The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang

Chapter 9

In fact, Lin Xiang did not know that love is selfish. In the face of love, it will never allow the appearance of a third party, even if she is not a real third party. However, who knows if she will become a third party in the near future?

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, Volume 1: Life's Encounters, Chapter 23: The Cold-Blooded Killer, by Liu Tao

Chapter word count: 2568 Update time: 08-02-29 17:51

As night fell, Lin Xiang couldn't fall asleep. He turned his head and asked, "Master Chen, I want to discuss something with you."

"Oh," Master Chen responded softly, then asked, "What is it? Go ahead!"

Lin Xiang thought for a while, "I'd like to ask for a two-week leave. Could you talk to Yuanmei and ask her to come to the hospital to take care of my mother when she has time?"

Master Chen sighed and asked, "Lin Xiang, are you going on a long trip?"

"Yes! I'm helping a friend fulfill a wish."

"Oh, okay! No problem, when are you leaving?"

"The day after tomorrow!"

"Then remember to ask your supervisor for leave tomorrow. As long as he approves, there won't be any problem."

"Thank you, Master Chen!"

"Silly child, go to sleep!" Master Chen said, stroking Lin Xiang's head, and soon fell fast asleep.

Lin Xiang couldn't sleep, reflecting on the events of the day. He sighed, knowing he must have hurt Yingmei's feelings this time. Tomorrow, Yingmei was going on a two-week trip with her family. He hoped she would have a good time with them. He made up his mind not to go to the airport to see her off tomorrow morning, fearing he wouldn't be able to handle it and would hurt Yingmei's feelings again.

Lin Xiang closed his eyes, thinking of Lu Xiangxiang's sad expression and dark circles under her eyes. What exactly happened? It seems that he will only know when they meet the day after tomorrow.

Unable to sleep at all, Lin Xiang got up, turned on the desk lamp, and in the quiet of the night, he could only hear the fan running on the desk and Master Chen snoring. Lin Xiang shook his head. Sometimes he really envied Master Chen's ability to fall asleep as soon as he lay down. Why was he starting to have insomnia? He really didn't understand what he was thinking.

Lin Xiang took out the torn plane ticket from his pocket and pieced it back together piece by piece on the paper, keeping it exactly as it was.

For a long time...for a long time...

Lin Xiang stretched and felt a blur before his eyes. He then lay down on his desk and fell asleep.

As dawn broke, Master Chen got up and saw Lin Xiang sleeping on his desk. Upon closer inspection, he noticed a torn and pasted plane ticket on the table. He was puzzled, but then he checked the date and realized it was this morning. He looked at the time and exclaimed, "Oh dear! We're taking off in half an hour!"

Master Chen woke Lin Xiang up, but Lin Xiang felt sleepy and didn't want to wake up. He closed his eyes and continued to sleep.

Master Chen shook the sleeping Lin Xiang vigorously, and Lin Xiang finally opened his eyes. Master Chen urged, "Lin Xiang, is this your plane ticket for this morning? It's almost time, get up!"

Master Chen had no idea what had happened and thought Lin Xiang had booked a plane ticket but had overslept and missed the flight.

Upon hearing this, Lin Xiang sat up straight and looked at the plane ticket that had already been pasted on the desk. He muttered to himself, "It's nothing. Just consider it a memory of the past!" After saying that, he put the plane ticket into his pocket. When Master Chen saw Lin Xiang's actions, he felt a little strange, but he didn't care. Anyway, Lin Xiang was already awake, and he believed that Lin Xiang would handle things well.

The City of Winds, International Airport.

Yang Yingying kept turning back, but couldn't find the familiar figure. Her mother urged her, "Ying'er, let's go! I'm sure he won't come. The plane is about to take off."

"Oh!" Yang Yingying looked disappointed. As she finally boarded the plane, she looked back one last time. As the cabin door closed and the plane slowly started moving, Yang Yingying knew that Lin Xiang would not be coming. A wave of loneliness washed over her. With the empty seat next to her, Yang Yingying just wanted to cry.

Lin Xiang asked his supervisor for leave, and to his surprise, the supervisor actually approved it with a smile. Moreover, he granted a month's leave with full pay. As Lin Xiang left, the supervisor said one sentence: "Lin Xiang, come back to work soon. If we lose you one day, it will be a loss for our petrochemical company. I have high hopes for you! You will definitely achieve great things in the future."

Lin Xiang was deeply grateful for such a high evaluation from his supervisor. If his supervisor hadn't taken him in back then, he wouldn't be where he is today.

Lin Xiang returned to the hospital to visit his mother. As the sun rose and set, Lin Xiang turned back to his mother as he left and said, "Mom, wait for me! I'll be back to be with you soon!"

The road ahead is uncertain, what will happen? No one knows, not even I, the author of this book. Let's just wait and see what fate has in store for us.

In the wealthy district of Wind City, this was Lin Xiang's second visit to Lu Xiangxiang's home.

As the door opened automatically, I boarded the driverless welcome car. Unlike last time, there was a distinction between night and day, and also between being with someone and being alone.

Lu Xiangxiang was already waiting at the entrance of the hall, and asked happily, "Lin Xiang, you're here!"

Lin Xiang smiled and followed Lu Xiangxiang into the house. As the door stopped with a "bang," he felt his body begin to sink in the dark room. Lin Xiang knew this must be the elevator, and that the bottom must be the basement. Just as he was wondering if every wealthy family had such a basement, Lu Xiangxiang said, "We're here!"

As the elevator doors opened, a long corridor stretched out before him. Lin Xiang couldn't understand why it was all so mysterious, as if it were some kind of state secret.

Lu Xiangxiang stopped and glanced at a magnifying glass. A computer screen suddenly turned on, calculating and planning, and instantly opened a door. Then she said to Lin Xiang, "Let's go!"

Lin Xiang was puzzled and asked, "What was that computer just now?"

Lu Xiangxiang turned around and took Lin Xiang's hand, replying, "That was an intelligent pupil lock, meaning there's only one key in the world that can unlock it, and that's my eyes, understand?"

"Oh!" Lin Xiang responded softly, as if he understood a little, but also as if he didn't quite understand.

As the light brightened and his vision broadened, Lin Xiang exclaimed in surprise, "Huh! What are you all doing here?"

"Haha..." As the laughter subsided, "Doesn't it seem strange? Since you can come, of course we can come too, don't you think?" The speaker said to the people beside him, striking a pose.

"Hehe..." This caused a burst of laughter.

"You little brat!" Lin Xiang snapped, and with that, he stepped forward and pinched the man's thigh hard, making the man howl in pain.

It turned out that the person speaking was Huang Hua, the class prankster. Sitting next to him were Liu Qingfang, Fang Yetong, and a strange person, Liu Tao, who hadn't spoken more than ten words in the past three years.

"Hello! Lin Xiang!" Liu Tao stood up and extended his right hand.

Lin Xiang was shocked. How could Liu Tao, who was known as a cold-blooded killer, be acting so abnormally? Even so, Lin Xiang quickly extended his right hand, and the two shook hands.

Lu Xiangxiang stepped forward and introduced, "Liu Tao is my bodyguard at school. My parents arranged it years ago. Liu Tao used to be a professional assassin. We're all classmates and know each other, so there's no need to be so formal." Lu Xiangxiang said this because she knew Liu Tao wanted to test his arm strength and was genuinely afraid he would mess things up for Lin Xiang.

Liu Tao understood what the young lady meant, blushed, smiled awkwardly, and then stopped.

"A professional assassin?"

Lin Xiang was shocked. At only nineteen years old, he was called an assassin, and he had been a caregiver for three years. Wouldn't that mean he was already a professional assassin at sixteen?

Not only Lin Xiang, but Liu Qingfang, Huang Hua, and Fang Yetong were also surprised. Although they all came from wealthy families and had bodyguards, they did not arrange for assassins to enter the campus for protection like Lu Xiangxiang did. This matter seemed very unusual.

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, Volume One: Life's Encounters, Chapter Twenty-Four: The Plan Unfolds, Life and Death Together

Chapter word count: 2263 Update time: 08-02-29 17:52

Once everyone had arrived, Lu Xiangxiang poured a glass of wine for each person, and then savored it herself first.

The other five looked at each other, still unsure of what was going on. Since they had chosen to come, they had no choice but to face whatever came their way.

Lu Xiangxiang looked up, deeply moved, and said, "Thank you so much for coming to help me. Actually, besides you, I don't know who else I can trust."

Everyone looked at each other, wondering why Lu Xiangxiang was making such a big deal out of it. It seemed that this matter was not simple. Even Liu Tao, who had been the young lady's bodyguard for three years, did not know what was going on. He only knew that three years ago, when he was sixteen years old, he suddenly received a coded message from an assassin organization, asking him to enter the school to protect a rich young lady. Later, he found out that the employer who paid him was the young lady's parents.

However, during those three years, Liu Tao never contacted the assassin organization again, as if the organization had vanished into thin air and stopped issuing any coded messages. Liu Tao then stayed at Fugui High School for three years.

Lin Xiang knew that all the mysteries would be revealed today, and even if the sky fell, he would hold on strong. Lin Xiang was mentally prepared.

Lu Xiangxiang looked at everyone, still seemingly finding it difficult to speak. After a moment of silence, she finally spoke, slowly asking, "Do you believe in the end of the world?"

Everyone was shocked. How could such a question exist? This wasn't a science fiction movie. Of course, anyone would shake their head at such an unbelievable thing. Fortunately, they were classmates and good friends, so they took it as a joke. Otherwise, if it were someone else, they would really think they were crazy and would have to send them to a mental hospital.

Seeing everyone shake their heads, Lu Xiangxiang gave a bitter smile. At this moment, she was truly in a dilemma; whether to speak or not, she was caught in a dilemma.

"What's wrong?" Lin Xiang sensed something was amiss and asked softly from the side.

"It's nothing!" Lu Xiangxiang paused for a moment, then continued, "I called everyone here this time because I want you to help me fulfill my wish, which is to be done this summer vacation. There's still a month and a half left."

"Tomb raiding???" everyone exclaimed in surprise.

Lu Xiangxiang nodded in agreement, which made everyone even more incredulous. They asked, "The Mausoleum of the First Qin Emperor is now under national cultural relic protection and is also guarded by the military. It's not something you can just walk into."

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Lu Xiangxiang knew that no one objected, but they just thought it was too impossible. To be honest, if they really wanted to rob the remaining parts of Qin Shi Huang's main tomb that the country had already excavated, even if they added ten times the number of people, they wouldn't be able to get even a step closer to the imperial mausoleum. Moreover, this was a crime punishable by death.

Lu Xiangxiang knew what everyone was thinking. She took a sip of wine before slowly saying, "The Qin Shi Huang tomb we are going to enter is not the Qin Shi Huang Mausoleum that the country is currently protecting, but another one. At present, the country does not know where this tomb is."

"Really?" The crowd erupted in an uproar.

Lu Xiangxiang nodded, confirming the news. Everyone trusted Lu Xiangxiang's information. If the history Lu Xiangxiang spoke of was unreliable, then the things recorded in history books were even more unreliable.

Huang Hua chuckled sinisterly, "Looks like I won't be lonely this summer!"

"Wow! There must be so many valuable things in the tomb. I'm going to exchange them all for RMB!" Liu Qingfang exclaimed from the side, clearly a money fanatic.

Fang Yetong then picked up his pen and said, "I only need the Search for the Gods Record; the rest are meaningless to me."

His gaze shifted slightly to Liu Tao, who was unsure how to respond. In her haste, she blurted out, "I only want Miss!"

"Huh?" Everyone gasped in surprise, startling Liu Tao, who blushed and realized he had said the wrong thing. He then calmed himself down and sneered, saying in a low voice, "If you want to die, I can kill you right now!"

After he said that, all eyes fell on Lin Xiang, who smiled and said, "I don't want anything."

Their gaze remained fixed on Lin Xiang, not believing that Lin Xiang would want nothing. They believed that as long as one is human, one will have greed and desires, which was an immutable law.

Lin Xiang could only continue, "We are good friends, and it's only right that we help each other. Besides, you've always been very kind to me and my mother. If you need my help, I will definitely help you!"

Lin Xiang's words moved everyone deeply. Reflecting on their own desires and greed, and judging others by their own petty standards, they felt a deep sadness about life. Born into a wealthy family, they had to learn to scheme and plot from a young age, with no friends but only relationships based on self-interest.

Lu Xiangxiang wanted to cry even more, because she knew that this was a life-or-death situation. Every time she had nightmares in the middle of the night, dreaming of her classmates dying one by one, that tragic scene made Lu Xiangxiang restless and unable to eat or sleep. The shadow of guilt lingered and could not be shaken off. But what could she do at this moment? She could only be selfish and make herself a sinner forever. If everything went smoothly, everything would be as before. If there was an accident, she believed that the end of the world was not far away.

Thinking of what her parents had said, Lu Xiangxiang gritted her teeth and said, "Alright! It's settled then. Let's plan our next move!"

"Getting into an ancient royal tomb is no easy feat. Not to mention the numerous traps and mechanisms, there are also many unbelievable things inside, such as ghosts, alien creatures, and fantastical phenomena. Any of these could cost us our lives," Fang Yetong warned from the side.

"Then... what should we do?" Liu Qingfang asked in surprise.

"It's simple! We'll bring weapons in, who cares what kind of monster it is! God, I don't believe we can't blow its head off!" Huang Hua added from the side.

"Weapons?" The group thought for a moment, "That's right! With you, Huang Hua, here, it won't be a problem."

And so, everyone shared their opinions and thoughts, and before they knew it, time had passed, and they had spent a whole day in the basement.

In conclusion: Lu Xiangxiang will lead the team, Huang Hua will provide weapons, Fang Yetong will collect information on the mechanisms of the ancient royal tomb, Liu Qingfang will provide working capital, Liu Tao will be in charge of the underworld market, and Lin Xiang will be responsible for purchasing food and equipment. Two days later, we will regroup here.

And so, Liu Tao first extended his right hand and proclaimed, "Come! For this mission, let's swear an oath together!"

The crowd formed a circle, extending their right hands and joining together, shouting along with Liu Tao: "We are brothers and sisters, we don't ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, we only ask to die on the same day, month, and year!"

A voice rang out: "We are brothers and sisters. We don't ask to be born on the same day, month, and year, but only to die on the same day, month, and year!"

"Okay!" They all reached out their left hands, twelve hands clasped together, representing the oath of the six.

The Tomb of Qin Shi Huang, Volume One: Life's Encounters, Chapter Twenty-Five: Each Person's Mission and Thoughts

Chapter word count: 2154 Update time: 08-02-29 17:52

Two days is not a long time.

Lu Xiangxiang flipped through the documents left by her parents, but she couldn't find any information about the tomb of Qin Shi Huang. Frustrated, she slammed the collection of documents on the bookshelf. Her parents had been missing for so long, something must have happened to them, but she couldn't call the police. Lu Xiangxiang had to admit that she was a real failure.

Without any information, it meant that her parents had made preparations beforehand. Lu Xiangxiang could only lie calmly in the dark space, close her eyes and recall what happened that night, slowly searching for every word her father and mother had said that day, the location, nature, and research results of Qin Shi Huang's tomb, which slowly drifted through her mind.

Liu Qingfang then used her own savings, accumulated over many years. With a long-term vision for the future, Liu Qingfang had already assessed this investment plan. Once it was completed, not to mention the priceless antiques, the impact on her reputation in the business world would be incomparable to money. This was an intangible asset.

Business has its successes and failures. As a shrewd businesswoman, Liu Qingfang had also considered failure. But when she thought of Lu Xiangxiang, as her classmate and good friend, she felt she should help her fulfill her wish no matter what. Besides, Liu Qingfang was only sponsoring funds. For Liu Qingfang, money was just like fallen leaves in autumn, which would return in spring.

Huang Hua, relying on his parents' status and network of connections, contacted major black market arms dealers—essentially the government's eyes and ears, working under Huang Hua's father. How could the arms dealers dare harbor any ill intentions towards their master's son? They immediately and urgently provided him with powerful, lethal, yet portable weapons. Moreover, the young master paid in cash without even haggling over the price. Such a buyer was exactly what the arms dealers wanted.