Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

That guy's a complete lunatic!

Shen Mingchao gritted her teeth, her hand holding the knife trembling uncontrollably. She only wanted to use this move to force Hei Xiazi to retreat, but she didn't expect him to react like this!

She frowned and retorted, "Are you forcing me?!"

"No." Black Bear gently shook his head, his tone unusually calm. "How could I force you? I wouldn't dare. I'm serious. If it weren't for you, I would have gone blind almost already. This is what I owe you."

He suddenly chuckled softly, a laugh devoid of his usual frivolity, but instead carrying a hint of relief and seriousness.

"You're right, my initial motives weren't entirely pure. But things are different now, with the Ming Dynasty."

"How are they different?"

"Every aspect, inside and out, is different now," Hei Xiazi answered crisply.

"Ha, Black Bear, I don't have time to solve your riddles. Besides, whether you use someone a lot or a little, it's still using them."

With that, Shen Mingchao flicked her wrist, and the blade grazed Hei Xiazi's face before falling to the ground. She then casually pulled off the scabbard from her waist as well.

"Here's your stuff back," she warned coldly. "Don't block my way again, or don't blame me for being ruthless."

"Ding-dong!"

That's the sound of something hitting the ground.

Although the sound wasn't loud, it felt deafening to Black Bear, as if something had shattered along with it.

She didn't want his knife anymore.

She didn't even know the significance of the knife, yet she didn't want it.

Shen Mingchao clearly kept them at arm's length, and no one dared to step forward and walk into the line of fire. Doing so would only escalate the conflict and make Shen Mingchao even angrier.

Besides Li Cu, who stumbled and fell as he chased after them.

"No, I didn't, Mingchao. I never intended to use you. We lived together for four years, and we finally reunited. How could I possibly use you!"

"But I came too late! By the time I found out, things had already progressed to this point, and nothing I did could change anything. I didn't intend to hide it from you, but how could you accept it if I told you so abruptly?"

No normal person could accept something like this.

Unfortunately, she only encountered abnormal people.

Li Cu's roar was so loud it was unrecognizable; you could tell from the sound how utterly devastated the young man was.

Having shared four years of memories and feelings, Li Chu was indeed a special person to her.

She genuinely considered Li Chu as her brother.

But there's another saying: "The deeper the love, the harsher the criticism."

The deeper the sibling bond, the more resentment she couldn't help but feel.

Pointing a gun at someone you love is a cowardly act. She knew it was wrong, but she couldn't help herself.

Outsiders are outsiders, and family members are family.

How could Li Cu possibly ally with them?

From that moment on, a barrier seemed to have formed between them.

Shen Mingchao finally couldn't hold back any longer. She turned around abruptly to meet Li Chu's gaze, gritting her teeth, "Li Chu, do you know why I left home back then? Do you know where I went? Do you know what I went through? You know nothing!"

The topic shifted so suddenly that Li Chu was stunned for a moment.

Shen Mingchao's words were clearly not simple, and after realizing what he meant, he quickly asked, "Mingchao, what do you mean?"

Since things have already turned ugly, let's just go all out and make things clear.

Shen Mingchao gave a self-deprecating laugh.

"Do you think you're the only ones who've kept this from me?"

After speaking, she looked past Li Chu and at the people behind her.

Finally, she stared intently into Wu Xie's eyes.

"Wu Xie..."

Her voice was ethereal, light, and detached from reality. This was the first time she had addressed the protagonist by his name, and she was also referring to him by the reader's name.

"You've been kept in the dark by your third uncle all along. Don't you know what it feels like to be kept in the dark by everyone?"

Third Uncle?!

The fact that these two words came out of Shen Mingchao's mouth was like a thunderclap, and everyone's eyes widened.

How do you know about Third Uncle?

Wu Xie blurted it out.

The question was so loaded with information that his pupils trembled. Over the years, he had thought that nothing could shock him like this.

Shen Mingchao's words only conveyed one meaning.

Wu Xie's mind raced at that moment, and he finally came to a conclusion with a look of shock on his face.

"You already know who we are, right?"

Remembering that Li Cu had mentioned his sister was extremely skilled with computers, he then asked, "You found that out?"

"No." Shen Mingchao blurted out, "Wu Xie, don't you remember me? We should have met a few years ago."

"What?"

Wu Xie was completely dumbfounded.

Several years ago? Why are you mentioning several years ago?

Wu Xie knew that Shen Mingchao wouldn't talk nonsense, but no matter how hard he racked his brains, he couldn't find any memory of Shen Mingchao.

"Have we met before?" he asked, puzzled.

Shen Mingchao saw Wu Xie's expression, but she had no intention of explaining things to him. She simply gave a sarcastic smile and said, "You see, there has never been any honesty between us."

They concealed each other's secrets.

They each harbored their own secret thoughts.

However, within this deliberately constructed utopia, a friendly and harmonious atmosphere was barely maintained.

Now that the foundation has collapsed, the filth hidden in the shadows can no longer be concealed, and everyone has been exposed.

"etc--"

Wu Xie staggered over.

"Ming Dynasty, have we really met before? Who...who are you?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Xie felt a sharp pain in his head, as if he were being pricked with needles. A blurry figure kept appearing in his mind, but when he tried to see it clearly, it became even more blurry.

"yes."

Shen Mingchao murmured repeatedly, "Who am I?"

"I also want to know who I am? And why I came here?"

She wiped the water off her face one last time, looked at no one, and left without looking back.

she thinks,

She should try to find the answer to this question.

Everyone watched Shen Mingchao's departing figure with their own eyes; they had no right to stop him from leaving.

They could only stand there, each processing what was so shocking.

The silence was broken when the fat man, who had gone out to the market to stock up on groceries, returned carrying large and small bags.

He was beaming with joy; his voice preceded his arrival.

"Hey! Anyone want to lend a hand? I bought a ton of seafood today, you guys can eat your fill!"

The loud voice only startled the sparrows in the tree, but no one came out.

"No, what are you all doing? Come out and lend a hand, I'm exhausted."

These words went unanswered.

The fat man suddenly became furious, kicked open the door, and was about to hurl a few curses at the national treasures when he glanced around and froze on the spot.

The faces of the crowd were extremely grim, and several people had red and swollen eyes, with a general sense of despondency emanating from them.

He immediately sensed that something was wrong.