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

Chapter 33 Old Itch

As evening fell, Wu Xie and Qin Yuan arrived at the local restaurant they had arranged to meet and requested a quiet private room. Shortly after ordering, the door to the room opened, and a figure walked in.

The newcomer had a buzz cut, a somewhat shrewd look, triangular eyes, and black-rimmed glasses perched on his nose. Most striking was the small bronze earring he wore on his left ear, giving him an incongruous air about him.

As soon as he entered, his gaze was fixed on Wu Xie, and his face immediately lit up with a warm smile.

"Wu... Wuxie! It's been so long!" He stammered as he stepped forward, opened his arms and gave Wuxie a tight hug, patting Wuxie's back so hard it made a loud thud.

Wu Xie was choked hard by him, but finally managed to break free. He laughed and punched Wu Xie's shoulder, saying, "Old Yang, it's been so long! Where have you been making your fortune? We haven't heard from you at all!" He pulled Old Yang along and turned to Qin Yuan to introduce him, "Come on, let me introduce you. This is my brother who'd risk his life for me, Qin Yuan. Qin Yuan, this is my childhood friend, Xie Ziyang. We all call him Old Yang."

Qin Yuan smiled and stood up, nodding to Lao Yang: "Hello."

The moment Lao Yang entered, Qin Yuan keenly caught the fleeting stiffness and scrutiny in Lao Yang's eyes when he saw him. Although it was quickly covered up by enthusiasm, the unnaturalness did not escape his notice. This Lao Yang seemed to be wary of him, a person who had suddenly appeared.

Lao Yang quickly put on a smiling face and shook hands with Qin Yuan, stammering slightly: "Qin... Brother Qin, right? Hello, hello! Wu Xie's brother... is my brother, Lao Yang's brother! Please... please take care of me in the future!"

The three sat down, and the dishes were served one after another. After a few beers, the atmosphere became much more lively. Wu Xie and Lao Yang chatted about funny things from the past, teasing each other and laughing constantly. Qin Yuan mostly listened with a smile, occasionally interjecting a word or two.

As they chatted, the conversation drifted to Lao Yang's whereabouts over the past few years. Lao Yang sighed and began to pour out his grievances, his speech becoming increasingly stammering: "Don't...don't mention it! I...I've had terrible luck! A few years ago, I partnered with...with a fellow Jiangxi guy to...do some 'local specialty' business, but...that bastard couldn't keep his mouth shut, he...he let it slip, and they...they shut us up!"

He gestured with three fingers, looking utterly dejected: "I...I spent a whole...a whole three years in there! It was such a struggle to get out! That...that cousin of mine fared even worse, he got...he got a life sentence!"

"Life imprisonment?" Wu Xie exclaimed in surprise. "Life imprisonment for tomb raiding? What exactly did you touch? A national treasure?"

Lao Yang's eyes flickered, and he subconsciously glanced at Qin Yuan, seemingly hesitant. He tried to brush it off with a laugh: "It's...it's nothing, just...just some old stuff..."

Wu Xie, sensing his wariness, patted his chest and said, "Old Yang, Qin Yuan is one of us, absolutely trustworthy! You don't know, not long ago, my third uncle, Qin Yuan, and I went to the Lu Palace and an underwater tomb in Xisha for real battles. What storms haven't we weathered? Qin Yuan is a hidden master. You can speak freely, maybe we can even help you analyze things."

Upon hearing the terms "Queen's Tomb" and "Underwater Tomb," respectively, a hint of shock flashed across Lao Yang's triangular eyes. He glanced again at the seemingly young and composed Qin Yuan, as if reassessing his importance. After a moment's hesitation, he lowered his voice and said, "Since... since we're both experts, then... I'll be frank."

He leaned closer and pointed mysteriously to the bronze earring on his ear: "It's...it's all for this...this thing, and...and where it came from."

Wu Xie and Qin Yuan's eyes were both focused on the earring, which had an antique design and seemed to be engraved with intricate patterns.

"This...this is..." Wu Xie looked at it more and more and more familiar it seemed.

The material and the faint patterns on these earrings are exactly the same as the bronze bells they saw on the coral tree in the underwater tomb and in the water cave of the Lu King's Palace, only they have been made into earrings.

Wu Xie leaned closer to Lao Yang, grabbed his ear, causing Lao Yang to yelp and cry out. Lao Yang then simply took it off and handed it to Wu Xie: "You...you look closely, this...this thing is really evil!"

Wu Xie took the earring. It was cold and heavy to the touch. Upon closer inspection, he found that the inside of the earring was hollow. It seemed that there should have been a bell clasp, but it was now firmly sealed by a semi-transparent, resin-like substance, so it made no sound when shaken.

"This is... blocked with pine resin?" Wu Xie asked in surprise.

"Yes, to...to save our lives!" Lao Yang said, still shaken. "This...this thing, once it rings, can...can make you see what you most want to see, and then...and then you'll never wake up again! My...my cousin, he...he accidentally set one off, and it almost killed us all..."

He pointed to the patterns on the earring: "This...this kind of bell, and the place it came from, it's eerie! But...but it definitely has...a lot of stuff! I...I came out this time thinking of...going back again!"

"Go again? You dare go again?" Wu Xie frowned. "What kind of place is so eerie?"

"Qin... deep in the Qinling Mountains, there's a place called... Jiazigou." Lao Yang lowered his voice, his face showing a mixture of fear and greed. "There... there's a bronze tree there, huge... terrifyingly huge, straight... straight down to the ground! This bell... was picked up from next to the tree."

The Bronze Tree of the Qinling Mountains!

Qin Yuan's heart skipped a beat. It had arrived! The target location of the system side quest!

Lao Yang looked at Wu Xie, his tone pleading, "Wu...Wu Xie, brother, this time I really...I really have no other choice. My...my mother is sick and needs a lot of money for surgery. I...I've been in jail for three years, and I've emptied my savings. I know that place is dangerous, but...but if we can just get something out of there, it'll be enough to save her life! You...you have connections, and your skills are...you're quite good now, please...help me out, come with me! I'm begging you!"

Upon hearing that it was for Lao Yang's mother's medical treatment, Wu Xie's face showed a mixture of distress and sympathy. He hesitated for a moment, then said, "Lao Yang, I can lend you the money if you need it, there's no need to risk going to such a place again..."

"No...it's not enough!" Lao Yang shook his head vigorously, his eyes reddening. "That...that's a bottomless pit! I borrowed it from you, how...how am I going to pay it back? And time waits for no one! There's only...this is the only way!"

Seeing his childhood friend's distressed expression, Wu Xie gritted his teeth, but loyalty ultimately prevailed. He took a deep breath and said, "Fine! I'll go with you! But we need to be well-prepared!"

After saying that, he turned to Qin Yuan and invited, "Qin Yuan, why don't you also..."

"I won't go." Qin Yuan smiled and shook his head before Wu Xie could finish speaking, interrupting him. "I was just planning to go back to Beijing tomorrow. Qin Jiu is still with Fatty, and I'm a little worried about him, so I have to go check on him. Also, there might be some things to take care of at Panjiayuan. I'll come back after I visit Qin Jiu, and I'll definitely make it before you return from the Qinling Mountains to give you a welcome-back dinner."

He noticed that when he said he wouldn't go, Lao Yang seemed to secretly breathe a sigh of relief.

Although Wu Xie was somewhat disappointed, he did not insist. He simply said, "Alright, you can go back and see your nephew. We'll meet up with you in Beijing after we return from the Qinling Mountains."

Qin Yuan nodded, but he already had a plan in mind. Going out with Wu Xie would make their target too obvious. The Wang family had made a move before, and although they had quieted down afterward, they couldn't let their guard down.

By not openly following them, we can secretly follow them. With Lao Yang as an inside man to guide us, it's much better than searching aimlessly on our own.

The meal ended with everyone lost in their own thoughts. Lao Yang and Wu Xie agreed to prepare as soon as possible and then set off, while Qin Yuan secretly planned his itinerary after becoming famous.

The Qinling Divine Tree, the core of alien energy... This mission doesn't look like it will be easy.