Old Li's words weren't entirely baseless.
To him, killing a person or two wasn't a big deal.
The other party, though the second-in-command of Constant Victory Mountain, held immense power and influence.
But they had already offended her on both sides.
Killing her might buy them some time.
Letting her go, however...
If she held a grudge, she could raze the nearby villages to the ground tomorrow.
They would have nowhere to escape.
Besides...
He had heard...
This Red Girl, the second-in-command of Constant Victory Mountain...
Though a woman,
She was extremely ruthless in her actions.
She was a cruel and merciless person.
Offending her this time was truly bad luck.
"Ugh, I shouldn't have taken those twenty silver dollars!"
Old Li was filled with regret.
"Uncle Li, don't worry, it should be alright!"
Zhang Chen saw his worried expression and tried to comfort him.
"Alright?"
Old Li snorted, "How can it be alright? Unless Red Girl falls in love with you!"
Zhang Chen: "..."
"Let's go back, this place isn't safe to stay long!"
"Alright, you're right!"
Old Li nodded.
Then, the two walked along the mountain ridge towards home.
Along the way, Old Li inquired about the details.
Learning that Zhang Chen had smashed the blood corpse's head,
He couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.
"I never expected this mission to go so wrong, thankfully, we got the money and even made some extra!"
Old Li sighed.
This was a small comfort.
At least...
They had the money.
And both of them were unharmed.
They reached home.
The sky was just beginning to lighten.
Old Li collapsed in the courtyard, refusing to move.
Zhang Chen, being younger,
Though his energy was depleted and he was quite hungry, his strength had completely recovered.
But he didn't rest.
Instead, he took out the Warring States silk scroll.
He leaped onto the roof.
He couldn't delay his daily practice of the Purple Extreme Demon Eyes.
Soon after,
The east revealed a hint of dawn.
Purple Qi came from the east.
Zhang Chen, with both eyes gazing eastward, first absorbed the wisp of purple Qi, refining his eye technique.
Then, he unfurled the Warring States silk scroll.
He sat cross-legged and began to circulate the Xuan Tian Skill.
Immediately, a wisp of spiritual energy hidden within was drawn out.
Along with his five-element Qi, it was inhaled into his nostrils.
Then it was refined by the Xuan Tian Skill and concealed within his dantian.
One wisp became two.
But it was still incredibly subtle.
He wasn't discouraged.
Now that he had found this method, there must be an abundance of spiritual energy within the grand tomb and its feng shui treasure caves.
At that time, his cultivation would surely progress further.
Then, that would be his foundation.
"Kid, come over and have a look at the spoils!"
At this moment.
Old Li, having rested, called out.
Zhang Chen opened his eyes.
He couldn't help but smile slightly.
He immediately leaped down from the roof.
"Come, come, let's see how much silver we've gathered from this birth of fortune!"
Old Li said excitedly.
Although the crisis wasn't over,
For now, money was more important.
After this trip,
It wasn't just those twenty silver dollars.
After searching the bodies of those four tomb robbers, there was quite a bit more.
They both took out their money pouches.
They spread the silver dollars on the table.
They each counted them.
Just the silver dollars alone came to fifty-three.
Compared to the twenty silver dollars reward, it was more than double.
There was also a bag of tools.
If exchanged for money, it would be worth a silver dollar or two.
"We've been lucky this time, good harvest. But kid, this silk scroll you got, it's an antique, right? That thing can be sold for a lot of money!"
Old Li looked at the Warring States silk scroll with sparkling eyes.
"Uncle Li, I still have a use for this silk scroll. Besides, the content on it is of great importance and can't be sold for now!"
Zhang Chen replied.
Old Li nodded and said, "You seem to understand these things better than me, kid. Alright, this is enough for our expenses for half a year, you keep studying that thing for now!"
After speaking, he rubbed his belly and said excitedly, "We worked hard last night, we should have a feast today to reward ourselves. I'm going to the market to buy some roast goose and pork, we'll eat and then rest!"
"Not running away?"
Zhang Chen asked in surprise.
"Hey, why run away? You said it's okay, then it's okay!"
Old Li was a shrewd man.
He could tell from this kid's state,
There must be something going on between him and Red Girl.
He didn't know about the future development.
But most likely, there wouldn't be any problems.
And...
Old Li guessed.
The reason why Red Girl was able to escape safely.
It must have been this kid who saved her.
Since he was her savior, there shouldn't be any issues.
Besides...
They had been exhausted from the night before.
They were both hungry and tired.
They couldn't cook.
But buying some food to satisfy their cravings was alright.
He was old, he should enjoy himself.
Moreover,
This kid was a martial artist.
He also needed to eat meat to build his physique.
This was related to their livelihood in the future.
Over there, Zhang Chen heard about the roast goose and pork.
He was also salivating.
He nodded immediately and said, "Then Uncle Li, go quickly, I'll be waiting to eat!"
"Alright, you wait here, I'll be back soon!"
Old Li took three silver dollars.
He left the rest with Zhang Chen, then he went to the market carrying his pole.
He wasn't reluctant to take the money.
But in these times, there were many thieves with three hands.
It was safer to leave the money with the kid.
If it was stolen before it warmed up in his hands, then he would be unlucky.
At nine o'clock in the morning.
Uncle Li came back carrying his pole.
From afar, Zhang Chen could smell the aroma of roast goose.
He entered the courtyard.
Zhang Chen lifted the cloth and took a look.
Whoa!
What a huge fat goose.
There was also a pound of pork head meat and four or five baked buns.
They were all freshly baked, still warm.
Even, Uncle Li had bought a gourd of wine.
Soon after.
The table was filled with food.
The two took their seats, without much talking, they started eating.
They ate until their mouths were greasy, their bellies were full, only then did they lean back on their chairs, feeling quite satisfied.
...
On the other side.
Red Girl, with her men, descended from the mountain ridge.
They first went to a nearby outpost to wash up.
They changed into clean clothes.
They used wound medicine to treat their wounds briefly.
Then they led their men directly to Constant Victory Mountain.
From beginning to end, they didn't mention Zhang Chen or Old Li a single word.
They rode fast horses.
They travelled for half a day.
Red Girl reached the mountain gate.
After entering the mountain, she went straight to Chen Yu Lou's residence.
Over there, Chen Yu Lou was studying an ancient map.
According to this map and the information gathered by his subordinates, he learned that there was a Yuan Dynasty tomb hidden deep in the Old Bear Ridge near the Meng Dong River in Nu Qing County.
The scale seemed to be quite large.
He had decided to lead his men to rob this Yuan Dynasty tomb to replenish their dwindling supplies.
He, the headman of Constant Victory Mountain, might sound imposing.
But these hundreds of thousands of people needed to eat, drink, and defecate, all of which required money.
This Yuan Dynasty tomb wouldn't be small, it must contain a lot of treasures, which could be taken and used for his own purposes.
At this moment, someone rushed in from outside.
He took a closer look, it was Red Girl.
But then he was startled.
This Red Girl... was injured?