Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Chapter 281
Upon closer inspection, the end of the withered hand grew beneath a lump of flesh.

The most disgusting thing is that a small human face was vaguely growing on the tumor.

For some unknown reason, his face was pressed tightly against the back of Ah Ning's head.
"This is a human-faced creature... When exactly did this thing get onto her body?"

Hu Ming frowned slightly, unable to come up with a solution for the moment.

He shook his head, giving up on thinking.

Whether it was when Aning fell into the sea or when Hu Ming threw her onto the deck, she could have been possessed by a human-faced demon.

"Boatman, bring me some cow hair."

With one hand firmly holding down the restless Ah Ning, Hu Ming calmly spoke to the boat captain.

Fishermen living near the coast have seen many strange and eerie things in the sea.

They had even seen or heard of ghosts formed from the resentment of creatures with human faces.

Over time, they naturally learned how to deal with this kind of thing.

These little gadgets are absolutely essential for every trip to sea, used to deal with the filth in the ocean.

He took the cow hair from the boatman and sprinkled it finely on the man's small face.

Suddenly, the little face let out a shrill scream and contorted.

Hu Ming reacted swiftly, pulling out a paratrooper knife and inserting it precisely and quickly between the tumor-covered face and A Ning's scalp.

With a slight flick of his wrist, he pried the withered hand off completely.

The thing fell onto the deck, wriggling and twisting, startling the people nearby who couldn't help but take a few steps back.

But that was all. In no time, the substance melted into a puddle of paste, which flowed down the cracks in the deck.

At this moment, Aning also slowly woke up.

It must be admitted that this woman's physical condition is much better than that of the average person.

"Mr. Hu Ming? I'm here..."

Ah Ning stared blankly at Hu Ming, who was standing right in front of her.

Her mind was still blank; the last memory she had was of the towering waves.

"It's just a minor problem. I'll get a good night's sleep and everything will be fine."

Hu Ming had no intention of engaging in further conversation with this woman for the time being. He helped A Ning up and turned to leave.

"Oh right, I almost forgot, this is very important to you, isn't it?"

"Remember to keep it safe, and don't lose it easily in the future. This thing is quite a treasure, and not everyone is as honest as me."

Suddenly, without turning his head, Hu Ming tossed a small object to A Ning.

Ah Ning was startled, then reached out and caught it. As she opened her palm, her expression changed drastically.

In the palm of his hand was a ten-cash copper coin!
That was a ten-cash coin minted by the Anqing Copper Coin Bureau in Anhui Province, with a faint inscription on it—Guangxu Yuanbao.

On Aning's wrist, hidden by her clothes, a bracelet made of six identical ten-cash copper coins sat quietly.

Her expression shifted constantly as she watched Hu Ming's retreating figure. A Ning's emotions surged, and she instinctively clutched her bracelet. She knew this copper coin all too well; it was the very one she had lost in the Lu King's palace.

On that occasion, they were attacked by blood zombies. After their companions died, they were strangely transformed into new living zombies, which then hunted down their former companions.

In her hasty escape, she did indeed lose a ten-cash copper coin.

The problem is, how did Hu Ming know that this thing belonged to her?
unless…

Ah Ning remembered something: when she was being chased by the zombies and had nowhere to run, the zombies suddenly disappeared.

"It must have been you back then, Mr. Hu Ming, right?"

With her head down, Ah Ning asked softly.

"Who knows..."

After all this commotion, it wasn't until the early hours of the next day that things finally calmed down.

After a long day's work, everyone sat together in the cabin.

They all stared longingly at the fish head hot pot wafting an enticing aroma.

The Xisha Islands are rich in aquatic products, including mackerel, whipfish, and grouper.

Some have even said that the sea around the Xisha Islands is half water and half fish.

Wang Pangzi, that scoundrel, forced and begged his way out of the boat captain's fishing box and pulled out two large mackerel, which he then stewed.

Of course, Aning's men very consciously ate elsewhere and did not squeeze in with Hu Ming and his group.

Only Ah Ning, along with the shameless Zhang Tu Zi and Hu Ming, couldn't help but swallow their saliva as they surrounded the fish head pot.

This stuff is incredibly potent. The aroma alone was enough to tempt the group, who had been busy all day. As soon as the pot was opened, they rushed to dig in with their chopsticks.

Even Miss Yin Nanfeng lost some of her elegance when eating.

"...I must say, these all-natural fish, stewed in the simplest way, are even more fragrant than the dishes at my Crescent Moon Restaurant!"

Happiness swallowed a mouthful of hot fish, and Yin Nanfeng couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

"Crescent Hotel?"

"Hiss~ Wow, is your Crescent Moon Hotel really that bad? You're satisfied with this?"

The fat man paused, stopping his chewing, and looked at Yin Nanfeng with feigned surprise.

Hu Ming chuckled and said, "Little Fatty, the Crescent Moon Restaurant is just so-so. The food there is old-fashioned, and the taste is just average. It's not as good as the hot pot I used to eat with your dad and Uncle Hu!"

Yin Nanfeng rolled his eyes as he listened to the teasing between the uncle and nephew, but unusually, he didn't respond. Instead, he ate his chopsticks even faster!
Enjoying the coconut wine brewed by the boat captain, everyone had a very satisfying meal.

After eating and drinking their fill, the group briefly discussed the plan to explore the underwater tomb.

Then, fueled by alcohol, they all went back to their rooms and fell fast asleep.

When I woke up, it was already late afternoon...

(End of this chapter)