Tomb raiding: A mere 20 is nothing!

Based on humanitarian principles, they not only took Jiang Yuan to the hospital, but the fat man was also carried down the mountain.

When asked about this, Shen Mingchao only vaguely said that she felt the man had ill intentions, so she used a clever technique to punch him, and he probably hit a certain pressure point, which is why he suddenly lost consciousness.

The fat man immediately agreed, saying she did a good job.

Zhang Qilin and Wu Xie glanced at the man but remained silent.

After they entered the hospital, Jiang Yuan and the man underwent a series of examinations and found that there was nothing seriously wrong with them.

Jiang Yuan woke up first while receiving the IV drip, and cried when she saw Shen Mingchao, clearly quite frightened.

Shen Mingchao comforted Jiang Yuan for a long time before she calmed down and explained the situation to him, sobbing.

"After you left, I was having fun playing with San San when a masked man suddenly rushed out from somewhere. I was startled and ran away in a panic, but I accidentally missed a step and fell down."

Shen Mingchao understood. The two of them had encountered a thug who had forced Jiang Yuan to fall off a cliff. The man then turned around and ran into her, and she knocked him unconscious with a single punch.

Encountering a hooligan while hiking might seem like an accident, or perhaps the man was lustful, but after careful consideration, Shen Mingchao realized it wasn't that simple.

Because when the man fell to the ground, she saw the cigarette pack that fell out of his pocket.

The outer packaging is blue and white, and looks extremely familiar.

A chilling thought suddenly popped into my head.

Could the unextinguished cigarette butt that Jiang Yuan found the night before have been thrown away by a man?

Could it be that the man had been secretly observing them the night before and then deliberately followed them the next day?

Otherwise, how could it be such a coincidence?

They went to an undeveloped mountain, and along the way they didn't see a third person besides the two of them.

Thinking of this, Shen Mingchao told Wu Xie, who was in the house, about it.

Unexpectedly, Wu Xie was stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then his expression changed instantly, and his voice trembled.

"I'm sorry, Mingchao, this is my fault. I wasn't vigilant enough, and I was negligent. If I had dealt with him sooner, you wouldn't have encountered this situation."

Shen Mingchao was also dumbfounded.

"Young Master, what do you mean by that?"

Wu Xie then realized the enormity of his mistake, and a wave of remorse washed over him. He sighed and began to explain the hidden story to Shen Mingchao.

"That man is the boss of a sand business in the neighborhood. He's been to detention before, so he's not exactly a good person."

"Before you came to Yucun, the land in Xilaimian was maliciously bid on by a local. Later, I had someone investigate and found that the mastermind behind it was this Boss Sha."

"I guess he thought we were easy to bully because we were from out of town, so he sent people to cause trouble and try to negotiate with me and get a share of the pie. But we didn't expect that we wouldn't fall for that."

"This feud was formed without anyone even realizing it."

"Later, when Xilaimian's business improved, this man became envious and couldn't stand it, so he came to Xilaimian again and pretended to be a ghost to scare me."

"Pretending to be a ghost?" Shen Mingchao exclaimed in surprise, somewhat incredulous. Was business warfare in the countryside really this simple and unpretentious?

"Yes." Wu Xie continued, "Do you remember the day I got back late? It was because I saw a ghost in the bamboo forest. I guess he wanted to spread rumors that Xi Lai Mian was haunted, so that my business would be affected."

"As a result, when this person saw that I wasn't scared, he didn't show up. Instead, he followed us all the way up the mountain and even smoked a cigarette there. Jiang Yuan picked up the unextinguished cigarette butt."

Mentioning this, Shen Mingchao's eyes lit up: "I remember now. I was in the bamboo forest at the time, and I did see a dark shadow flash by. I thought I was seeing things."

Now everything is connected.

"So, this wasn't an accident at all; he was deliberately following us."

The purpose is obvious.

Whether it's simply scare people or something even more despicable like lewdness, Boss Sha is a complete bastard.

"Ming Dynasty." Wu Xie's voice deepened, his brows furrowed with unyielding self-reproach: "In the end, it's all my fault. I clearly sensed something was wrong a long time ago, but I didn't take it seriously. I always felt he couldn't cause any big trouble. I underestimated him."

"Yucun, since we invited you here, we should be responsible for your safety and eliminate all potential dangers. If you are harmed or anything happens to you this time, I—"

"Third Master," Shen Mingchao interrupted Wu Xie, unable to bear it any longer.

The man in front of me had bloodshot eyes and seemed completely dazed. He didn't even notice the hot cigarette ash falling on his hand, and he looked somewhat deranged.

Wu Xie does indeed give off the vibe of a crazy widow criticizing her husband right now.

According to my cousin, this man's plan, called "Desert Sea," included everyone, including himself. Even if he dies, the plan won't stop.

Is it a plan that must be completed even at the cost of one's own life?

That's crazy.

From the moment Shen Mingchao first met Wu Xie, he could vaguely sense an aura emanating from him, an aura that seemed to burn him out, leaving only deathly silence.

Although this atmosphere diminished after returning from Changbai Mountain as life became more peaceful and comfortable.

But Shen Mingchao knew that this person had a serious self-destructive tendency, or rather, a strong sense of self-loathing.

She hadn't read the original novel much, only gleaning bits and pieces from her cousin. As the protagonist of a novel, the adventures she experienced were truly extraordinary, unlike anything others could endure in their lifetimes. Correspondingly, the suffering she endured must have been immense.

For example, Harry's title of savior carries the heavy weight of countless lives lost. The outcome of that earth-shattering battle was a victory that resulted in our mutual destruction.

Now that the story of Daomu Biji seems to have come to an end, what did these protagonists lose during their adventures in the first half of their lives?

Shen Mingchao sighed, reached out and took the cigarette from Wu Xie's hand, his eyebrows curved gently, and his tone softened.

"No one can predict the future. Don't take all the blame on yourself. It's not your fault."

She met Wu Xie's surprised eyes, and repeated herself, word by word, with utmost seriousness.

"Young Master, this isn't your fault."

"If anyone's to blame, it should be the person who made the mistake. It's unreasonable to skip over those who made the error and blame those around us for not foreseeing the danger and protecting themselves in advance, isn't it?"

"Besides, I have hands and feet. If I encounter danger, I will fight back. If I can't fight back, I will run away."

"In short, survival is something you have to fight for yourself; you can't rely entirely on the protection of others."

At this moment, Wu Xie couldn't say anything. The two of them held hands, and what should have been an inappropriate scene was right in front of them.

But no.

His heart and eyes were filled with the girl's smiling face, so passionate and exuberant, surpassing even the scorching summer sun.

She said it wasn't his fault.

Wu Xie couldn't describe how he felt upon hearing those words. They had been a shackle that had bound him for many, many years. Not to mention Xiu Xiu and the others, even he himself was blaming himself.

It seemed that only in this way could he catch his breath amidst the boundless pain; he had always been adept at self-torture to keep himself awake.

Wu Xie's Adam's apple bobbed slightly as a few thoughts suddenly arose, only to be forcibly suppressed, ultimately culminating in a helpless sigh: "The Ming Dynasty..."

"kindness?"

"Don't be so sensible. You're still at an age where you can cause trouble."

Shen Mingchao chuckled, a sly smug glint in his eyes: "I'll take that as a compliment, Third Master."