Tomb raider: You're going to extract my alien bloodline?

Chapter 16 Renovation

At the foot of the mountain, after treating their wounds and changing out of their tattered clothes, Wu Sansheng and his group decided to leave this dangerous place immediately. Although Wu Xie had taken the Qilin Blood to detoxify, he was severely exhausted both mentally and physically, and his face remained pale.

Before parting, Wu Xie mustered his spirits and walked up to Qin Yuan and Fatty Wang, sincerely saying, "Fatty, Qin Yuan, I really owe you both a lot this time. Especially Qin Yuan, thank you for saving me."

He paused, a shy smile typical of his age appearing on his face. "Once you're settled back in Beijing, you absolutely must come visit me in Hangzhou! I'll take you to see West Lake and eat authentic Hangzhou cuisine!"

The fat man patted Wu Xie on the shoulder, and although he was exhausted himself, he still winked and said, "Don't worry, little comrade! Little Blackie and I will definitely go! Don't complain if we eat too much and bankrupt you!"

Qin Yuan nodded: "Okay, I'll definitely go. Take care of yourself and get some rest."

Wu Sansheng once again solemnly thanked Qin Yuan and the fat man, and reiterated that the payment would be made as soon as possible. Then, he took Wu Xie and Pan Zi, got into the pre-arranged car, and hurriedly left.

Watching the car drive away, the fat man and Qin Yuan exchanged a glance, both seeing the exhaustion and a hint of relief in each other's eyes.

"Let's go, Mr. Qin, let's go back to the guesthouse and relax for a day first. I've almost lost all my fat!" The fat man weakly put his arm around Qin Yuan's shoulder.

The two dragged their nearly broken bodies back to the only guesthouse in that remote mountain village. The landlady was startled by their disheveled appearance, but didn't ask any questions. This place was close to the deep mountains and forests, and there were plenty of strange people coming and going.

Back in that familiar room, filled with a faint musty smell, Qin Yuan locked the door and threw his weary body onto the hard bed. The fat man, on the other hand, collapsed onto the opposite bed as soon as he entered, and within seconds, deafening snoring filled the air.

Qin Yuan did not fall asleep immediately. He closed his eyes and let his consciousness sink into his mind.

[Ding—The system has detected that the host has completed a phase of the main storyline, "Seven Star Lu Palace." System settlement in progress...]

[Plot Engagement Assessment: Excellent]

[Key Node Impact: Changes Wuxie's fate from poisoning, obtains key items Jade Figurine and Qilin's Blood (already consumed), assists in killing the Blood Corpse, independently kills the Corpse Beetle King...]

Overall Rating: A+

[Settlement rewards are being distributed...]

[Congratulations, host, you have earned 1500 points.]

[Congratulations, host, you have received a special reward: The Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Technique (Complete)!]

As the system notification faded, a vast and complex stream of information flooded Qin Yuan's mind like a sudden awakening. Heaven, Earth, Man, Ghost, God, Buddha, Demon, Beast, Awe, Suppress, Escape, Object, Transformation, Yin, Yang, Void! Sixteen characters, each representing a vast branch of Feng Shui secrets, encompassing countless exquisite knowledge and methods such as finding dragon veins and locating acupoints, observing sand and water, determining orientation and choosing auspicious dates, breaking mechanisms, and exorcising evil spirits.

This knowledge was not just rigid text, but rather deeply imprinted in his consciousness like a brand, as if it were innate.

Although he had previously relied on his foresight and the system space to take shortcuts, he was almost entirely lacking in real professional knowledge of tomb raiding, having been carried entirely by Fatty and Wu Sansheng. Now, acquiring the "Sixteen-Character Yin-Yang Feng Shui Secret Technique" instantly filled his biggest gap!

From then on, he was no longer just a thug with brute strength and special bloodline, but a true expert with top-notch "archaeological" knowledge!

Although his body was still exhausted, his spirits were greatly invigorated by the tremendous gains he had made. He roughly reviewed the knowledge in his mind, and many of the mural patterns, mechanisms, and feng shui layouts that he had seen in the Lu Palace before but did not understand became clear at this moment.

"Great stuff...this is a real cheat code!" Qin Yuan thought to himself with delight. With this, his confidence and initiative in future adventures would be greatly enhanced.

Satisfied, he exited the system space. A strong sense of exhaustion finally overwhelmed him, and he fell into a deep sleep listening to the fat man's rhythmic snoring.

They slept soundly until the afternoon of the next day, when they finally woke up. After a rather unappetizing local meal, they embarked on their journey back to Beijing.

After a long and winding journey, when the train roared into Beijing Station, both of them felt a sense of disorientation, as if they had returned to the human world. As soon as they exited the station, Qin Yuan received a bank notification on his phone that a deposit had been made. Looking at the long string of zeros at the end, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

Wu Sansheng has really suffered a huge loss this time. This amount of money is enough for him to live comfortably in Panjiayuan for quite some time, and it seems to far exceed the price of a funerary object. Obviously, it includes a thank-you fee and a hush money fee.

"Come on, Fatty, let's go for hot pot! Donglaishun! My treat!" Qin Yuan was in a great mood and patted Fatty on the shoulder.

"Hey! That's what I've been waiting for! Little Blackie's a real shill!" Fatty's eyes lit up, and he almost drooled. "I've been eating dry rations these past few days, and my mouth is practically boiling with saliva!"

The two headed straight to Donglaishun and ordered a large table of meat, including fatty beef, lamb shoulder, and hand-cut fresh lamb... The scalding copper pot, the bubbling bone broth, and the fragrant sesame sauce were irresistible.

The fat man ate heartily, his mouth greasy, exclaiming how satisfying it was, as if he wanted to make up for all the losses he had incurred over the past few days. Qin Yuan also had a great appetite; the physical enhancement and bloodline abilities he had been using definitely required a lot of food to replenish his energy.

After a satisfying meal, the two strolled back to the antique shop in Panjiayuan, burping contentedly.

Pushing open the familiar wooden door, looking at the bottles and jars in the shop that were hard to tell were real or fake, and smelling the familiar dust in the air, the two of them breathed a sigh of relief.

"There's no place like home!" The fat man slumped into the armchair behind the counter, patting his round belly contentedly. "Finally, I'm back alive!"

Qin Yuan leaned back against the door, looking around at the place where he had spent a year after transmigrating. His state of mind was completely different now. A month ago, he was just a transmigrator who was confused about the future and carefully hid himself. Now, he had experienced life-and-death adventures, possessed a system, alien bloodline, feng shui secrets, and a considerable fortune.

"Fatty, what are your plans next?" Qin Yuan asked.

The fat man squinted and picked his teeth: "What else can we plan? Let's rest for a few days and catch our breath. Then we'll tidy up this shop properly. I'm a man of the world now, so it has to have some class! We'll also see if we have any good little trinkets to sell." He was referring to a few inconspicuous but antique burial items that they had casually brought out earlier.

"And then?" Qin Yuan smiled. "Really going to Hangzhou to find Wu Xie?"

"Go! Why not?" The fat man sat up straight, his small eyes gleaming. "That Comrade Wu looks like a big shot, and he's honest! If we hang out with him, we're sure to get ahead! Besides, his third uncle, Wu Sansheng, is a cunning old fox; he's bound to have some good jobs up his sleeve! We performed so well this time; next time there's something good, won't he remember us?"

Qin Yuan nodded; the fat man's thoughts coincided with his own. The Seven Star Lu Palace was just the beginning; he knew that an even more perilous journey awaited them.

He needs greater strength, more knowledge, and reliable partners. Fatty, Wu Xie, and Zhang Qiling will all be important companions on his journey.

"Okay, let's rest for a few days first. Once we're ready, we'll go to Hangzhou."