Chapter 368: He Might Want to Dig Up My Grave

As dusk approached, a light snow fell over Tang City.

A man in a military greatcoat stood beneath the city square’s iconic bronze statue of the Flying Horse, the landmark of this tourist city. His downturned eyes carried a trace of bitter sorrow, glancing furtively from side to side. His fists, caked with dried blood and mud, were clenched so tightly they trembled, as if he were extremely nervous.

Three minutes later, the man finally hailed a taxi and left the city square, heading towards the antique street on Taohua Road.

The driver, clearly familiar with the area, turned the car around with a half-smoked cigarette dangling from his lips and chatted him up, “Not from around here? Looking to hunt for treasures?”

The man said nothing.

“The antique street on Taohua Road is done for, you know? If you really want to find something, Qingye Road is a better choice.”

Still, the man remained silent. The driver took the hint and stopped talking, driving all the way to the destination.

Tang City had stood for quite some years, with a recorded history stretching back to ancient times; it was one of the main settlements of the Dongyi people.

Though it wasn’t quite like the legendary Chang’an City, where you’d supposedly find a grave every hundred meters you dug, here, if you dug every five hundred meters, you were sure to hit an undiscovered one.

Decades ago, during the years of war and chaos, there were many grave robbers drifting through these parts. With so many dealing in the business of the dead, the antique trade naturally flourished as well.

It was in such a climate that the antique street on Taohua Road was established, and it once thrived.

But now, with grave robbing outlawed, the nights growing ever longer, hauntings multiplying, and business with the dead becoming increasingly difficult, plus the development of the Taoyuan tourist attraction bringing stricter and more centralized management, decline followed naturally.

Still, it was said that every ten days or so, before dawn, a ghost market would appear on the antique street. Merchants would simply spread out newspapers or draw a circle with chalk on the ground to claim a stall.

But today was not one of those days, and the timing was off-there was no ghost market. The man arrived, paid his fare, and walked down the old street paved with bluestone, heading straight to the end. He slipped into an alley, winding his way through seven turns and eight bends, until he stopped before a small building surrounded by green plants, exuding an ancient charm.

Above the entrance hung a peach wood plaque with bold characters: Chunfeng Residence.

Ever since the antique street began to decline, special shops like Chunfeng Residence had gradually sprung up in the surrounding residential areas of the ancient street. Generally speaking, it took some connections to find them, and the fact that the man had arrived here meant he clearly knew the way.

“Creak-!”

“Ding-a-ling-ding-a-ling-!”

He pushed open the door. Wind chimes swayed, and a faint fragrance drifted by. Skirting the moss-covered screen wall, he could see the counter in the main hall.

Next to the counter stood a uniquely shaped golden-thread nanmu chair. A young woman lounged on a chaise, her features tinged with a peach-blossom allure.

She was tall, about one-seventy-five, her long hair with a slight greenish-black sheen. She wore a Qipao, peacock green, embroidered with a cluster of peach blossoms on the verge of blooming, the white fur collar highlighting her perfect leg lines beneath the hem.

As the man entered, she was lazily puffing on a slender ivory-and-silver pipe in one hand, playing a Switch with the other, cursing at the screen from time to time.

“This? Even this kind of garbage game makes it onto the platform now? Tch, it’s absolute crap. Not even half as fun as those games that Lu guy gave me.”

With that, she tossed the Switch aside and sat up, finally noticing the man who’d been standing at the door for quite a while.

Seeing the young woman look over, the man stepped forward and asked, “Can you help identify something here?”

His voice was muffled and hoarse, as though a thick phlegm was stuck in his throat.

At these words, the young woman looked him up and down. His face was all misery; his right ear was missing the earlobe; he was filthy, as if he hadn’t bathed for half a month, reeking even from a distance. Most importantly, his psychic energy fluctuation was weak-he looked nothing like a premium customer.

“Identification, huh? But our fees here are very high, you know!” the young woman replied perfunctorily.

In other words, if you don’t have money, get lost and don’t waste my time gaming.

Business shouldn’t be about picking customers, but these days, people coming for identification had no sense at all. “Han Xin(historical figure) Chasing Xiao He by Bicycle Under the Moonlight”-established; “Cyberpunk 1077”-rubbing… They could whip out anything.

The worst was someone bringing in a bronze statue of Tiga Ultraman-how could that be an antique? A figurine from the Land of Light in ancient times?

This was a high-end, exclusive private antique exchange, not a scrap collection center. Not everything should be appraised, right? the young woman thought.

While the woman responded perfunctorily, the man replied calmly, “Money is not a problem, as long as you really know your stuff.”

“Heh!” The young woman was amused by his words. She sat cross-legged on the chair and beckoned him over, “Bring it here!”

How funny. Is there anything in this world I can’t appraise?

I’ve lived longer than antiques themselves!

That’s right-I’m not targeting anyone here. I just want to say, everyone present is trash.

Seeing her agree, the man hesitated for some reason, then fumbled inside his greatcoat and pulled out a bronze object encrusted with green rust, handing it to her.

“I’ll trouble you to take a look at this for me.”

The bronze item was 33 centimeters tall, 55 centimeters wide, square with slightly curved sides, its shape somewhat similar to the legendary bronze tablet-famously known as a “death immunity token.”

But those tablets were made of gold, silver, or iron. No one had ever heard of a bronze one.

Not even trying to fake it properly… the young woman thought to herself, holding the bronze tablet in both hands for a careful look. When she finally saw the details of the markings and script, her gaze couldn’t help but tremble slightly.

Just as she saw, the bronze tablet was densely inscribed with nearly a thousand tiny Dongyi bone script characters, telling the rough story of a hunter who discovered a divine tree, from which a “sun” hung, in a cave deep within the mountains.

However, the tale came to an abrupt halt at the hunter’s discovery of the divine tree, as if missing a part.

The man saw the young woman staring at the bronze tablet, her brows tightly knitted, silent for a long time, and seemed somewhat anxious. He called out softly, “Girl? Have you finished reading?”

The man’s voice sounded in her ear, and only then did the young woman draw back her thoughts. She slowly handed the bronze tablet back, pouting, “I’ve finished. This thing is definitely old, and quite valuable, too. If you want to sell it, I’ll take it.”

At her words, the man’s brows furrowed slightly, seemingly dissatisfied with this outcome. His bitter face looked all the more miserable, as if he might burst into tears at any moment.

“Besides the age, girl, didn’t you see anything else? Like, what’s written on it? I asked around for a long time before I found this place. Everyone says you’re the best appraiser in all of Tang City.”

“Appraiser, sure, but I don’t know Dongyi bone script!” the young woman shrugged. “If I had that skill, why would I still be messing with antiques here? I’d go be dean of the Institute of Script Studies!”

At this, the man’s expression darkened. He swiftly stuffed the bronze tablet into the inner lining of his army coat.

“Don’t put it away!” The young woman quickly pressed down on his hand. “You haven’t said if you’re selling it or not! I promise you the highest price in all of Tang City.”

The man shook off her hand and shook his head. “Not selling.”

With that, he turned to leave.

“Hey, hey! Wait, don’t go!”

“I’m not selling this!” the man said coldly, his steps speeding up.

The young woman’s willow brows arched, and she said fiercely, “Who’s asking if you want to sell? You haven’t paid me yet!”

No sooner had she spoken than her figure flashed, as if teleporting, to stand before the man, blocking his way. A terrifying psychic energy fluctuation crashed down, like a thousand-pound boulder, and the man found he could not move an inch forward.

Want it for free? Clearly, he hadn’t done his homework on who was the fiercest boss on Taohua Road!

The man’s mouth twitched, his steps faltered, and then he saw a slender, fair hand stretch out in front of him, making the universal gesture-rubbing thumb and forefinger together.

“……”

Silently, the man fished a gold bar from his coat and slapped it hard into the young woman’s hand.

She took the bar, raised it to her mouth, and bit it lightly with her pearly teeth to test its authenticity. Only then did she step aside, waving her hand impatiently. “Get lost!”

With those words, the psychic energy fluctuation vanished. The man glanced sidelong at her, snorted coldly, and hurried away from Chunfeng Residence.

The young woman watched him go, her gaze following until he disappeared from view. Only then did her icy face thaw, blossoming into a smile like snow melting in spring.

“Yes! Such a big chunk of gold-I’ll do ten in-game purchases right off the bat!”

No doubt, at this moment, she was happy. She even jumped up as she spoke, kicking off her Embroidered Shoes.

But just as she finished speaking, a wrinkled hand shot out like lightning, snatching the gold bar from her grasp.

“Patron, let me keep this gold for you.”

The young woman’s expression froze. She whipped her head around to see the hunched, skinny old man who had appeared who-knows-when, her face filled with utter despair.

Her happiness vanished.

“Grandpa Turtle, you’re taking this too? That’s cold-blooded!”

The old man glanced at her sideways and said leisurely, “Patron, I am a cold-blooded animal.”

“What’s more, it’s already winter. The mountain paths in the tourist attraction need repairs again. Otherwise, when the new year comes and the tourists arrive, there’ll be no time for maintenance!”

Hearing that the gold was to be used for repairs to the tourist attraction, the young woman stopped arguing, rolled her eyes, and headed inside.

“If I’d known, I’d never have started this whole tourist attraction business. Everything’s outrageously expensive, and there’s endless trouble!”

The old man slipped the gold bar into his coat and followed her, saying, “If you don’t run the tourist attraction, The Midnight Watchers Society will come after you. Besides, the attraction makes pretty good money each year.”

“Yeah, it sure makes money, but I never see any of it!” The young woman squirmed on her chair, twisting back and forth with a pout. “Me, the dignified King of Hauntings, and I don’t even have the right to make an in-game purchase. People would laugh themselves to death if they heard.”

“I know it’s not easy for you…” the old man consoled her, then slowly turned to look in the direction the man had left, narrowing his eyes. “Speaking of which, what exactly did that guy bring? Even you didn’t recognize it?”

The young woman narrowed her eyes, sat up straight. “It’s not that I didn’t recognize it. I was pretending not to, to stop him from possibly going to rob a grave.”

“Oh?” The old man looked puzzled and pressed, “Whose grave does he want to rob?”

Though almost every grave within 400 kilometers of Tang City had, in some sense, been built under her own eyes, the old man had followed her for years and had never seen her take such an interest in any particular tomb.

Even during the war years, when the local people starved and froze, she would lead them to dig up other people’s graves to solve their hunger.

Why such concern this time?

“……” The girl was silent for a long time. She picked up her pipe, took a gentle puff, and slowly exhaled a stream of smoke. Through the haze, her eyes glinted coldly as she said lightly, “My own grave.”

At these words, the old man’s expression changed. He glanced around, hurried over in a few quick steps, and lowered his voice, “You mean he’s with those thieves from before?”

“So what if he is?” The young woman shot him a cold look, her tone edged with killing intent.

“The last time, two thousand of them came and died. Now one comes alone-does that mean he gets to live?”

The old man gazed at her profile, lost in thought. Only at moments like this did he recall that this woman had killed more people and hauntings than all the peach blossoms that fell within 400 kilometers each spring.

“By the way, Grandpa Turtle, there’s something important I want to ask you…”

The old man turned, clasping his hands to her. “Patron, your old servant is here.”

“How much lucky money are you giving me this year? Can I get some in advance? I want to make ten in-game purchases. I can’t play that damned game without… hey, Grandpa Turtle, don’t go! Just one purchase! Let me make just one!”

Night had fallen deep over Hua City. A taxi was driving along Hua City Avenue No. 2, heading towards the direction of Xicheng District.

Inside the car, the taxi driver was driving while chattering incessantly at his phone camera.

“Folks, I’m about to start working with my hands! When I get back, I’ll continue telling you the story of the River God Marriage.”

“What? Don’t livestream while driving, pay attention to safety?”

“Don’t worry, don’t worry, let me tell you, it’s so late now, there’s not a soul on the street-not even a ghost. Even if I do run into a ghost, I still-“

“Screech-!”

A piercing brake sounded, echoing down the empty street. The tires left two black marks dragging along the road.

Zhang Shan stared at the figure blocking the way ahead and swallowed hard, sweat pouring down in the freezing night.

Under the headlights, the figure’s eyes reflected a blood-red gleam. The whole body was wrapped in ghastly pale bandages. One arm was chasing after a loose strip of white cloth, swinging stiffly-just like a spirit banner.

“Gulp-!”

Zhang Shan swallowed again, his hands trembling as he picked up his phone and whispered, “Folks, I’ve run into a ghost. What do I do now? Waiting online, it’s urgent.”

He raised his phone, aiming it out the window.

Online Old Pervert 800: “Looks like a female. My advice is to just fuck her, face-to-face.”

[Online Old Pervert 800 was banned for 365 days]

not teaming up with monks: “Damn! A mummy? Streamer’s got something foreign tonight?”

I Come from the Mausoleum: “Is that an Egyptian emperor’s figurine? First time seeing a live one, count that as broadening my horizons.”

I Come from the Mausoleum sent Super Rocket ×5

Online Old Pervert 801: “Didn’t expect this, huh? Grandpa’s back again! There are thousands of online perverts, what’s one ban to me?”

Boiled Mermaid: “Streamer, streamer, didn’t you say you weren’t afraid of running into ghosts?”

Looking at the barrage of gloating comments, Zhang Shan’s mouth twitched. He muttered weakly, “When did I ever say that? What I meant was, even if I run into a ghost, I wouldn’t dare to pick them up!”

What’s more, the last one I ran into was actually quite pretty, spoke nicely, and wasn’t scary at all, Zhang Shan grumbled inwardly.

As he grumbled, a soft car door closing sounded from behind him. He glanced into the rearview mirror and immediately shuddered in shock.

The “mummy” seemed to have grown impatient waiting and had simply gotten into the car herself.

A rough, raspy voice came from the back seat, “Driver, go…”

“Uh… Where, where are you headed?” Zhang Shan stammered.

The “mummy” rolled her eyes, seeming not to want to speak much. She replied simply, “Home.”

Zhang Shan’s mouth twitched again, and he said weakly, “Uh, I-I don’t know the way to Egypt!”

At his words, the “mummy” in the rearview mirror paused, looked herself over, and briefly explained, “I’m not going to Egypt…”

“Then you’re an Incan mountain mummy? But that’s in South America! My little car can’t make it that far!” Zhang Shan exclaimed.

“……”

The “mummy” fell silent for a moment, then replied irritably, “I’m going to University Town, Jingyi Apartment complex.”

Hearing this familiar address, Zhang Shan’s eyes lit up. “Oh! I know that place really well, go there all the time…”

“Wait, you’re not-?”

In the back seat, Lu Yibei nodded. She really didn’t want to talk; every word tugged at her wounds, and every tug made her mouth hurt.

The relentless beeper-right now, thanks to her injuries, there was only “bee” left.

Zhang Shan was stunned for a moment, and only then did he notice that the “mummy” was carrying a silver-and-black metal case on her back. At first glance, he’d thought it was her coffin.

“Huh?!” Zhang Shan snapped back to his senses, eyes wide.

He knew this look well!

“Mm.” Lu Yibei nodded, confirming.

“Wait, what happened to you?”

Lu Yibei narrowed her eyes, “Want to know?”

“Yeah, yeah!” Zhang Shan nodded repeatedly. Such a rare chance for material, and foreign flavor at that-he couldn’t let it slip by.

“Then your fare’s gone.” Lu Yibei said blandly.

Though she didn’t want to talk, besides the Pure Lotus Sword, everything else she’d been carrying had been smashed to bits by the Giant’s punch. She had nothing left that passed for currency in human society to pay Zhang Shan.

Really, it was lucky she’d run into Zhang Shan today-otherwise, in her “move and it hurts even more” state, hijacking a passing car would’ve been her only way home.

“Forget the fare.” Zhang Shan said offhandedly.

You never pay anyway.

“Then…” Lu Yibei opened her mouth, then suddenly noticed Zhang Shan’s phone. “Wait, you’re live? Do me a favor and turn on the beauty filter.”

Zhang Shan glanced at Lu Yibei’s face in the rearview mirror-tightly wrapped in bandages, every bit covered.

“???”