Courtyard House: My Time Travel is a Bit Too Strong

The figure flew backward, his back slamming heavily against the left wall... Boom! Bricks and stones shattered, and a hidden door suddenly opened.

Lin Quan stepped forward, slashed horizontally with his short sword, a flash of cold light, and a head fell to the ground.

Hu Bayi was taken aback: "Brother Quan, that's... resolved?"

Wang Kaixuan stared at the round head on the ground and muttered, "Your knife..."

Lin Quan sheathed his sword and clapped his hands: "Made of black iron, even without being sharpened, it's enough to chop bones."

"There's a path leading through the cave." Hu Bayi pointed his flashlight beam into the breach.

Lin Quan picked up the backpack, put on the shoulder straps, and fastened the buckle.

Wang Kaixuan stared at the dark entrance and asked, "Was this a military fortification built by the Japanese?"

The four filed in. A short while later, Hu Bayi turned on the diesel generator, and with a hiss of electricity, several light bulbs above lit up one after another.

"It's lit up." Wang Kaixuan grinned.

Lin Quan didn't respond, only glancing at Yingzi and Wang Kaixuan's furrowed brows as Hu Bayi amused them, and didn't stop them.

"Brother Quan, do you notice anything wrong?" Wang Kaixuan asked in a low voice.

"You saw it too?" Yingzi turned her head to the side.

"What do you see?" Hu Bayi turned on his flashlight, the beam of light flickering.

"Child," Yingzi said.

"Where did this kid come from?" Hu Bayi didn't take it seriously.

Once inside the armory, Lin Quan rummaged through two rows of iron racks, picked up a Type 100 submachine gun, took a dozen boxes of ammunition, and stuffed six hand grenades into his bag.

"Brother Quan, do you know how to use this thing?" Hu Bayi reached out and weighed the gun in his hand.

"I've touched it a few times." Lin Quan pushed the magazine all the way down with a click.

Wang Kaixuan slipped, and his flashlight fell to the ground. With a whoosh, a dark mass of bats swooped down from the ceiling.

"Withdraw!" Hu Bayi shouted.

"Rat-a-tat-tat..." Gunshots rang out, bullets swept across the area, bats crashed against the wall, fell to the ground, and convulsed. Blood splattered on the concrete floor like spilled ink.

"Get out of the way!" Lin Quan raised his arm and threw a grenade, which flew in an arc and exploded against the cave wall with a "boom," sending debris flying. The second and third grenades followed in quick succession, piling up bats into a small mound.

Yingzi caught a glimpse of the child in the blue shirt, but he vanished in a flash. The four of them chased after him and blocked a rusty iron door at the end of the corridor.

Hu Bayi shook his head: "Don't open it."

Wang Kaixuan leaned close to the crack in the door and blew a breath, causing dust to fall down in a flurry: "We've come all this way, it's a waste of time if we don't take a look."

"Brother Quan, what do you think?" Yingzi asked.

"You decide." Lin Quan had already put on his gas mask.

"With a mask, you won't get burned or suffocated, but we still need to figure out what's behind the door." Wang Kaixuan turned the doorknob.

The door hinges groaned as they turned open.

Twelve coffins were neatly arranged inside the room, their lids not fully closed.

In the two frontmost rooms, two children lay, one curled up and the other lying on their back, their faces still covered in dried mud.

Hu Bayi's Adam's apple bobbed, but he didn't speak.

"Brother Hu, let's take them out and bury them," Yingzi said softly.

"Fatty, lend a hand." Hu Bayi bent down.

After searching the fortress, the four men returned the way they came.

Back in the previous tomb chamber, Lin Quan told Hu Bayi and the others to climb the ladder first. Once the three of them reached the top, he swung his crowbar and smashed it three times hard into the center of the glazed tile ceiling.

Splash...

The oil spread along the cracks, igniting instantly upon contact with the wind. Flames leaped up, licking at the ceiling and spiraling upwards. The entire tomb chamber was instantly engulfed in flames.

Hu Bayi peered over the edge of the cave and asked, "Brother Quan, why did you smash the Heavenly Treasure Dragon Fire Glazed Tile Roof?"

"If someone digs a tunnel from above later, and the oil leaks out, they'll be turned to charcoal." Lin Quan patted the dust off his hands. "We need to nip this potential danger in the bud as soon as possible."

"Hmm." Hu Bayi nodded.

The two dug a hole and buried the child on a sunny spot on the eastern slope of the village. When they mounted their horses and returned to the village, the sun had just begun to slant past the treetops.

Hu Bayi told the old Party Secretary about the fortress. The weapons were left behind, and the other three set off that very night.

……

Back in the capital, I went straight to the Big Gold Tooth Shop.

Wang Kaixuan raised his hand and knocked on the door three times.

The door opened, and Big Gold Tooth bowed and greeted, "Master Hu, Master Kai, Master Lin."

After exchanging a few casual words, Wang Kaixuan took out two pieces of jade from his pocket.

"This material is loose, the carving is rough, and the patina is superficial..." Big Gold Tooth held the magnifying glass and looked at it back and forth.

"Mr. Jin, save your energy." Wang Kaixuan waved his hand. "Just tell me how much it's worth."

Lin Quan took the black mask out of the cloth bag and placed it on the counter.

"It was peeled off a giant rice dumpling," Wang Kaixuan added.

"Did you run into a zongzi?" Big Gold Tooth paused, his finger pointing.

"That's right! My brother Quan just slashed it once, and the head rolled away." Wang Kaixuan gestured.

"Master Lin...you're a real hidden talent." Big Gold Tooth's eyelids twitched.

"Name your price." Lin Quan picked up his teacup.

"This is high-quality stuff, starting at 100,000, definitely worth tens of thousands." Big Gold Tooth rubbed the edge of the mask.

"What about these two?" Lin Quan pushed two porcelain vases over.

There are only these two porcelain pieces in General Jin's tomb; the rest are all pottery jars.

"It's a pity it's not from an official kiln, but the body is old and the glaze is lustrous. Those who know their stuff will recognize it... It'll start at 200,000, and if you really meet an expert, a million wouldn't be surprising." Big Gold Tooth flipped the bottle over and examined it closely for three minutes.

"I'll leave the goods here with you, and we'll split the profits after they're sold." Lin Quan stood up.

"Don't worry, Mr. Lin! I'll handle this personally and I won't be careless," Big Gold Tooth hurriedly replied.

……

Jade, porcelain, and masks were all sold, totaling 436,000.

Lin Quan counted out 20,000 and pushed it in front of Big Gold Tooth.

"Mr. Lin, you trust me to sell this, so I can't accept this money."

"I'll definitely need your help again in the future," Lin Quan said with a smile. "I can't keep coming empty-handed, can I?"

"Well... I'll gladly accept." Big Gold Tooth accepted, rubbing his hands together with a grin. "Hot pot lamb today, it's on me!"

Of the remaining 410,000, Lin Quan kept 10,000, and the rest were given to Hu Bayi.

"Brother Quan, this..." Wang Kaixuan was taken aback.

"I'm fine as long as I'm fed, but Lao Hu is helping his comrade's family, so I'll contribute to this amount; the old Party Secretary and Yingzi should also get their share." Lin Quan tightened his backpack strap. "Let's go, the restaurant is still open."

"Brother Quan is a good friend. I only need 10,000, and Lao Hu can take care of the rest." Wang Kaixuan grinned.

"Brother Quan, thanks." Hu Bayi bowed and clasped his hands in thanks.

"Master Lin, could I have a look at your thousand-year-old black iron short sword?" Big Gold Tooth leaned forward slightly, his eyes shining.

Lin Quan unzipped his backpack and pulled out a short knife about fifty centimeters long.

"The handle is twenty inches long, the blade is thirty inches long, it's been forged evenly and feels very heavy in the hand..." Big Gold Tooth reached out and took it, his thumb rubbing against the spine of the blade.

"The giant rice dumpling we encountered was the one that Brother Quan could slice with his knife and fall over... Brother Jin, didn't you see it spring out straight out? The three of us almost jumped up on the spot." Wang Kaixuan picked up a piece of duck breast and said while chewing.

Lin Quan put the knife back in his bag, and the three of them got up and went out. On the way, they bought a roast duck and then went into a small restaurant.

We ordered ten jin of hand-cut mutton, eight bottles of ice-cold beer, and a few plates of vegetables.