Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

Liu Sang felt increasingly uneasy as he listened, and frowned as he retorted.

"What wife or not? It's not even close to being confirmed. The Ming Dynasty never recognized this identity. The last time I saw her, she didn't even call me 'idol' anymore."

He had barely finished speaking.

"Clang—!"

A crisp sound interrupted their conversation.

Liu Sang and the fat man looked over instinctively and saw the heavy black gold ancient sword lying quietly on the ground.

Let's move our gaze upwards.

Zhang Qi stood frozen in place, motionless.

A rare, faint look of surprise appeared in those usually indifferent eyes.

He stood there, stunned, for a long while, before slowly bending down and picking up the knife.

He didn't speak, only glancing indifferently in Liu Sang's direction.

That glance carried no emotion, yet it subtly exuded a chilling sense of oppression.

The next second, Zhang Qilan withdrew his gaze, turned around and walked back to his original seat, still staring in the same direction, his eyes vacant, completely lost in thought.

"You're deliberately bringing up something you don't want to talk about! Are you looking for trouble?!"

Upon seeing this, the fat man immediately realized what was happening and slapped Liu Sang on the back of the head.

Liu Sang clutched the back of his head, wincing and gasping for breath in pain. Normally, he would have already snapped and snapped back.

But Zhang Qilin's casual glance just now was like a bucket of ice water poured over his head, extinguishing all his anger.

The atmosphere became tense.

After a long silence, Liu Sang finally couldn't contain his anxiety and broke the silence.

"So what are we going to do? You guys have to come up with some solutions, right? Are we really just going to do nothing and treat her like a stranger?"

stranger?

That is definitely impossible.

That being said, if he were to rashly and impulsively go to her door, given Shen Mingchao's current attitude, he would not only be turned away but might also annoy her even more.

Instead, it completely blocked the last bit of room for maneuver.

Everyone knew that there was no time to rush things; they could only calm down and think carefully about the next steps.

Time will provide the answer and slowly heal everything.

Shen Mingchao also thought so.

For a while after arriving at her new home, she did have a lot more peace and quiet.

People can't stay immersed in gloomy and depressed emotions forever. If you dwell on things for too long, you're likely to develop mental health issues.

Ultimately, this wasn't my fault, so there's no need to make things difficult for myself by taking someone else's mistake as an excuse.

She needs to do something to enrich her life.

For example, tourism.

After settling into his new home, Shen Mingchao made a month-long travel plan.

She recalled a highly discussed topic online:

The world is so big, I want to go out and see it.

She really wanted to go out and clear her head.

People should not be confined to a small space.

Since you're already trapped, you might as well bravely walk out.

Go and see the endless green mountains, gaze at the clear and vast rivers and seas, experience the unique local customs and traditions, and listen to the echoes of time emanating from ancient buildings...

Watch the sunrise break through the clouds from the mountaintop, see the sunset paint the sky at the seaside, and feel the starlight fall on your shoulders in the countryside.

This is a solo trip for her.

After the plan was finalized, there was still one problem.

It's 33.

Shen Mingchao didn't want San San to stay home alone, but it was really inconvenient to take the cat on a long trip.

After much thought, a person flashed through my mind.

Jiang Yuan.

This was the first friend she had made in this world, someone who had nothing to do with those other people.

During a casual chat before, Jiang Yuan mentioned that she and her mother were both avid cat lovers, owning four or five cats and having absolutely no resistance to soft, fluffy kittens. Moreover, Jiang Yuan's home was in a neighboring province, not too far away.

Shen Mingchao immediately called Jiang Yuan and briefly explained the situation to her.

Jiang Yuan readily agreed, her voice filled with excitement: "Great! I've been wanting San San for so long, hurry up and bring it over so I can have a good sniff!"

During the phone call, Jiang Yuan also mentioned her recent situation. Her study abroad plans were basically finalized, but there was still a gap before she left the country. She happened to be free and could do her part as a host.

In accordance with Chinese etiquette, Shen Mingchao would certainly not arrive empty-handed, and specially selected a lot of health supplements to bring with him.

As soon as Jiang Yuan's mother saw her carrying things into the door, she started with a very classic New Year's greeting when visiting relatives.

"Oh, you're already here, why bring so much stuff? Why be so polite?"

After saying that, he invited her to stay for dinner that night.

Shen Mingchao naturally wouldn't refuse his elder's good intentions, and agreed with a smile.

She and Jiang Yuan had a great time for three days, visiting local historical sites, trying various local delicacies, and even attending a concert. They didn't have a moment to rest.

Until the night before they left, the two of them slowly walked on their way back.

The evening breeze, carrying the unique coolness of early spring, gently caressed my face, tender and peaceful.

Neither of them spoke at first; they simply walked quietly.

After walking for a while, Shen Mingchao noticed that Jiang Yuan was making a lot of small movements, sometimes touching her hair, sometimes tugging at the hem of her clothes, and her expression was also somewhat unnatural.

She spoke first: "Say whatever you want to say."

Jiang Yuan hesitated for a while before asking softly, "Chaochao, did... something happen?"

Although Shen Mingchao acted normally throughout, the subtle abnormalities he revealed were hard to ignore.

For example, Shen Mingchao would occasionally stare blankly with a blank expression.

For example, why did Shen Mingchao suddenly decide to go on a trip, and for such a long period of a month?

It's strange that the cat was entrusted to her; why not to the elders in Yucun?

The strangest thing is that she remembered that Shen Mingchao had a good relationship with those people, but he hadn't mentioned them at all in the past three days.

Jiang Yuan racked her brains, then asked uncertainly, "Chaochao, did you have a fight with them? Does what you're doing count as running away from home?"

In a sense, Jiang Yuan has revealed the truth.

Shen Mingchao certainly couldn't tell Jiang Yuan the real reason, so he nodded vaguely, "I guess so."

Even after receiving a positive answer, Jiang Yuan still found it strange. Given Shen Mingchao's personality, it was highly unlikely that he would do something like running away from home; if it were her, she could understand.

However, she wouldn't pry into the details.

Seeing that Shen Mingchao was unwilling to elaborate, Jiang Yuan changed the subject at the right moment. She smiled, her tone sincere and light.

"Chao Chao, I wish you a smooth and successful month-long trip. Remember to have fun. Don't worry about San San, I guarantee she'll be healthy and safe for you to take away in a month."

"Thank you so much." Shen Mingchao felt a warmth in his heart and replied with a blessing: "Then I wish you success in your studies and all the best. Don't worry, if you really can't get used to foreign food in the future, just contact me, and I'll definitely—"

At this point, Shen Mingchao suddenly smiled slyly, spoke very quickly, and left with the words "I'll send you a nine-grid photo of food" before turning around and running away.

Jiang Yuan's eyes widened. Realizing what was happening, she took off after him, shouting through gritted teeth, "You're a devil!! What if I wake up tomorrow and find Satan has dropped to second place on the list?!"

"Hahahahahahaha..."

The series of laughs gradually dissipated in the wind.