

He was certain that the person was simply spacing out and not actually looking at anything.

But he just didn't dare to go over, because he was too familiar with that figure, so familiar that for a moment he wondered if he was hallucinating, or if he had suddenly stepped into another space from the halo of light.

That was the young man's back. He was wearing a red Tibetan robe and sitting quietly on a stone in the courtyard. There was snow all around, but he didn't seem to be cold at all. Instead, he was completely immersed in his own world.

Wu Xie didn't know how long he had been there. He just stood there blankly, staring at that figure's back, wondering what was going on.

Didn't the guy say he'd be gone for ten years? How come he's out already?

Was he just deceiving himself about being the goalkeeper? Or has something else changed?

Or perhaps the bronze gate in the Himalayas is actually connected to Changbai Mountain, and the guy secretly ran here from Changbai Mountain?

He then thought of "Wu Xie" who was wearing a Tibetan robe before. Damn it, that could very well be Mu Yu.

He was instantly filled with rage. Damn it, these two were secretly having a party here behind his and Fatty's backs!

Look at that Tibetan robe he's wearing, it's the same style as his mother's!

He immediately climbed over the corridor railing, ran a few steps to the figure in front of him, and upon seeing him, his sleepwalking anger instantly turned into a bewildered and confused expression tinged with frustration.

Because he discovered that what was sitting in front of him was not a person, but a stone statue in the same proportions as a normal person.

A brand new red Tibetan robe was worn on the stone statue, neat and tidy, and an extra white woolen hat was worn on its head, making it look exactly like a real person.

After the initial shock, he began to wonder who had draped the Tibetan robe over the stone statue.

Because he saw that the stone statue only resembled the young man from behind, but it was actually just a simple stone statue carved from Himalayan rocks, very rough and completely lacking in detail.

He lifted the Tibetan robe to look for the stone statue's fingers, only to find that the carving was not detailed enough to reach the fingers. The body was very rough, but it was still clear that it was a person wearing a lama's robe with a bare upper body.

He carefully examined the face of the stone statue, wondering who it was. Had the wooden fish led him here just to show him this stone statue?
The stone statue wasn't unplanned to be carved; it's just that work was halted midway for some unknown reason.

To his surprise, the statue's face still retained some fine outlines, which could roughly reveal the expression and the sculptor's intentions.

Wu Xie discovered that the face carved in the stone statue was Xiao Ge's face.

The young man's face is actually quite distinctive; he's not someone who would easily blend into a crowd.

No matter where you are, if the person you're looking for is Xiao Ge, you'll definitely see him at first glance.

But none of these things concerned Wu Xie the most; the only thing he cared about was the expression on that face.

He realized that the face was crying—

The guy is crying!

Three days later, Zhang Qiling arrived at the stone. He habitually picked up his chisel and began to chisel.

He didn't know why he was carving this thing.

He chiseled a few times, then suddenly noticed the chisel in his hand and realized what he was doing.

Almost simultaneously, an overwhelming pain surged into his heart.

In the heavy snow, he sat down and curled up into a ball.

[Three Days of Silence over the Tibetan Sea of ​​Flowers]



(End of this chapter)