Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

Shen Mingchao felt that he had read countless books.

Now she just wants to learn from those transmigrated protagonists how to calmly accept the fact that she has transmigrated into a book.

Damn it, what did she do to deserve this?

Without even a word, they dumped her in this godforsaken bronze gate, and didn't even give her a guide!

Is this reasonable?

For several days in a row, I woke up not to go home, but to face Zhang Qilin's outrageously handsome face.

Shen Mingchao finally resigned himself to his fate.

Especially after that illness, she realized one thing: her health was too poor.

If she wants to spend the next five months safely inside the Bronze Gate without holding Zhang Qilu back, she needs to work on her physical fitness.

Moreover, since she is in the world of Daomu Biji, and she has already become involved with Zhang Qilan, she will inevitably have to deal with the Zhang family of the Nine Gates after she leaves.

The news spreads like wildfire, and soon everyone in the underworld will know that Bei Ya brought her out of the bronze gate.

If she had remained weak, she might not have been able to escape unscathed in this perilous world of tomb raiding.

Even if she tries her best to build a good relationship with Zhang Qiling during these five months, once they leave, Zhang Qiling can't protect her every moment.

Giving up won't solve the problem; she needs to take the initiative and seize control of the situation.

Shen Mingchao took some time to discuss it with Zhang Qiyu.

The aloof young man listened quietly, and nodded only after Shen Mingchao finished speaking.

It's good that Shen Mingchao is eager to learn.

If Shen Mingchao were to fall ill a few more times, he feared he might not even live to see the bronze gate open.

However, compared to those who start training as children, Shen Mingchao is already an adult, so he started too late and cannot achieve significant results in a short period of time.

As if knowing what Zhang Qilan was thinking, Shen Mingchao smiled and explained, "It's okay, just teach me as best you can. I'm not greedy. I'll learn as much as I can. If I can't learn it, I'll just consider it as physical training. I just want to have the ability to protect myself."

"understood."

Zhang Qila readily agreed.

Shen Mingchao felt a huge weight lifted off his shoulders.

*

"Whoosh—whoosh—"

Heavy breathing echoed continuously in the space.

Shen Mingchao wiped the sweat from his forehead, looked up, and saw the faint light shining through the cracks in the rock wall quietly disappearing.

She thought there was a saying that goes, "Imagination is beautiful, but reality is harsh."

Once Shen Mingchao started training according to Zhang Qilin's plan, he realized he had been too optimistic. Zhang Qilin was ruthless when it came to training people.

As the top runner in the Bronze Gate running circle, she was exhausted every day and could only sigh that the 800-meter physical test was nothing compared to this extreme training.

My lungs felt like broken bellows, and my feet felt like they were filled with lead.

Shen Mingchao lay panting on the stone slab. He looked awake, but he had actually been walking for a while.

Until a figure vaguely appeared in the darkness.

Shen Mingchao's eyes lit up, and he asked impatiently:

"You're back! What are we having for dinner today?"

There was a two-second silence on the other end, followed by a curt two-word reply: "Mushroom."

A snap—that's the sound of hope shattering once again.

Shen Mingchao let out a wail and hung his head.

"I'm eating mushrooms every day, I'm practically being pickled by them! Waaaaah, I miss my hot pot, my barbecue, my crayfish so much..."

"Why don't you develop this Bronze Gate into a tourist attraction? My Snow King can even open a shop on the top of Mount Tai, why not open one inside the Bronze Gate? It's such a huge business opportunity."

Shen Mingchao was heartbroken and shed two long tears.

Zhang Qilin: "..."

Shen Mingchao would utter a few of these nonsensical words every day. At first, he tried to understand them, but later he realized that he couldn't understand them at all, so he stopped paying attention to them.

Zhang Qilin: "The mushrooms are ready."

"Okay, here I come."

Smelling the aroma, Shen Mingchao ran over excitedly.

Don't get me wrong, she's not craving anything, she's just hungry.

The instinct of hunger ultimately triumphed over physiological aversion.

Shen Mingchao's eyes lost their luster. As he ate and began counting the stones, he never imagined that one day he would be able to empathize with Consort Jing.

"You have no idea how lonely I feel in this deep palace. There are 326 bricks in my palace, and I have touched each one countless times. Among them, 31 have developed tiny cracks."

She was like a blade of grass about to wither, uttering her final lament to this despairing world.

"..." Zhang Qilin felt more and more that after they got out, he would have to find someone to take the child's brain to a checkup.

After Shen Mingchao finished his mad outburst, he suddenly had a brilliant idea.

"Zhang Qilan, why don't you become my idol? That way, I'll have the motivation to strive!"

Zhang Qilin remained expressionless.

I wonder what kind of mischief this person is up to now.

Shen Mingchao chuckled.

She certainly didn't say that on a whim.

The easiest way to get closer to Zhang Qilan is to change how you address each other.

This method is subtle and gradual.

As for what to call her, she had thought about it carefully.

Calling her a master is too fast; she knows her own limitations. Zhang Qiling probably wouldn't want to take on a disciple as weak as Wu Xie.

Calling someone "teacher" is too common and creates a sense of distance.

Calling someone an idol is not an exaggeration, and it also subtly brings people closer together and highlights one's own specialness.

In Shen Mingchao's mind, there was a little figure with his hands on his hips and his head tilted back.

Hmph, she's such a clever little devil.

As expected, Zhang Qilin only glanced at her after hearing this, without any real reaction.

Silence means consent.

Shen Mingchao, in a good mood, snuggled into the covers.

She lay there for a while before feeling sleepy, but she forced herself to stay awake and asked the question that she was extremely curious about.

Am I the first person to call you an idol?

According to what Shen Mingyue once said, Zhang Qiling has many nicknames in this book, but it seems that only one person named Liu Sang has ever called him "idol".

However, according to the timeline, that person hasn't appeared yet.

So sorry, fellow fan.

I'll call him my idol first!

Shen Mingchao's mind was wandering, and she wasn't surprised that Zhang Qiyu hadn't spoken for a while.

He turned around, clutching the blanket in both hands, closed his eyes, and muttered to himself:

"Then I'll be the first one. In exchange, you can call me by my nickname, just like my family does."

"Ming Dynasty or any other dynasty, it's up to you."

As his consciousness faded, Shen Mingchao's murmured voice rang out for the last time: "Idol, goodnight and sweet dreams."

Now the surroundings became completely quiet.

After an unknown amount of time, a soft "Goodnight" came belatedly, then quickly dissipated into the air.

Those who were already asleep probably didn't hear it.