Chapter 116: So What If I’m Feeling Wronged?
Wu Xie pulled Lin Yan back two steps, first hiding themselves behind a tree, then cautiously poking his head out.
From their angle, they could only see Lao Yang’s back. The flashlight was propped on a branch for lighting. Judging from the movements of that back, it didn’t look like sharpening a knife, but more like… digging soil?
Xiao Bai Jiang saw their two strange poses, thought for a moment, then jumped onto Lin Yan’s head, successfully seizing the best vantage point. But not even a second later, he was pulled back into Lin Yan’s arms, and Lin Yan made a “shh” gesture.
No way, what was he doing digging soil here in the middle of the night? Could he be digging a tomb-robbing hole? Wu Xie just couldn’t figure it out. This tomb raiding was something Lao Yang had brought him for, so why dig a tomb-robbing hole while avoiding him? Then why call them here at all?
After confirming Lao Yang wasn’t doing anything dangerous, Wu Xie stood up from behind the tree and strode forward to question him. Lin Yan on the side still hadn’t figured out the situation when he saw Wu Xie suddenly get angry, stand up, and walk forward—he couldn’t even hold him back.
No way, sir, you’re this brave?
Not even a second later, he saw the super brave Wu sir retreat back at lightning speed, while also soothing his startled little heart. What happened?
He tugged Wu Xie, and saw Wu Xie point at Lao Yang’s lower back with his finger, mouthing silently: “Handgun.”
Holy shit? This guy carries a handgun on him? How hadn’t they noticed Lao Yang carried a gun the whole way? Lin Yan shivered and retreated a bit, conveniently pulling Wu Xie along: How about we pretend nothing happened? Wu Xie nodded eagerly. He no longer believed at all that Lao Yang finding him was a coincidence. This was definitely premeditated!
After carefully retreating more than ten meters, they could finally stand up. The two exchanged a glance and ran madly all the way back to the wooden house.
Lin Yan panted and asked him: “Holy shit, Wu Xie, what’s up with Lao Yang? We didn’t hear he was bringing a handgun before setting off?”
Wu Xie dropped his bag and slumped down in front of the bonfire, hugging his legs with his head on his knees, in a classic autistic pose: “I don’t know.”
Lin Yan also dropped his bag and sat cross-legged beside him: “No, wasn’t the equipment list for you to review? You didn’t even know? And… you couldn’t even get this thing, so how did he? Could his connections be wilder than yours?”
Wu Xie had been in that half-dead state, but hearing this ignited his anger instantly. Still shaken from Lao Yang’s scare plus the grievance of betrayal made him snap at Lin Yan: “So you’re blaming me now? How the hell should I know how he got the gun? And it’s a fucking TT-33 Tokarev, which is the handgun I told him to buy! He told me he couldn’t get it! Could! Not! Get! It! Okay?”
Lin Yan saw Wu Xie was so angry the fire was about to turn on him, so his tone immediately softened: “No, if you’re angry, go at Lao Yang, why snap at me? I’m not blaming you, just think it’s a bit strange… If he wanted to hide it from you, there are plenty of ways, and you wouldn’t search him anyway, so isn’t that normal? How about… when he comes back, you ask him?”
Wu Xie glared at him, gnashing his teeth toward the door: “Of course I’ll ask! If he wanted to shake us off and go in alone, why call us over? What was he doing digging a tomb-robbing hole alone at night? And for the handgun, if he wanted it for self-defense, why hide it from me? I fucking listed it for him!”
“Hoo—” After venting his emotions, Wu Xie breathed a sigh of relief, and the whole person started autisting again: “I fucking thought Lao Yang hadn’t changed, still the Lao Yang from three years ago, still my childhood best friend—but fuck his grandma’s legs, what the hell is he playing at? Were the past ten-plus years all fake? Does he want to kill me now?”
Lin Yan listened as Wu Xie’s train of thought went off the rails, feeling a bit scared but not knowing how to comfort him. Killing Wu Xie was impossible—he still needed to trick Wu Xie into the tomb! Killing him was possible but unnecessary. That night in the wilderness, he could’ve killed him and Wu Xie might not even suspect. So… the key was still why Lao Yang was digging a tomb-robbing hole here!
He’d seen it before—Lao Yang wasn’t lying when he said he’d never been to this place, meaning this was his first time here too. Lao Yang’s expression of not knowing the tomb’s exact location when they got lost was real too. So how did he know this was the tomb’s entrance? And shake them off to dig alone at night? No way was he scouting ahead for them to go down at dawn, right?
Lao Yang has that much sacrificial spirit? Lin Yan deeply doubted it.
Seeing Wu Xie’s doubt life expression, Lin Yan felt the same. But Wu Xie’s thinking was too extreme—he couldn’t even comfort him! Comfort what? Say Lao Yang definitely wouldn’t kill him but would take him into the tomb? That the Qinling Mountains was also a setup? Forget whether Wu Xie would believe it, he himself couldn’t make it coherent! As a fake prophet who didn’t even understand the original work, he himself didn’t get what was going on!
So after thinking for a long time, Lin Yan spinelessly handed this job to someone else—he picked up Xiao Bai Jiang and shoved him into Wu Xie’s arms.
Xiao Bai Jiang: “Ying ying ying?”
Wu Xie: ???
Two confused faces collided, actually relieving Wu Xie’s mood to some extent—at least now he was just busy being confused.
Taking the opportunity, Lin Yan asked him: “Have you thought about how to ask him later?”
Wu Xie didn’t even think: “Of course just ask directly!” Then he changed his mind: “No, can’t ask directly, with Lao Yang’s stubborn temper he definitely won’t admit it—let me think.”
By the time he thought about it, Lao Yang’s footsteps sounded outside. Wu Xie hadn’t come up with a suitable tone to ask him.
When Lao Yang entered, he saw the two staring at him intently by the fire pit. He was stunned and asked: “Why are you both—both awake? It’s nothing, con—continue sleeping, there’s still some time before the shift—shift change.”
Seeing his nonchalant act, Wu Xie felt a surge of anger to the top of his head, feeling like the time he spent thinking how to ask tactfully about his goal was all wasted on dogs.
He sneered, stood up to make his gaze level with Lao Yang’s, stared into Lao Yang’s eyes and asked: “You fucking have the face to ask why we’re awake? You haven’t told the truth the whole way, right? If I’m not wrong, coming here isn’t just for tomb raiding, is it? What thing is worth you digging soil behind our backs at night?”
Lao Yang didn’t expect they already knew, instantly flustered: “No no, it’s nothing, I just—went to the toi—toilet!”
Lao Yang stutters like crazy when nervous, something Wu Xie who grew up with him knew clearly: “Still lying? We fucking saw it! If you didn’t want us, you could’ve shaken us off and come alone—shouldn’t have called us in the first place! What, now you’ve found the tomb entrance and want to shake us off? What the hell is your plan?”
Lao Yang was stunned instantly: “Tomb—tomb entrance? No, we—haven’t found it yet, have we?”
Wu Xie saw him still pretending not to know and got even angrier, just about to step forward but was held back by Lin Yan. From Lin Yan’s expression, he knew Lao Yang wasn’t lying this time.
After getting Lin Yan’s cue, Wu Xie disbelievingly asked: “What he said is really true?” After thinking, Lin Yan decided to trust his face lie detector and nodded.
