Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

[Chapter 304 has been revised; an extra chapter has been added. The original chapter 304 has been moved to this chapter. If you read it yesterday, please read it again. Thank you for your time.]

Just as Qi Qiu said, it was a beautiful sunny day, and the discomfort brought on by the nightmare gradually faded away.

Shen Mingchao stood on the balcony, squinting his eyes and stretching his body. Just as he was marveling at the bright sunshine, his gaze swept downstairs and he suddenly noticed three familiar figures standing by the long-empty chess table.

Hey~ the pioneers of cosplay are back.

Qi Qiu's words were indeed loaded with hidden meaning.

"When did they get back?" she asked Zhang Haixia, who was feeding the cat.

"This morning," Zhang Haixia said, holding a bag of cat food, looking up with concern. "Qi Qiu told me you had a nightmare. How are you feeling now?"

"I feel..." Shen Mingchao pursed his lips, took a closer look, and said while clutching his stomach, "I feel a little hungry."

People who are hungry may be particularly sensitive to the smell of food.

Shen Mingchao looked away, the aroma wafting from the kitchen whetting her appetite. Her eyes lit up as she leaned closer: "Hey, partner, what did you make? It smells so good!"

Wang Can walked out of the kitchen carrying a white porcelain plate containing a bright red, glossy dish with wisps of steam rising from it: "Spicy Rabbit Head."

"Hiss..." Shen Mingchao picked up his chopsticks, somewhat hesitantly, "Is this a bit too strong for breakfast?"

Wang Can stared at her with deadpan eyes: "Breakfast? Are you sure?"

uncertain.

Shen Mingchao guiltily looked away. It was all those people's fault; they had piqued her interest in Harry Potter, and she couldn't resist rewatching the movie that night. Who knew that after finally putting down her phone and falling asleep, she would have a nightmare, causing her to wake up...

It's 11 o'clock.

What a sin!

Next time for sure.

She discovered that the time when a person is most determined is when they are playing on their phone late at night, fighting off sleepiness.

Several people sat around the dining table to eat.

Zhang Haixia's fingertips repeatedly traced the bowl and chopsticks. After hesitating for a long time, she finally raised her hand and pointed to the door, stammering, "Um... outside..."

Shen Mingchao was already used to this and calmly swallowed the food in his mouth: "Someone else is here? Who is it this time, and what strange costume are they wearing?"

Give her some time to prepare herself and see if it's better to splash water or stick talismans on her later.

"Um……"

"I think it would be better if you took a look for yourself."

It's rare for Zhang Haixia to be so conflicted.

Shen Mingchao became curious.

After finishing her meal, she went straight to the door and saw a person squatting in the corner of the corridor.

It was a dark, indistinct mass.

However, the highly recognizable hoodie he was wearing allowed Shen Mingchao to recognize the other person's identity at a glance.

It's true what they say, speak of the devil and he appears.

She had just dreamt of the other person's miserable state, and soon after, that person was squatting at her doorstep.

But those were just dreams, right?

Just as Shen Mingchao was about to call out for help, the person with their back to her seemed to sense something and slowly turned around.

Sunlight streamed down from the glass windows along the corridor, illuminating the man's face even more clearly.

Wow, this is fresh!

After all this time, we've finally got the original skin.

It's just a little different from when he left.

His face was covered in a thin layer of ash, his forehead was stained with tiny dirt, and there were some grime marks on the side of his lips. His clothes were somewhat torn and dirty, and he looked like he had just rushed back from a long journey.

Shen Mingchao frowned subconsciously and carefully looked the person over. Apart from being a bit unkempt, he couldn't see any injuries.

She secretly breathed a sigh of relief, and asked tentatively in a soft voice, "You didn't just get back, did you?"

The man didn't speak.

She patiently asked again, "What's the rush? You don't even have time to wash up and get ready?"

The man remained silent.

Shen Mingchao's unease grew stronger, and he asked in a soft voice with concern, "Have you eaten? If not, there's some left in the house."

Her response this time was still silence.

Even the most oblivious person would have noticed something was wrong by now.

Zhang Qiyu may be introverted, but he would never ignore someone's questions like this.

Scenes from his dream flashed before his eyes. Shen Mingchao took a few quick steps forward and hurriedly asked, "Zhang Qilan, what's wrong? What happened?"

The man's eyes were clear and bright, and he stared straight at her, as if time had stood still.

I don't know how much time passed, but his thin lips moved very slightly a few times before he finally uttered his first words since we met.

"I remember you."

The voice was flat and monotonous, as if saying it was a sunny day.

But these words struck Shen Mingchao like a heavy blow.

"What? Say it again."

Shen Mingchao realized the seriousness of the matter, his expression suddenly turned solemn, and he stared intently at Zhang Qilan.

In response, she was greeted with the sound of bells.

Zhang Qiyu slowly raised his right hand.

She looked down at the sound of the bell, and the warm sunlight poured down, reflecting off the man's wrist in dappled patterns.

Besides the bell, the red rope also has a small silver lock with the words "Qiling" and "Ping An" clearly engraved on both sides.

This is the bracelet she personally gave to Zhang Qiyu.

Shen Mingchao's eyes flickered violently, the sound of silver bells stirring up her past memories.

[This bell I gave you rings with every step, a thought with every step. You will remember me, won't you?]

That was just a joke she made on a whim.

I never imagined my words would come true.

"I remember you," Zhang Qilan repeated.

This time, his tone was more forceful, and he was exceptionally serious.

Shen Mingchao, however, was not happy at all.

Is there anything else you don't understand?

"You have amnesia? No, you were blessed by heaven?" Her voice trembled uncontrollably, and her throat felt sore.

Countless thoughts raced through her mind as she recalled the original story and what Shen Mingyue had told her.

She clearly remembered that after she finished guarding the gate, Shen Mingyue didn't mention to her that Zhang Qiyu had been blessed by heaven.

Therefore, she thought it was just a very simple operation, and she didn't want to interfere too much in the Zhang family's affairs.

Now it seems that this matter is far from simple.

She asked urgently, "Where did you go? What happened to you?"

Was that dream really just a dream?

But Zhang Qilin returned to his silent state, his eyes filled with nothing but confusion.

Oh right, he doesn't remember, asking him won't help.

etc--

She turned to look at Qi Qiu at the door: "Didn't you say you were out of danger?"

Qi Qiu's expression was complicated, and she apologized in a low voice: "I'm sorry, sister, I only calculated that their lives were not in danger. As for what they went through, I can't calculate that in such detail. I may have to ask them themselves."

Oh, right!

She knew who to ask.

Shen Mingchao suddenly remembered a few people. Just as he was about to turn around, a force that was neither too strong nor too weak landed on his shoulder.

She turned around and met Zhang Qiyu's gaze.

The man's thin lips pressed into a line. He didn't know why the girl in front of him was experiencing such a big emotional fluctuation, but instinct compelled him to raise his hand and gently pat the girl's shoulder.

"I'm fine."

Shen Mingchao knew that Zhang Qiyu was trying to comfort her.

But her words of comfort had no effect whatsoever. She grabbed the wrist that was resting on her shoulder and pulled the person around, turning them around and taking a step.

"Come on, come with me."

At the same time, a loud, questioning voice came from inside the door: "Hey—where are you going?"

Wang Can had just finished washing the dishes, still wearing her apron, when she came out and saw this scene; it was as if the sky had fallen.

He initially thought it was just another one of those useless rivals' lame tricks and ignored it, but who knew it was Zhang Qilin?

He was about to attack Zhang Haixia and Qi Qiu when he glanced to the side and saw that the two of them had gloomy faces and followed him out without saying a word.

Feeling emotionally abused, Wang Can couldn't catch his breath, but now was not the time to lash out. He quickly ripped off his apron and caught up with the person in two or three steps.