Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

After the White Snake left, the two centenarians returned after settling their private matters. One was expressionless, while the other was grinning. The latter was wearing sunglasses, and the aura of resentment emanating from him was almost tangible, suggesting that he hadn't had a good time.

Now that everyone was home, Shen Mingchao got straight to the point: "I'd like to go home first, is that alright?"

She should go home and see the world. Even if the transmigration into the book is a done deal, even if her hometown may be completely different, she has to go and see it before she can truly give up.

Upon hearing this, Wu Xie and the others reacted in various ways.

Xie Yuchen asked, "Is your home far from here? How are you going to get back?"

Shen Mingchao's face stiffened.

That's a very pertinent question. I'm currently an unregistered resident, unable to travel by plane or high-speed rail, and I don't even have my own mobile phone, making travel extremely inconvenient.

Seeing Shen Mingchao's embarrassment, Xie Yuchen spoke directly: "If you don't mind, I can send someone to take you back. However, how about attending the welcome banquet tomorrow before you leave?"

It's really not a big deal to lose a day or two.

Shen Mingchao agreed.

The five people decided it was inappropriate to stay overnight in the hospital room, so they prepared to leave. Wu Xie left Shen Mingchao a spare phone, saying that they could use it to contact them if anything happened.

After the group left one after another, Shen Mingchao specifically called out to Zhang Qiyu, who was at the very end.

She hadn't forgotten about the bracelet; the longevity lock was a keepsake from her parents, and she could only lend it, not give it away.

"Idol, now that we're out of the Bronze Gate, the bracelet probably won't be of much use anymore, right?"

"..."

For the first time ever, Zhang Qi stood still, neither speaking nor moving.

"Idol?"

Shen Mingchao was puzzled by this. She had thought that Zhang Qilin, given his personality, would simply take it off and return the bracelet. After all, she had practically forced him to wear it in the first place.

Seeing that Zhang Qilin avoided his gaze, Shen Mingchao's doubts deepened.

Suddenly, an outrageous possibility occurred to her.

Surely you didn't develop feelings for it after wearing it for so long?

Shen Mingchao pondered for a moment, then tentatively asked, "How about I give you something else?"

Silence spread between the two.

Shen Mingchao had no idea what Zhang Qilin was thinking, and she didn't dare to force him, so she could only stand there awkwardly.

Until the Buddha statue that had been in meditation finally moved.

She slowly raised her hand and took off the bracelet, the silver bells making a series of crisp sounds.

The clanging and tinkling sounds continued incessantly.

The moment the bracelet landed in her palm, Shen Mingchao heard a faint "okay." After she finished wearing the bracelet and looked up, she found that the aloof figure had already walked away.

The others who had been watching the drama unfold felt no excitement, only utter astonishment.

Could it be that the guy who always had very low material desires would develop a possessive desire for other people's things?

Even if it's just for a moment.

After the five of them got into the car, Wu Xie suddenly had a whim and sent Shen Mingchao a message, roughly asking what they wanted to eat at the welcome banquet.

To my surprise, the other party replied instantly.

[You decide, I'm fine with anything.]

［~(≧▽≦)/~］

Staring at the emoticon, Wu Xie suddenly burst out laughing.

It's quite novel.

After he graduated, such cute and adorable things rarely appeared on his phone anymore.

Hearing the laughter, the fat man asked curiously, "Hey, Tianzhen, what are you laughing at?"

Wu Xie showed the text message on his phone screen to the fat man, who then laughed.

"Tianzhen, you know what, it has to be this kind of cute and adorable young girl. If I, Fatty, had taken the right path back then, my daughter might be this age by now."

Black Bear chimed in, "It's not too late for you to be born now."

"It's not too late, but we can't run into each other anyway," the fat man said with a smile, but his eyes were fixed on the sky.

Sunlight pierced through the clouds, tinting the edges of the clouds with flowing gold, making the entire sky resemble a vibrant painting.

His brow relaxed, and he looked away.

Xie Yuchen, sitting in the back seat, had a serious expression on his face since he got on the bus. He sent a file to their group chat.

"Take a look."

"This is the result of the Xie family's investigation into Shen Mingchao."

A moment later, the fat man exclaimed in surprise, "Blank?!"

Black Bear raised an eyebrow and said, "This girl's identity is completely blank? How is that possible? Is she Sun Wukong? Did she spring out of a rock?"

The fat man gasped, "Hiss—even the Xie family can't find a single clue?"

"Not only that." Wu Xie waved his phone. "The Wu family just messaged me saying they can't find any information about Shen Mingchao either. They also said it's like he appeared out of thin air."

Hei Xiazi speculated, "Has their identity been erased? Could they be a member of the Wang family?"

This method is so damn familiar; anyone would instinctively think of the Wang family.

But upon closer reflection, it doesn't seem right.

Wu Xie was the first to express his thoughts.

"I think we can rule out the Wang family."

"If the Wang family headquarters had such abilities, they would have become gods long ago. Why did they have to scheme and plot against the Zhang family of the Nine Gates for so many years, only to be outmaneuvered and destroyed by our schemes?"

Xie Yuchen agreed with Wu Xie's words.

"I also think it's not the Wang family; they certainly don't have that much ability. As for the blank identity, I'm more inclined to believe that Shen Mingchao's family is very powerful, possibly even more powerful than the Nine Gates, which is why we can't find out about them."

The only family more powerful than the Nine Gates, besides the extinct Wang family, is the Zhang family.

The passengers couldn't help but glance at the young man.

Zhang Qilin naturally noticed this, and after a moment of contemplation, he revealed what he already knew.

"She told me about her family situation. Her parents passed away, and she was adopted by her aunt and uncle. She has an older cousin."

This looks like an ordinary family no matter how you look at it.

How come we can't find a single clue?

Wu Xie lit a cigarette and said, "Neither of us can find any information about her identity. She just said she wanted to go home to visit her family. Is it possible that she's simply moved out?"

He then asked, "Young man, did she tell you her home address?"

Zhang Qilin shook his head.

The situation seemed to have reached a stalemate, at which point Hei Xiazi revealed his thoughts.

"You said that Shen Mingchao couldn't contact her family, so she came back with you."

"Is it possible that something happened to Shen Mingchao's family, and they hid it all before they could notify her?"

"For example, perhaps he was being hunted down by enemies, so he erased his identity. Or perhaps he was eliminated by an unknown force, and Shen Mingchao was the one who escaped?"

Xie Yuchen felt that Hei Xiazi's words made some sense: "Given Shen Mingchao's incredible abilities, it's not impossible."

"What do you mean? You mean the girl's family are those mad scientists?" The fat man almost dropped his jaw in shock.

This blank space is truly perplexing. It means there are countless possibilities, and they can only guess.

Wu Xie delivered the final blow.

"I think we'll know the answer once she gets home."