Tomb raiders: You stole my little Qilin?

That day, Hei Xiazi returned from outside, holding a photograph in his hand.

Instead of announcing "I'm back" as he usually did, he went straight to the stone table and placed the photo in front of Zhang Qiling.

"Hey mute, look at this, do you recognize it?"

The photograph is a portrait of a girl in Tibetan clothing, holding a baby wrapped in swaddling clothes. The brushstrokes are delicate, the colors are faded, and it looks quite old.

Zhang Qiling froze at just one glance.

His brow furrowed slightly, and something surged up from the depths of his memory, only to be blocked by an invisible barrier.

Zhang Qiling raised his hand and pressed it to his forehead, his fingertips trembling slightly.

Wu Wei put down his book, walked over to him, and asked, "Brother, what's wrong?"

Zhang Qiling covered his head, his voice sounding slightly different than usual: "...Where did you come from?"

Black Bear's face also looked unwell.

He sat down on the stone bench and turned the photo face down on the table:

"Someone specifically gave it to me from a secondhand dealer in the underworld."

Zhang Qiling was in pain; his mind was filled with thoughts of importance, yet it was also completely empty.

Hei Xiazi continued, "We need to help them retrieve something from a tomb before we can give this painting away."

Zhang Qiling's gaze remained fixed on the face-down photograph.

My fingers pressed against the edge of the stone table, and I couldn't help but exert force.

"...I want this painting."

Even though he himself didn't remember why, he knew he had to get it.

Wu Wei glanced at Zhang Qiling, then turned to ask Hei Xiazi:

"Are they telling us to go by ourselves, or to find someone to go down into the tomb with us?"

"Let's go down together."

Black Bear looked at the two men and asked, "Are you going or not?"

"Go." The two voices rang out almost simultaneously.

Zhang Qiling turned to look at Wu Wei, his brows furrowing even more.

He raised his hand and pressed down on Wu Wei's wrist, not allowing him to break free: "Don't go."

Wu Wei's peach blossom eyes curved into a smile. "Don't always treat me like a child."

He asked with a hint of eagerness, "We can't practice every day just so we stay home and are too afraid to go out, can we?"

Wu Wei looked at Hei Xiazi, and at this moment the two shared an unspoken understanding.

"You idiot! There's a price for retrieving something, and a price for going into a tomb. We want the painting, and we want the money too."

Hei Xiazi gave Wu Wei an approving look, which coincided with his own thoughts.

"Of course. Pay first, then we'll do the work."

He hurriedly went out again, wanting the other party to transfer the deposit first.

Zhang Qiling remained silent, a blank, aimless confusion appearing on his indifferent face.

He didn't know why he had such a strong reaction to a portrait he had never seen before, nor did he know where the bitterness and reluctance surging up from the depths of his chest came from.

He has forgotten the past and cannot predict the future.

Wu Wei looked at Zhang Qiling with a touch of heartache, led him to sit on the sofa, and hugged him tightly.

"We're here."

Then she stepped back and sat next to him, took his hand, and silently kept him company.

Shoulder to shoulder, Wu Wei's warmth spread to Zhang Qiling.

Zhang Qiling gently grasped his hand in return.

Wu Wei warmed the slightly cool temperature on his fingers as he slowly and forcefully closed his knuckles.

Those turbulent, restless emotions gradually settled down in this warm body temperature, returning to calm.

"Um."

About two hours later, Black Bear pushed open the courtyard gate and returned.

He strode into the courtyard, a satisfied expression on his face, and gestured: "This amount, half of it is the deposit."

Wu Wei raised an eyebrow slightly, surprised, and said, "Quite generous."

"The requirement is to depart tomorrow," Hei Xiazi added, referring to the client's request.

Wu Wei was not surprised; high pay is not so easy to come by.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's pack our things."

The three packed their equipment overnight. Zhang Qiling and Hei Xiazi changed back into their old clothes, and Wu Wei also changed into a black outfit.

Hei Xiazi put his sunglasses back on his nose, saying he wanted to maintain his mystique.

Wu Wei thought it was cool, so he found two pairs from Hei Xiazi's extensive collection of sunglasses and put them on with Zhang Qiling.

The next morning, the car drove out of the city and slowly stopped at the highway exit.

The sky was overcast and the clouds hung low, as if it were about to rain at any moment.

Two SUVs were parked on the side of the road, and a person was standing next to each one.

Hei Xiazi pushed open the car door, his gaze swept across the crowd, and the smile on his lips froze before it could fully open.

He gave a cold laugh, his tone blatantly hostile: "You look familiar."

That person was none other than Aning, who had attacked them.

At this moment, her long hair was tied up high, her face expressionless, and she said simply, "Follow my orders."

Wu Wei's gaze lingered on A Ning for a moment.

Jude Kao is dead, so a capable man like Aning naturally needs to find a new employer.

Judging from the equipment of the people behind her, the employer has invested heavily this time.

Several other people got off the bus, making a total of five.

The employers were Wang Cunhai and Wang Cunxi, two brothers who looked about five or six parts alike. One had a gloomy face, while the other looked rather calm.

Ah Ning, along with Ah San and Ah Si, acted as bodyguards. The two were muscular and clearly trained in martial arts.

Including the three of them, there were a total of eight people on this trip.

Wu Wei took a step forward.

Without any formalities, he got straight to the point: "Give us the painting first."

Wang Cunhai frowned. This man's face already had a somewhat sinister look, and he became even more intimidating when he put on a stern face.

"We'll give it to you after we get out."

Black Bear chuckled, his tone carrying a casual provocation:

"Who can guarantee that you'll come out of the tomb?"

Wang Cunhai's face immediately darkened, his voice turning grim. "What do you mean by this?"

Wu Wei picked up the conversation, speaking even more bluntly: "Isn't it clear that I'm afraid you won't come back and will renege on your debt?"

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

Wang Cunhai took a step forward, and just as a conflict was about to break out, he was stopped by Wang Cunxi who was standing next to him.

Wang Cunxi seemed much calmer than his brother. He looked at Wu Wei and spoke in a steady tone:

"What if you change your mind after I give you the things?"

Wu Wei looked into Wang Cunxi's eyes, a slight smile curving his lips. It wasn't exactly friendly, but it wasn't provocative either.

"What if you don't give it to me after I get out?"

The two sides reached a stalemate.

Ah Ning watched this scene expressionlessly, her hand already touching the knife on her back.

Ah San and Ah Si stood behind her, their eyes scanning the three people opposite them warily.

Wang Cunhai's face was so gloomy it looked like it could be wrung out of water, while Wang Cunxi's brows were furrowed, clearly also weighing the other party's bottom line.

Wu Wei took in everyone's reactions.

He knew that this stalemate would not benefit anyone if it continued, but he could not back down.

Their mere presence speaks volumes about the painting's importance. Wu Wei fears these people might use the painting to blackmail Zhang Qiling into doing something even more dangerous while he's in the tomb.