Tomb Raider: I Am Hu Bayi's Cousin

Stepping onto the massive mausoleum steps, wide enough for ten carriages to travel side by side, we entered the main gate of the imperial mausoleum.

The massive mausoleum gate had long since collapsed, and the huge door panels, studded with nails, lay on the ground.

Entering through the main gate, you'll find the entrance hall of the mausoleum.

The burial book of the imperial tombs records: "Four dragon towers surround the palace, and a nine-tailed celestial chariot enters the Yellow Springs."

This refers to the first hall within the Four Dragon Towers, which is also the main hall where Hu Ming and his group are located.

The gate hall is about the size of two basketball courts, with bronze chariots on both sides to welcome the emperor.

Further back on the wall are two black statues with ferocious faces, which appear to be totems of shamans worshipped by the Dongxia civilization.

Because of the passage of time, the palace was already in a state of disrepair.

"Uncle Ming, tell me, what exactly does this 'Black Tortoise Repelling Corpses' mean?"

"Although I am not familiar with feng shui, I know that it is a rare place in the world, and there is no way that the feng shui of the Black Tortoise repelling the corpse could exist here."

When they got here, Wu Xie finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked the question.

To this day, Wu Xie has not lost all patience with Wu Sansheng, and he is still worried about Wu Sansheng's safety.

I thought about it for a long time, but I still couldn't figure out the key point, and I felt really bad.

"Hey, naive. If you ask me, your third uncle, that old fox, is just playing hard to get!"

"Didn't you say yourself that there's no terrain here where the Black Tortoise repels corpses? Most likely, your third uncle is just teasing you!"

"Who knows, he's probably off to some fancy club for a foot massage right now. If you ask me, let's just ignore him. Wouldn't it be better for him to be touching some nice girls?"

The fat man couldn't help but speak up.

He had no interest in searching for Wu Sansheng or worrying about Wu Sansheng's safety.

Although Wu, Wu, and Sanxing were the initiators of this lama-catching activity, a portion of the promised payment was still in his possession.

But in Fatty's view, once the imperial tomb was destroyed, would he, Fatty, care about that small reward?
"Are you kidding me! You fatso, can't you speak properly?!"

Before Wu Xie could say anything, Panzi's face turned green, and he angrily retorted.

Panzi is a man who came from the battlefield, who has witnessed too much life and death, bloodshed and carnage. His heart is empty and he has nothing to rely on.

Over the years, he had come to regard Wu Sansheng as a pillar in his heart, which is why he was so loyal to Wu Sansheng.

Therefore, he couldn't stand it when others spoke ill of Wu Sansheng.

"Alright, alright, stop arguing. Is it really worth it to give yourself a headache over something so trivial?"

“Wu Xie, you need to understand this. Your third uncle is saying that only you and your nephew will understand this sentence. No one else will understand it. So it definitely can't be a feng shui position.”

"Then think carefully, what do you and your third uncle have in common, and what's the difference between us and you?"

Hu Ming glanced helplessly at Wu Xie; this unlucky kid had gone mad.

Don't they even consider who Wu Sansheng is?
In terms of martial prowess, forget about it. But when it comes to underhanded tactics, Hu Ming really doesn't know who among the second generation of the Nine Gates, besides Wu Erbai, can outmaneuver this old fox.

Unless he's tired of living, who could possibly harm him?
What are the similarities and differences?

After thinking for a long time, Wu Xie still couldn't grasp the key point and asked blankly.

"...Hangzhou, you are all from Hangzhou, you all speak the Hangzhou dialect."

Helpless, Hu Ming reminded him.

This is simply Wu Sansheng playing a word-pronunciation game.

Moreover, dialects are something that people who don't understand them can never truly grasp, no matter how hard they try. "Dialect? I see, Xuanwu repelling the corpse? What nonsense about Xuanwu repelling the corpse!?"

"That phrase was clearly pronounced in the Hangzhou dialect, meaning—'The water flows down the canal to the bottom!'"

"Honestly, Uncle Three is really bored. What kind of bullshit code is this? It's just a pointless little trick involving the pronunciation of words!"

Wu Xie suddenly realized what was going on, and cursed the old fox with a mixture of laughter and tears.

"A canal? But where are there any canals around here? Would there be a river in the imperial tomb?"

Panzi looked around and asked, puzzled.

"...This is the imperial mausoleum, in the deepest core area, where the canal is located."

Hu Ming shook his head.

Honestly, among the group from the Heavenly Palace on the Clouds, Panzi is probably the one who is most genuinely worried about Wu Sansheng.

Chen Pi, Fatty, and even Hu Ming—they didn't care about Wu Sansheng's situation at all; they all came here for their own reasons.

Even Wu Xie was indeed worried about Wu Sansheng's safety.

However, his relentless pursuit of Wu Sansheng's footsteps was also a way of forcing Wu Sansheng to explain the ins and outs of everything to him.

In other words, only Panzi risked his life just to confirm Wu Sansheng's safety.

To be honest, even Hu Ming felt a little envious of such loyal subordinates.

……

……

"Hey guys, this isn't the time for that. Come quick, there's a corpse here."

"Still fresh off the press, not long dead. I bet it was one of that woman Ah Ning's people!"

Just then, the fat man's voice came.

Hu Ming and the others looked over upon hearing this, and lo and behold, the fatso had somehow already crept into the depths of the main hall.

Upon closer inspection, the ground was covered with countless brass cartridge cases, still slightly warm.

Under the spotlight, seven or eight corpses hung from the beams of the main hall's dome, like hanged ghosts!
These people were all dressed in mountaineering gear and had assault rifles hanging on their bodies.

"Hey guys, when we're going into tombs, it's always a little unsafe not to have any weapons on hand, right?"

"Look at those corpses, those assault rifles are so long and thick, don't they smell good? Better than us..."

Just as the group was still pondering the situation of the corpses, the fat man suddenly pinched his chin and said slyly.

His gaze was fixed intently on the assault rifle on the corpse!
"Wait, you fatso, the situation here is unclear. These people died strangely, or perhaps..."

Wu Xie's brow twitched, and he felt a slight pain in his stomach. He quickly grabbed the fat man.

but…

"It's alright, Fatty can go and get it if he wants it. It's a waste to leave it here."

"As for Wei, believe me, I already know the situation inside this hall perfectly well!"

"Don't worry, Fatty, I'll cover you down here."

Hu Ming interrupted Wu Xie by pointing to his ear, and with a flick of his sleeve, two brand-new M1911A1s appeared in Hu Ming's hand.

Hu Ming had already sensed what was hidden in the shadows the moment he stepped into the hall.