"Why should I listen to your orders? Who are you to me?"
"Hehe, didn't Chen Yulou tell you? He was bewitched by the fox spirit's illusion, but I saved him. He agreed to one condition then. I mentioned it on the spot: he should marry you to me."
"...You guys...bastards. I make my own decisions, and unless I like it, no one else's opinion matters."
"Hmm, that's exactly what Chen Yulou said. But he promised he'd try to persuade you. Now it seems he didn't even mention it."
"Hey kid, guess how old you are? You call him 'Little Boss'?"
"It's not very big, maybe a little over two hundred years old."
"Hahaha, still over two hundred years old? More like twenty-something? I wonder where he learned some strange arts and is now out here swindling people. Be careful he doesn't get exposed."
"You see, that's just how the world is. When I tell the truth, nobody believes me. But it doesn't matter. I actually prefer my twenties, so I'll just live like I'm in my twenties."
"You're making it sound so real. But then again, I've been watching you chattering away for ages, what have you been doing?"
"You really want to know?"
"Fine, don't tell me then."
"It's nothing serious, I just had a sudden urge to do a divination."
"And what was the result?"
"fierce."
"...Is your divination accurate?"
"I don't know. This is the first time I've used Plum Blossom Divination to glimpse the secrets of heaven. This thing isn't used casually. I'm not sure if it's accurate."
"As expected, it's just amateurish skill."
"That's true. I'm not very good at divination. I'm actually better at fighting."
"I admit that. By the way, I named this cat Little Flower. Don't laugh!"
"I wasn't laughing, okay?"
You're laughing inside.
"I wasn't laughing to myself. It's just a name. You can call it 'Little Dog,' whatever you want."
"I know I haven't read many books, so I can't come up with a very nice name. Anyway, this will be my name."
"Alright, let's call her Little Flower. Did you hear me!" The last sentence was directed at the fox spirit. Judging from its expression, it was clear that the creature wasn't too happy with the name. However, under Lu Xuan's death stare, it decisively meowed twice in agreement.
"Alright, that's all. I'm going to rest. We have to go up the mountain tomorrow. Aren't you going to sleep?"
"Okay, let's do it together."
For some reason, Hong Guniang felt that there was something strange about the last sentence of this guy's.
…………
The next day, as soon as it was light, Commander Luo was shouting and yelling with renewed vigor.
"Get up, everyone, get ready to go up the mountain."
Lu Xuan also stepped out of the tent and looked up at the sky. He saw that the sky was still covered with dark clouds, showing no sign of clearing up.
The thick clouds seemed almost within reach, creating an invisible pressure. Even before setting off, the atmosphere in the group had become heavy.
"Damn it, even the heavens aren't giving us a friendly face." Commander Luo sensed the tense atmosphere and launched into another tirade of curses and insults. Strangely enough, he seemed completely unaffected. It was as if telling him there was gold ahead instantly filled him with boundless arrogance, without a trace of weakness.
Lu Xuan observed the celestial phenomena, his expression becoming somewhat grave. The energy surrounding the entire Bottle Mountain had become even more complex, seemingly brewing something. However, unfortunately, with his mastery of feng shui, he couldn't discern anything. In his previous life, he had spent most of his time focusing on drawing energy into his body. He had only casually learned a little about feng shui.
However, he could roughly guess some of it. The occupant of that Yuan Dynasty tomb seemed to be undergoing some kind of transformation. But he was a dead man, so naturally, he couldn't have done such a thing himself. Someone must have used feng shui formations to do something in his tomb and around Ping Mountain.
Moreover, the problems in this adventure extend far beyond this. Lu Xuan's exceptional senses allowed him to hear sounds from a greater distance. He could vaguely sense that another large group was approaching not far from their group.
Lu Xuan thought for a moment and then called out to Commander Luo.
"Commander Luo, I have a question for you."
"Brother Lu, please speak." Although Luo Laowai seemed rough and uncouth, he was quite respectful to Lu Xuan. He knew that Lu Xuan was a truly capable person, so his attitude was noticeably different.
How many brothers did you bring this time?
"Two hundred. Thirty were left in the underground palace to clean up the mess. The rest are with them. Brother Luo, what's going on here..."
"A group of soldiers have arrived at the foot of the mountain, and they don't seem to have any good intentions. We're at a critical moment, and you don't want someone else to steal our thunder, do you?"
"I fucking...it must be that bastard Ma Zhenbang. But wait, I made all the arrangements before I came. How did he know I was here?"
"There's no need to worry about this now. I think you should make some arrangements."
"Of course. Don't worry. I know that bastard Ma Zhenbang better than his father. If he had gone and shot me in the back without warning, I might have really suffered a loss. Now that I know, I'll make sure they're taken care of."
"That's good. They're at the foot of the mountain now, with the main force approaching from the west. There's another force supporting them from the north. They've effectively blocked our two escape routes. They've clearly come prepared, so you should prepare in advance."
"Then there's no problem. I, Lao Luo, am determined to have Ma Zhenbang's hundreds of guns. But speaking of which, Brother Lu, how did you know that?"
“I can hear it. I have been practicing in the mountains for many years, and my five senses are more acute than ordinary people. I can hear what is happening at the foot of the mountain.”
"My goodness... I thought Brother Chen's night vision and sound localization were amazing enough. I didn't expect Brother Lu to be even more incredible. Awesome..."
"It's just a trivial skill, nothing special. Once we enter that tomb, we might see something far more mysterious."