The nine-headed snake-tree awoke, its thick branches targeting Wu Sanxing who was still speaking.
“啪~~”
Panzi, loyal and fearless, shoved Wu Sanxing out of the way without hesitation, but he himself was struck by the branch and flew backwards, coughing up blood.
Han Xiao Liu retreated to A Ning's side, directly tearing off a piece of the Tianxing Stone wall, then crushed it into powder with his bare hands and patted it onto A Ning.
“What is this?”
“Tianxing Stone powder, it specifically counters the nine-headed snake-tree. With this, it won't attack you.”
The vast pit was in chaos, dozens of vines like tentacles of a monster, smashing everywhere.
Han Xiao Liu and A Ning stood by, watching Wu Sanxing's performance.
Wu Xie's identity was special. Wu Sanxing had to protect him while also training him. Now, on his first descent, so much chaos had erupted. If they left like this, this tomb expedition would be a complete failure.
“Don't they know about Tianxing Stone powder?”
Though A Ning wasn't particularly skilled at tomb raiding, she wasn't stupid.
“They're acting, haha. They really went through a lot of trouble. We'll just watch.”
Xiao Ge's physical condition was much better than in the original story. Each time his Black Gold Ancient Sword slashed, it severed a section of the thick branches.
“Everyone, get close to the rock wall. The nine-headed snake-tree is afraid of Tianxing Stone powder.”
Xiao Ge didn't know what Wu Sanxing was up to, he just remembered his objective for this mission: to protect Tianzhen. After reminding them, he took Tianzhen under his arm, jumping a few times to reach the rock wall.
“You, grab the vine and climb up.”
Xiao Ge truly was a god-level ‘nanny’. He could climb with one hand while pushing Wu Xie with the other.
Though he looked plump, Fatty was quite agile when dodging attacks. He was a flexible fatty.
Upon hearing Xiao Ge's reminder, he was the first to rush towards the rock wall.
“Huh, why are Han Xiao Liu and that A Ning okay? What kind of powder is on them?”
Despite his doubts, Fatty didn't dare speak loudly.
Wu Sanxing protected Panzi, both looking quite miserable. Da Kui was temporary staff, but Panzi was his trusted aide, and he was incredibly loyal to the Wu family. Who would abandon someone like him?
‘This is bad, at this rate, even the Snake-Brow Copper Fish might be lost. Damn Han Xiao Liu, I'll settle the score with him later!’
As if sensing Wu Sanxing's complaints, Han Xiao Liu walked directly to the Green-Eyed Fox corpse, grabbed the Snake-Brow Copper Fish and tossed it into his bag. He provocatively raised an eyebrow at Wu Sanxing.
“A Ning, let’s go. We can climb from here.”
A Ning nodded and started climbing. Fatty followed suit, grabbing the vines on the rock wall and climbing desperately upwards, afraid of being eaten by the nine-headed snake-tree.
“Third Master, you go first. I'll just burn this damned thing.”
“Panzi, you climb up quickly. I'll take care of the fire.”
Han Xiao Liu clearly heard their conversation. He stopped climbing and said coldly:
“You said you’re an archeological expert? Set the tomb on fire? Grave robbers are grave robbers. Get lost, you disgrace! And you, if you dare set fire, I dare to kill you!”
Wu Sanxing's face flushed red. This was the first time he had been humiliated twice in a row by a younger man since his debut.
If Wu Sanxing knew that all these changes in the tomb were because of Han Xiao Liu, he would likely have pulled out his satellite phone and called for reinforcements to crush him.
“Panzi, let’s go.”
Han Xiao Liu ran at full speed to the other side, firing his gun to draw the nine-headed snake-tree's attention. He needed to protect this ancient tomb, after all, it was a rare Warring States tomb in China. Moreover, the burial chamber contained a large amount of bronzeware, which Han Xiao Liu wanted to preserve to enhance his reputation and security in the industry.
“If this place gets burned down, it’d be a shame. I don’t care about your Nine Gates or Wang family. I’m protecting this place!”
The nine-headed snake-tree, attracted by the sound of the gun, attacked Han Xiao Liu with all its branches.
But Han Xiao Liu shot and moved, constantly changing positions. The nine-headed snake-tree, without ‘vision’, couldn’t detect Han Xiao Liu’s actual location.
Seeing everyone else climb up, only A Ning remained hanging on the vine, watching Han Xiao Liu.
“You’re not entirely heartless after all. I should leave as well.”
…
After Han Xiao Liu and A Ning climbed up, they only saw Fatty.
“They left first. Six Master, thank you for today. If you ever need anything from Wang Yueban, just say the word. I promise I won't let you down.”
“Alright, you can go.”
Han Xiao Liu seemed to dislike ‘Fatty’, be it Wang Kaixuan or Wang Yueban, he had no intention of recruiting them.
Wang Yueban’s personal strength might be inferior to Wang Kaixuan, but his tomb raiding skills were better. However, he had many flaws, all of which Han Xiao Liu couldn’t accept.
“Seems like this tomb-raiding iron triangle can’t be broken apart, huh.”
“What are you muttering about?”
“Nothing. What are you going to do next?”
A Ning thought for a moment, then admitted honestly:
“I need to go back to the company. Except for me, everyone else died in there. I need to go back and report truthfully.”
Han Xiao Liu pulled out the Snake-Brow Copper Fish from his bag.
“Use your phone to take a picture of this. Tell裘德考 to contact me, his target should be this. If he really cares about it, I’ll use it to trade you back. Trust me, working under me is much easier and safer than being with him. Most importantly, I will protect you.”
A Ning felt conflicted after hearing this, it felt like she was treated as merchandise. But at the moment, she didn’t have the capital to pursue freedom. Han Xiao Liu’s words hit her weakness.
“I understand. Thank you for today.”
“If you want to thank me, next time we meet, wear stockings and a miniskirt and go on a date with me. Let’s go, I’ll send you to the city.”
A Ning blushed for the first time, but she didn’t say anything.
After bidding farewell to A Ning, Han Xiao Liu headed north. He had gained too much this time, especially the reward of the Fire Kirin Arm, which he couldn’t wait to claim. He longed to fly back to his house right now.