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

Zhang Wuxun left the tent area where the Khampa people were temporarily staying, passed through a natural underground fissure, bypassed many seemingly chaotic but actually mysterious mani stone formations, and arrived at a hidden valley.

Further on, in a wider valley, the Khampa people were rebuilding their homes. After learning that the problem of Yama riding the corpse had been completely solved, the faces of the people were filled with joy and happiness, as if they had been reborn.

As Zhang Wuxun walked along, he slowed his pace amidst various greetings, and scenes from the past flashed before his eyes.

White stone houses were gradually built up, farmland was neatly maintained, and lambs hopped and jumped over fences, one of which jumped over the fence and fell into the chicken coop next to it, startling the mother hen so much that she spread her wings and puffed up her feathers, protecting the chicks firmly under her body.

The lamb's owner, holding a small stick, scolded the lamb and drove it back. Turning around, he saw Zhang Wuxun standing on the path watching this scene with a slight smile. He hurriedly dropped the stick and bowed, "Young Clan Chief Bai Ci."

Zhang Wuxun nodded, then waved his hand to indicate that he should do as he pleased and not worry about him.

We walked and stopped along the way, enjoying the familiar scenery and people, until we finally arrived at a small riverbank.

On the riverbank, a dozen or so Khampa children, dressed in only light clothing, were practicing with their knives. Little Zhabu was also among them, his little face tense as he swung his knife forcefully. Logonbu walked back and forth with a serious face, stopping from time to time to give pointers.

Zhang Wuxun had only been staring at that direction for a couple of breaths when Luogongbu immediately looked over with keen eyesight, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

Upon recognizing the visitor, the invisible intimidation quickly subsided, and Luogongbu stepped forward to bow, saying, "The young clan leader has arrived."

He was about to call the children to stop when Zhang Wuxun stopped him, saying, "No need for that. I'll just come and see them, give them a few words of advice, and then I'll leave."

Logonbu immediately understood who he was talking about and led the way, soon arriving at a densely packed stone forest.

Logonbu explained, "The original formation here was destroyed by an avalanche. To prevent children from the tribe and outsiders from entering, the chieftain combined the original formation with ancient texts to create a new one."

Zhang Wuxun nodded and followed behind him, walking back and forth in the stone forest many times until they arrived at a stone gate that blended almost seamlessly with the surrounding tall rocks.

Luogongbu stepped forward and, while turning the wheel on the stone gate, pushed the scattered character modules on the wheel into their fixed positions. He deliberately slowed down his movements so that Zhang Wuxun could see and remember them clearly.

Once all the characters were in their positions, Zhang Wuxun saw that the characters on the edge of the roulette wheel formed the outline of a winged beast.

"With the Great Sun God in charge, no ghost or demon inside can escape."

Logomb took a bronze key from his collar, then held it and forcefully inserted it into the exposed hole in the center of the roulette wheel.

With a thud, the chains embedded inside the stone gate dragged the mechanical gears in the mountainside, and after a few breaths, the stone gate trembled and shrank, revealing a dark passageway half a meter wide.

Different combinations of characters within the flying beast's outline will eventually open passageways leading in different directions, somewhat similar to the fault tolerance mechanism of the Zhang Family Ancient Building.

Where the different passageways ultimately lead, and what is imprisoned within them, is something even the clan chief Dan doesn't know. The forbidden area has existed for so long that it spans the entire history of the Khampa people.

Logombu brought food to the two men every day, familiar with the way, taking down the torches prepared on the wall, lighting them, and continuing to walk ahead.

The existence of Bai Lingdang and the fake Zhang Haixing must not be known to outsiders; the forbidden area is the only place in the entire Kham region that is truly isolated from the world.

At first it was extremely narrow, barely wide enough for one person to pass through, but after walking several dozen steps, it suddenly opened up into a bright and spacious area.

Upon entering, Zhang Wuxun saw an underground cave opening resembling a volcano crater, covered by a lid.

Two figures were fighting in the courtyard, both using agile martial arts. Their movements were swift and their blades clashed. When they saw someone approaching, they exchanged blows and retreated a few steps.

"You're bringing food so early today?" A puzzled look appeared on the identical face. Their movements were like a copy and paste, and even their voices, tones, and pauses were exactly the same.

Logonbu took a step to the side, revealing Zhang Wuxun behind him.

"It's you." They said in unison again.

Looking at the two people in front of him who looked even more alike than twins, Zhang Wuxun did not hesitate at all. He looked directly at the one on the left and asked her, "How do you feel?"

Ah Ning's eyes lit up for a moment, then returned to calm. "It seems my disguise is still not good enough."

She was afraid of being forgotten, and also afraid that she would still carry the shadow of the former Aning.

Zhang Wuxun looked at her approvingly, "It's already very similar, even better than I expected. I doubt the Wang family could raise someone more similar."

Zhang Haixing stood to the side with her arms crossed, and said coldly, "What's the use of looking the same? You still saw through it at a glance."

“I never use my eyes to judge people,” Zhang Wuxun said. “Disguise is not about perfectly imitating another person’s every move to become a shadow, not about replacing them, but about integrating into the environment and truly becoming that person.”

Zhang Wuxun told A Ning, "There's still one thing I haven't finished here. When I come to find you next time, it's to take you to complete the final step in becoming Zhang Haixing."

“My promise will not change.” Ah Ning looked at him, her eyes as firm as ever.

Ah Ning has long since turned into the dust of the Devil City, and the shell of the white bell contains a gambler who made a deal with the evil god for freedom.

The dark passageway swallowed the last glimmer of a departing figure, and the courtyard returned to tranquility.

Zhang Haixing was unusually quiet, gazing at the clear blue sky above the courtyard, lost in thought.

Ah Ning turned to look at her, "Will you leave here then?"

Zhang Haixing shook her head. "Where can I go if I leave? Once they find the Wang family and confirm Zhang Haixing's true condition, I doubt Zhang Haike will let me go. It's better to stay here and enjoy peace and quiet."

Aning was silent for a moment, then tried to ask her, "Is Zhang Haixing really dead?" "I didn't see her body with my own eyes," Zhang Haixing replied, and that was all she could say.

﹉﹉﹉

After leaving the Stone Forest, we saw a group of Khampa children peeking around.

Upon seeing the two adults emerge, they immediately scattered like a flock of birds startled by a slingshot.

Logonbu reprimanded them with a stern face, then ordered two stones to be placed on the thighs of all the children.

Xiao Zabu and the others stood obediently in horse stance, occasionally glancing at him cautiously out of the corner of their eyes.

Suddenly, a dark shadow appeared beside him. Little Zhabu glanced sideways and saw his master, Luogongbu, and the young chieftain, Baici, standing next to him, which made him tremble with fear.

Zhang Wuxun reached out and grabbed the two stones, placing them back on his lap. He patted the boy's head and then raised his voice slightly to encourage him, "You are both very talented children. Practice hard and strive to become Chief Dan's right-hand men when you grow up."

The children were both surprised and delighted, their bright black eyes immediately crinkling with laughter.

"How did you know that what Brother left me was a memory?" Wu Xie stroked his chin, staring at Zhang Wuxun from head to toe, then suddenly leaned closer to examine the subtle expressions on his face, his eyes half-closed. "There's only one truth. What kind of trap have you set for me this time?"

He's no longer the Wu Xiaoxie who used to be so cunning and manipulative; he's now an evolved version of Sherlock Holmes.

"Hehehe." Wu Xie chuckled sinisterly.

"You're kidding me!" Zhang Wuxun slapped him back. "Do you remember the white-robed man in the crystal coffin?"

Wu Xie glanced at Zhang Wuxun and saw that his expression was calm and he didn't seem to be caught up in painful memories, so he asked with confidence, "Who exactly is that man in white robes?"

He shared his and Fatty Zhang Haike's guesses, but he clearly didn't remember the illusion in the Qinling Mountains.

"It's pretty much what Zhang Haike guessed." Zhang Wuxun didn't know how to explain, so he could only vaguely say, "That person is Zhang Menyu."

"Isn't Zhang Menyu your father?" Wu Xie was quite surprised. Thinking of Zhang Wuxun's state when he first woke up, he hesitated and asked, "Then whose consciousness do you belong to now?"

Zhang Wuxun told him definitively, "I am still me, just with an extra part of my memories."

Wu Xie thought he was recovering his memories in fragments like Xiao Ge, and breathed a sigh of relief. At the same time, he thought to himself, "So that's how it is. The other bronze coffin where the wooden fish is kneeling must contain the real Fish Dad. If I had known, I would have bowed more and brought some offerings when I visited the old man's grave."

After pondering for a while, Wu Xie suddenly remembered something and clapped his hands, "Oh right, we also found another box in the crystal coffin. It's much smaller than the box that contained the Ancestral Bell, but we can't open it. That box looks like a single piece."

"Maybe there are some keepsakes left for you inside," Wu Xie said, looking at Zhang Wuxun with a mixture of curiosity and anticipation.

Zhang Wuxun did not object, "Call Fatty along, otherwise he'll start yelling again later."

Wu Xie went to call the playful Fatty, and on his way back he ran into Zhang Haike, so the three of them squeezed into Zhang Wuxun's tent.

He took out a square copper box from his backpack. At first glance, Zhang Wuxun fell silent upon seeing its size, shape, and wave pattern.

Noticing that he was somewhat quiet, Wu Xie asked him what was wrong.

"If nothing unexpected happens, this should be Tezuka," Zhang Haike replied.

Wu Xie and Fatty instantly fell silent.

Only Zhang family members who die unexpectedly during a mission and whose bodies cannot be brought back to their families will have their companions remove the hand with the "Faqiu Finger" (a symbol of the tomb raider) and bring it back to the Zhang family. To prevent the body from turning into a zombie, the body will be burned on the spot.

Zhang Wuxun didn't speak. He carefully felt along the surface of the box with his left hand. Suddenly, a fine needle popped out and pierced his fingertip. It had barbs and took a drop of blood before retracting.

"Ouch!" the fat man exclaimed, quickly pulling out iodine and grabbing Zhang Wuxun's hand to disinfect it. "This tomb has been sitting here for who knows how many years. There are all sorts of corpse poison and stiffness poison on it. Quickly disinfect it, and then get a tetanus shot."

Zhang Wuxun looked up at him with a puzzled expression, feeling both helpless and amused.

The fat man pinched Zhang Wuxun's fingers, turning them over and over but unable to find the wound. "No, where's the needle mark?"

“It healed long ago.” Zhang Haike rubbed his forehead. “The blood of the Zhang family is specifically designed to counteract the evil spirits in the tomb. If you had been any slower, that little bit of blood would have been wiped away.”

The fat man then vaguely remembered that the wooden fish's healing ability far exceeded that of ordinary people, but he was never at a loss for words, "It's already been dipped in, so we can't waste it."

The fat man took a cotton swab and swished it over and over the finger a few times. Seeing the pale finger turn brownish-yellow, which looked rather comical, he finally smiled with satisfaction.

"Wow~" Wu Xie and Zhang Haike were speechless, and they both turned their heads to stare at the copper box in Zhang Wuxun's right hand, which seemed to have not changed.

Is this box a Pixiu (a mythical creature believed to bring wealth and prosperity)? Why does it only take in but never give out?
Zhang Wuxun pinched the box and flipped it over a couple of times. Suddenly, he grabbed the corner and twisted it. "Snap!" One of the copper corners was twisted off-center. He did the same to the remaining seven copper corners, moving the whole box to a different position. Finally, he pinched both ends of the box and turned it clockwise.

"Click," the box split in two.

“This is a 'ghostly crafted box',” Zhang Wuxun said. “It is made up of two small, cleverly designed boxes joined together.”

He touched the box and immediately noticed that it was structurally similar to the five black and gold balls he had previously obtained.

One of the small boxes opened, revealing a fist-sized seal with a Qiongqi (a mythical creature) as its knob. (End of Chapter)