Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 126 Returning to Beijing
"Very well, since you're so determined to go to the tomb of King Xian, what harm is there in giving you this human skin map?"

"I only wish for your safe return, after all, Shirley is the descendant of my brother Partridge Whistle."

"The Mountain Moving Clan has been searching for the pearl for hundreds of years, and my brother has spent most of his life doing so!"

Seeing that Hu Ming and the others did not react for a long time, Chen Yulou knew that he could not persuade them and could only sigh sadly.

"You guys continue your discussion, I'll go look up some more information." Professor Sun knew there was nothing more for him to do after seeing this.

Furthermore, Chen Yulou clearly didn't welcome him, so he simply made an excuse to go back to his room.

“Children, this tomb of King Xian is extremely dangerous. In this valley of insects, there is a miasma that never dissipates. Anyone who is hit by it will die, and no one can enter.”

Chen Yulou took out a roll of human skin map from his pocket, moved the bowl and chopsticks in front of him, and spread it out on the table.

"This outer perimeter alone has been impenetrable for countless years. As for what the world inside the miasma is like, you can see how it's described on the back of this human skin map."

The group examined the map closely and found numerous texts and drawings on the back. Around the royal tomb, there were four additional burial pits and the tombs of several close ministers.

When the king died, he was buried in a water dragon halo. His body dissolved and he ascended to immortality. The water dragon halo was invisible, and unless the sky collapsed, it would be extremely difficult for outsiders to break through it.

.........

It was already late, so after discussing it, the group decided to spend the night at the old man's house and prepare to return to Beijing early the next morning.

In preparation for their journey to southern Yunnan, they knew, through Chen Yulou's words and the descriptions in the human skin map, that this trip would be extremely difficult.

Before you go, you must be fully prepared.

"Hu Ming, I heard from Lao Hu that the curse mark on your body is particularly faint."

"I don't know..."

That night, under a bright moon and few stars, in a dimly lit room, Yang Xueli came to Hu Ming and Hu Bayi's room. By the moonlight, she looked behind Hu Ming and said in surprise.

She had confirmed that the group from Jingjue Ancient City had all developed the Ghost Eye Curse on the back of their shoulders, including Hu Bayi, Fatty, Professor Chen, and Ye Yixin.

However, Hu Ming was the only one whose curse mark on his back was almost completely invisible, except for his tattoo.

Hu Ming raised an eyebrow at this, then shrugged without replying.

The Five-Clawed Golden Dragon Bloodline Pattern, being a product of the system, is incredibly powerful and extremely effective at warding off evil, thus greatly suppressing the curse.

"Hu Ming, if you don't want to talk about it, then forget it."

"You heard what Uncle Chen said. The outer perimeter of the Xianwang Tomb is extremely dangerous. Nobody knows what it's like inside."

"Perhaps, the few of us might really be stuck inside and never get out."

"Since the Ghost Eye Curse on you isn't very effective, there's no need to take the risk."

Hu Bayi remained silent, simply observing everything. He inwardly agreed with Yang Xueli's assessment; he didn't want his cousin to take such a risk for him.

"Heh, I'm a tomb raider, and even more so, a Heavenly Official of Tomb Raiders. I have no taboos. This excellent tomb is right in front of me. How could I possibly stop here? Besides, Old Hu and Fatty are my brothers. Moreover, I do have a way to suppress this curse, but I can't lift it."

Hu Ming smiled and took out one of his tomb raiding rewards from the system space—the Seal of the Heavenly Official of the Tomb Raider.

Hu Bayi and Yang Xueli were both stunned. They hadn't expected that Hu Ming was actually a successor of the Faqiu sect.

"In that case, Lao Hu, if we really find the Electric Dust Bead and lift the curse..."

"Do you want to come back to America with me and settle down?" Yang Xueli was the first to come to her senses, looked at Hu Bayi, and subtly revealed her thoughts.

"...Why won't you stay in Beijing with me?"

"After all, once the curse is lifted, you won't have to leave the Ghost Cave and run to the other side of the earth to delay the curse's onset."

Settle down in the US?
That's impossible, absolutely impossible in this lifetime.

Hu Bayi had no interest in becoming a fake foreigner; besides, he had many comrades who needed his help.

"Hmm? That's true!"

“Indeed, now that the Ghost Eye Curse is gone, our lineage no longer needs to stay in the United States.”

"Returning to one's roots and living in one's motherland is also the long-cherished wish of our ancestors," Yang Xueli said thoughtfully. She was taken aback at first, not expecting Hu Bayi to refuse without hesitation.

I hadn't thought of this before, but now that Hu Ming brought it up, I'm actually quite tempted.

……

After returning to Beijing, the group did not rush to prepare for their trip to Yunnan.

After all, the tomb of King Xian is right there; it can't be moved.

Moreover, no one has been able to truly enter the tomb of King Xian for thousands of years, so he doesn't care about these few days.

The group first relaxed, since Hu Ming and the other three had just come out of an ancient tomb.

However, Big Gold Tooth has been extremely busy lately.

Hu Ming asked Big Gold Tooth to pick out two items from this haul, and then they would look for buyers, since they were still a bit short of money.

It's worth mentioning that this time, Yang Xueli didn't stay in a hotel, but instead moved into Hu Bayi's courtyard. She even openly stayed in the room next to Hu Bayi's, and the two of them visited each other quite often at night.

The two genuine Tomb Raider Talismans that Yang Xueli brought, plus the Tomb Raider Talisman that the group obtained from the labyrinth cave.

There were three in total, and Yang Xueli and the others each received one.

Hu Bayi and Fatty were overjoyed. With this, they were finally qualified to be called legitimate tomb raiders.

A few days later, news also came from Big Gold Tooth's side that the two items had been sold.

Sure enough, after returning, Big Gold Tooth went back to his decadent lifestyle, and his complexion became rosy again.

Because Big Gold Tooth personally went down into the ancient tomb, he gained a rare qualification.

In the antique trade, his status immediately rose, and he's been living the high life lately.

In Panjiayuan, wherever he goes, people respectfully call him "Master Jin," which makes him incredibly proud.

If Li Chunlai and his grandsons had a box of Qing Dynasty funerary objects, plus items from a Tang Dynasty tomb, it would probably fetch over three million yuan if sold.

This proves one point: for tomb raiders, finding an oil jar can make them instantly rich.

However, this line of work is extremely dangerous, and the slightest mistake can lead to death.

This is a typical case of risking one's life for wealth. In the tomb raiding industry, there is no shortage of unlucky guys who have high aspirations but low lives, who are lucky enough to make money but not lucky enough to spend it.

(End of this chapter)