Mo Mo and his companions followed the white camel and eventually found a water source. After storing all the water, the group headed west.
Despite Mo Mo's help along the way, they still had to endure hunger and thirst, wind and sun, and travel day and night. Finally, on the twelfth day, they reached the Tarim River and continued westward. On the third day, they encountered oil field workers who were hunting gazelles in the desert. Mo Mo knew that they had finally made it out of the desert, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Next up should be the Dragon Ridge Caves. After this experience, Mo Mo is quite interested in the adventures to come, and he believes that they will be even more interesting.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 99 Preparing to Set Off, Destination: Dragon Ridge
After leaving the desert, the group returned to Beijing. Professor Chen and his team handed over the data and some of the items they had brought back to the country. The country also rewarded Mo Mo and his team with a large sum of money. When people learned that Mo Mo and Hu Bayi were knowledgeable in feng shui and divination, they actually invited them to become professors at universities so that they could pass on these knowledge and make the country's archaeological work go more smoothly.
However, both Mo Mo and Hu Bayi ultimately refused. After all, Hu Bayi and Wang Kaixuan were not exactly clean, and Mo Mo was even worse off, as he was not from this world and was an unregistered resident. If the government investigated him, he would definitely be in trouble.
After Shirley Yang returned, she disappeared without a trace. Even Professor Chen didn't know where she went. A few days later, they had given up hope of getting Shirley Yang's reward. Just as they were about to leave, they encountered Shirley Yang at the door.
The two quickly invited Shirley Yang in, and after a conversation, they finally learned the purpose of her visit. It turned out she was returning to her country and had come to say goodbye, as well as to extend an invitation. Shirley Yang wanted Mo Mo and the other two to come to the United States with her.
Shirley Yang said, "Our elders are in the same profession. My grandfather retired from tomb raiding because it's extremely immoral; even the most resilient person can have an accident. I hope you'll stop here too. If you have the chance in the future, you can come to America, and I'll make arrangements for you..."
Upon hearing this, Mo Mo thought to himself, "Just as I thought." Then Mo Mo directly refused, stating that he was not short of money and that he did not like life abroad.
Shirley Yang thought about it and agreed. After all, Mo Mo was the most mysterious of the three in her eyes, and it was obvious that he was not simple. So she didn't insist and turned to look at Hu Bayi.
Hu Bayi was somewhat at a loss when faced with Shirley Yang's gaze. Due to Mo Mo's intervention, their relationship was much deeper than in the original drama. He was at a loss when faced with Shirley Yang's invitation, feeling both expectant and afraid. After all, he was just an ordinary person. Apart from his identity as a tomb raider, which was kept hidden from the public, he felt that he was not worthy of Shirley Yang, who came from a wealthy family.
"If you like it, don't give up. I believe in you, Lao Hu." After saying that, Mo Mo pulled the fat man and walked out.
Half an hour later, Shirley Yang came out with a disappointed expression, but there was also a hint of joy in her disappointment. She greeted Mo Mo and the others and then left. Although it was unclear what was going on, it seemed that Hu Bayi had not agreed to go abroad with Shirley Yang.
Entering the house, the fat man patted Hu Bayi on the shoulder and said, "There are plenty of fish in the sea. Although you've lost this money tree, you still have a whole forest to feed you. And don't you still have us two brothers? Chairman Mao said, 'Self-reliance leads to abundance.' Old Hu, cheer up."
Hu Bayi rolled his eyes at the fat man and said, "I never said I was going to give up Shirley Yang! You said it yourself, she's a money tree, I wouldn't trade her for two forests."
"Then why did she leave looking so dejected? Didn't you guys brag?" Fatty Wang Kaixuan asked, somewhat puzzled.
"I've made a deal with Shirley. She's given me a year. If I can earn 200,000 yuan within a year without tomb raiding and just by doing business, she'll come back from the US and marry me. If I fail, we'll both go to the US and follow her arrangements," Hu Bayi said with high spirits.
"Alright, for your happiness, Lao Hu, I'm going to risk all this fat!" Fatty Wang Kaixuan said loudly.
The three of them discussed it and decided that Big Gold Tooth's business was good. Dealing in antiques was definitely a highly profitable industry, especially selling to foreigners. However, the foreigners who frequently come to China nowadays have become more shrewd and are not easy to fool. But as long as there are really good items, they will be willing to spend money.
So the three of them searched everywhere for a shop, but they couldn't find a suitable place. Either the location was too remote or the price was too high. Later, Fatty and Hu Bayi thought that they should give up on finding a shop and just set up a stall in Panjiayuan.
Panjiayuan is characterized by its diversity, with all sorts of items from ancient and modern times, both Chinese and foreign, large and small. However, very valuable funerary objects are relatively rare, as they are mostly traded privately and rarely sold on the market.
So, following Da Jin Ya's advice, Fatty and Hu Bayi started collecting small items from the Qing Dynasty in the suburbs, such as bowls, jars, old coins, snuff bottles, and old pocket watches, and then brought them back to sell at the antique market.
However, perhaps Hu Bayi and his companions weren't born to be merchants; their judgment was poor. They bought worthless items as treasures and sold more valuable ones as ordinary goods, never making much money and even losing a considerable amount. Fortunately, with Mo Mo's help, they eventually managed to break even.
However, they only bought small trinkets and didn't spend much money. Losing a little money wasn't a big deal; the main thing was to hone their eye and learn more. After spending a long time in Panjiayuan, the two realized that there was so much to learn in this industry, even more complex than feng shui, and it couldn't be mastered overnight.
It was almost noon, and the antique market was rather quiet with not many people. Hu Bayi and Fatty Big Gold Tooth were playing a game of Run Fast together, while Mo Mo was sleeping on the side. He had already acquired two good items that day and sold one of them, enough for them to eat and drink well for three or four days.
Just as they were getting into the swing of things, a man suddenly appeared in front of them, lingering around their stall without moving. The fat man assumed he wanted to look at something, so he asked, "What's up, sir? What would you like to see?"
The man stammered, "I don't even look at anything. Do you buy antiques?"
Mo Mo opened her eyes and glanced at him. The man looked to be about thirty-six or thirty-seven years old, with purplish-red skin, clearly someone who often worked in the fields under the sun. He was dressed in a rustic style, carrying a tattered leather bag, and spoke with a strong Loess Plateau accent. Based on these characteristics, Mo Mo thought for a moment and matched them with a key figure in her mind.
If Mo Mo's guess is correct, this person is the key figure who leads to the Dragon Ridge Caves. It is because of him that Hu Bayi and the others went to Dragon Ridge.
In the original series, the Lost Caverns of Longling were completed by Hu Bayi, Wang Kaixuan, and Da Jinya. This chapter was mainly to introduce Shirley Yang's background and the curse that Hu Bayi and the others were under, in preparation for the next chapter, Yunnan Worm Valley. In the original series, Hu Bayi and the others tore off their own clothes to burn in order to save Da Jinya, who was being dragged away by the Black Cobra, and that's when the ghost eye symbol on their backs was discovered.
Who is Big Gold Tooth? He could tell at a glance that this guy was something special, so he gave Hu Bayi a wink, signaling Hu Bayi to calm him down and find out more before making a decision.
Hu Bayi understood, handed the man a cigarette, lit it, and invited him to sit down and talk.
The man was clearly unsophisticated and didn't know much about social etiquette. He sat on the stool Hu Bayi handed him, clutching his tattered leather bag tightly, and said nothing.
Upon seeing this, Hu Bayi guessed that this person was either in the same business as them, or had some treasure in his bag. So he tried to keep his tone calm and asked, "Brother, come on, don't be shy, have a smoke. This is Yunyan cigarettes. What's your name?"
The man replied, "Call Li Chunlai." He probably wasn't used to sitting on a stool, so he pushed it away and squatted on the ground. He seemed much more relaxed when he squatted, and his smoking movements became much more efficient.
Big Gold Tooth and Fatty pretended to continue playing cards, while Mo Mo glanced at him briefly at the beginning before closing her eyes and going back to sleep. That's how it is in this business; there can't be too many people when negotiating. Firstly, it's the rule, and secondly, it might scare away potential customers. People who want to sell antiques are usually quite nervous, afraid of being targeted and robbed.
So, this scene unfolded at Hu Bayi and Mo Mo's stall: four people in total, two playing cards, one sleeping on a recliner, and only one of them talking business, as if the stall didn't belong to them.
After talking for a while, Hu Bayi led Li Chunlai towards the restaurant ahead. Once Hu Bayi led them inside, Fatty and Big Gold Tooth threw down their cards and began discussing what might be inside the bag.
Mo Mo glanced at the sky; it was almost noon, and lunchtime was fast approaching. He greeted them, and the two, seeing this, looked at the sun overhead and quickly followed. Since Hu Bayi and his men had gone to their usual restaurant, the three of them had to find another place. Fortunately, there were many restaurants nearby, so they found a decent one.
After the food and drinks were served, the three of them ate and chatted.
"Hey, do you guys think Old Hu will get anything good this time? If you ask me, Old Hu will definitely get something good today. Just look at Master Mo. He sold both of those items today, making tens of thousands in just a few yards!" The fat man couldn't help but say after taking a bite of his food.
After hearing what the fat man said, Big Gold Tooth put down his chopsticks, poured Mo Mo a glass of wine, and then said, "Ten thousand? Fatty, you underestimate Master Mo too much. Just those two items today, he'll make at least fifty or sixty thousand after he turns around and goes out. If he runs into a good buyer, making seventy or eighty thousand won't be a problem."
"My goodness, those things are worth so much? They're just two broken cups. I really don't understand those rich people. But Master Mo is amazing. If you ask me, if Lao Hu had your foresight, he would have raised 200,000 yuan long ago. It wouldn't be like this now, a month or two have passed, and he's still barely making enough for three meals a day." Fatty Wang Kaixuan was shocked after hearing this.
Hearing the fat man's words, he laughed and said, "Aren't your eyesight gradually improving? Don't worry, Shirley Yang will come back sooner or later."
They ate and chatted for almost half an hour. When Mo Mo and the others returned to their stall, Hu Bayi was still not back. Nothing had happened to their stall, since Mo Mo and Da Jin Ya were quite well-known in Panjiayuan, and they knew most of the people at the surrounding stalls. If no one was at their stall, the people next to them would keep an eye on it. After all, helping others is helping yourself.
Hu Bayi didn't return until nearly four o'clock in the afternoon. After taking out the embroidered shoes, the fat man took one look and cursed, "This old man is acting like he's holding a gold nugget, making a fuss for so long, and all he brings is this shoe?"
Big Gold Tooth looked at them and said, "Wow, these shoes are so well made. How much did you pay for them, Master Hu?"
Hu Baya announced the price, and Big Gold Tooth exclaimed in approval: "Master Hu's eye for quality has really improved lately. This embroidered shoe is worth two thousand yuan without a problem, but we bought it for only six hundred and fifty. We made a profit."
Hu Bayi regretted his words upon hearing this: "What did you say? If I had known it could sell for so much, I would have given that guy more money. I thought it was only worth six or seven hundred yuan. I was wrong."
Seeing that it was getting late and that they had had a good day, the four of them thought about treating themselves to a nice meal. The fat guy couldn't sit still at the mention of food, so he quickly started packing up. It was their usual restaurant in Dongsi, and even though it was only four in the afternoon, there wasn't a single customer. Mo Mo and the others sat at a table by the window in the corner. The waiter ordered hot pot, set the table, and once the food arrived, they all went back to the counter to chat.
The four of them ate and talked, and before they knew it, the topic turned to ancient tombs in the Shaanxi area. They hit it off immediately and started discussing when to set off.
(End of this chapter)
Chapter 100 Arrival in Gulan
Mo Mo and his group of four originally only wanted to collect some ancient texts, so they traveled light. Hu Bayi and the other two basically didn't bring anything, while Mo Mo knew they would change their route and head to Longling, so he brought along whatever he could possibly need.
The four of them took a train to Taiyuan. After getting off the green metal train, Mo Mo missed the modern high-speed rail terribly. Compared to the old green train, the high-speed rail was simply a top-notch experience.
The group spent three or four days in Taiyuan. During this time, they heard some news and decided to change their plans instead of going to Li Chunlai's hometown. Instead, they crossed the Yellow River and headed west.
So the four of them took a long-distance bus to Gulan Town. After sitting for four or five hours, the driver stopped at a place by the Yellow River and told Mo Mo and the others that if they wanted to go to Gulan, they had to cross the Yellow River first. However, the ferry crossing was still far away, and it was getting dark. There would be no boats left when they reached the ferry crossing.
Moreover, the water level is high this year, and the river channel is relatively narrow. It used to be a small ferry crossing, where Mo Mo and his companions could try their luck to cross the river and see if there were any boats left. If they were lucky, they could cross the river and stay at an inn before dark.
Hu Bayi thought it made sense, so he got out of the car. Although Mo Mo knew that the driver was a bit unreliable, Hu Bayi and his companions did cross the Yellow River here in the original novel and even encountered the Iron-Headed Dragon King.
After getting off the bus, Hu Bayi and his companions regretted it, but it was too late, as the bus had already left. They had no choice but to go to the riverbank and hail a boat to cross.
Even from a distance, they could hear the thunderous roar of the water. When they got closer, all three of them were shocked. As for Mo Mo, he had seen countless scenes even more magnificent than the one before him, so he was not surprised at all.
Hu Bayi and his two companions had only heard that there had been heavy rainfall this year, but they hadn't expected the river to be so wide, with towering, turbid waves. The water looked like yellow mud, churning and rolling as it flowed. Looking at the rolling waves before them, they wondered if there had ever been a ferry crossing here before, but even if there had been, it should have been submerged by now.
Mo Mo and the other three chose a spot with a wide view to watch the Yellow River. Just then, dark clouds rolled in and a light rain began to fall. The four of them were dressed in thin clothes. Hu Bayi and Fatty were relatively sturdy, but Big Gold Tooth was shivering a bit. As for Mo Mo, he could walk around Antarctica several times even in just a short-sleeved shirt. Fortunately, Mo Mo had prepared an umbrella in advance, otherwise Hu Bayi and the others would definitely have been soaked to the bone.
Seeing that Big Gold Tooth was shivering, Fatty took out a bottle of liquor and gave Big Gold Tooth a couple of sips to ward off the cold and prevent him from getting sick. Then he took out the beef jerky and other food he had bought and ate it while cursing the long-distance bus driver for being so unethical. He said that the driver must have been annoyed by the three of them for being too noisy and had tricked them into getting off before they even reached their destination. He added that there was no boat to cross the river in this hell.
Although Hu Bayi and Fatty were in good physical condition, they couldn't stand the rain any longer and took a couple of swigs from their bottles. Hu Bayi, probably thinking of his former comrades, felt a bit depressed and shouted at the Yellow River.
Fatty saw Hu Bayi shouting towards the Yellow River, and just as the two were having a good time, they heard the sound of a motor in the distance, and a small boat came from upstream.
Hu Bayi and the other two quickly stood up, waved their arms by the river, and called for the boatman to come ashore and stop.
The people on the boat had clearly seen Mo Mo and his companions, but they waved their hands repeatedly, indicating that there was no way to stop the boat there. The four of them had waited for a long time, and finally a boat came along. How could they let it go? Otherwise, they didn't know how much longer they would have to wait in the cold rain.
Seeing that the boatman refused to stop, the fat man had a sudden inspiration. He pulled out a wad of banknotes, waved them at the people on the boat, and sure enough, money talks. Ahead, there was a bend in the river where the water was calm and still, so the boatman stopped the boat.
After the boat stopped, the fat man went over to discuss the price. It turned out that the boat was full of machine parts and other items, and they needed to go downstream to repair a large ship. Recently, the water level was high, and the boat captain would not have risked coming out if the situation was not urgent.
After boarding the boat, the group discovered that besides the boat captain, there was also his son, a teenager. Mo Mo and his companions made an agreement with the boat captain to pay double the fare to take them to the vicinity of Gulan County on the other side of the river.
The cabin was full of machine parts, and there was no room to sit, so Mo Mo and the other three had to sit on the deck. Although there was nowhere to sit, at least they had found a boat. They had been squatting by the river for two hours and were freezing.
The river was swift, and they quickly traveled a long distance. Just as Hu Bayi was discussing with Fatty what to eat, the boat suddenly shook violently, as if it had hit something huge in the river, almost causing Hu Bayi to bite his tongue.
Mo Mo knew that their boat had collided with the Iron-Headed Dragon King. The rain in the sky was no longer a drizzle; instead, dark clouds rolled, lightning flashed, and thunder roared. The rain poured down like a torrential downpour. The captain hurriedly went to check the bow of the boat to see what they had collided with.
The boatman had barely glanced at the bow when the boat lurched to the side again. Everyone clung tightly to the gunwales, fearing they would fall into the river. The boat rocked violently, splashing river water in, and everyone except Mo Mo ended up with mouthfuls of muddy soup.
The boatman glanced at it and was so frightened that he curled up into a ball. Hu Bayi tried to pull him up, but the boatman refused to stand up no matter what, and his face was full of fear. Hu Bayi asked, "What's wrong with you? What is in the river that has scared you like this?"
The boat captain, his body trembling like a leaf, pointed outside the boat and said, "The river god has appeared; he's probably going to take our boat!"
With each violent impact, the boat could capsize at any moment. Although Mo Mo knew they should be alright, he didn't want Yi to keep pretending any longer, since it would be very embarrassing if it really capsized.
So Mo Mo took out a Tang sword that he had specially commissioned to be made, with a blade only about thirty centimeters long, and walked to the bow of the ship. Hu Bayi and Fatty Wang Kaixuan, standing to the side, looked at Mo Mo with envy as he walked on the swaying ship as if it were flat ground.
After walking to the bow of the boat, Mo Mo saw the strange fish. It looked much like the one described in the novel: a black fish head with layers of blue scales on its body. Just by looking at it, you could tell that this thing had excellent defensive capabilities. Unfortunately for it, it encountered Mo Mo.
Perhaps seeing Mo Mo at the bow of the boat, the strange fish headed straight for him, opening its large mouth full of sharp teeth, intending to swallow him whole. Mo Mo smiled slightly at this, thinking to himself, "Perfect timing. I'll let you try out some of the techniques I've just mastered."
Hu Bayi and his companions were stunned. After all, a fish the size of a truck was swimming rapidly toward Mo Mo with its gaping maw. Although they knew Mo Mo was in good health, they didn't think he could fight off such a monster. So they shouted anxiously for Mo Mo to get away.
Although Hu Bayi had already run towards the bow of the ship, the big fish was very fast and was about to crash into the bow in the blink of an eye. Just as the big fish was about to hit the bow, Mo Mo finally moved. He directly swung his Tang sword and slashed the big fish on the head, and then the big fish crashed into the ship.
To the surprise of everyone on board, the expected massive impact did not materialize. Although the large fish did knock the boat apart, it only caused it to sway slightly, without the violent shaking that was anticipated. After the collision, the large fish slowly sank into the water. Although no wounds were visible on the strange fish, cutting it open would reveal that its body had been split in two.
The people on the boat were stunned by what they saw. It took them a few seconds to come to their senses. Once they did, the fat man shouted and rushed to Mo Mo's side, hugging Mo Mo's leg and saying, "Master Mo, you are my grandmaster! You are so amazing! Do you need any disciples or errand runners? What do you think of me?"
Mo Mo slapped the fat man's hand away and said, "Want to learn?"
"Mmm-hmm-hmm," the fat man nodded frantically.
“It’s very simple to learn. I have two methods. One is quick and effective. In a year or two, you can break a tree as thick as a bowl with one punch, but there are some side effects. The other is slower and takes ten or eight years, but there are no side effects. Which one do you want to learn?” Mo Mo looked at the fat man with some amusement.
Hu Bayi, who had originally wanted to swallow his pride and ask Mo Mo to teach him a few moves, immediately gave up the idea when he saw the expression on Mo Mo's face, and looked at the fat man with his back to them with some schadenfreude.
"What are the side effects of a crash course?" the fat man asked excitedly.
"Lifelong impotence," Mo Mo said casually.
Hu Bayi and the others behind Fatty couldn't help but twitch their lips after hearing Mo Mo's words. It seemed that Fatty was in big trouble this time.
"I think I'll learn the one with no side effects!" the fat man said, somewhat annoyed, completely oblivious to the expressions of the others.
After Mo Mo dealt with the big fish, the boat docked smoothly. Fortunately, the boat captain's son didn't break his head like in the original story. After docking, Mo Mo and the others inquired about the route and found a nearby inn. It was quite a coincidence that the inn only provided one hour of hot water showers per day, and they still had half an hour left.