Chapter 0009: The Secret Art of Tomb Raiding

Uncle Li gritted his teeth and said, "The only thing I can tell you now is that your family is not as simple as you think. Your great-grandfather, your grandfather, and even your father... everyone in your family is not a purely antique dealer!"

I do not know why, but at this moment, my mind is unprecedentedly clear, even calm. After some thought, I directly asked: "Is it that 'heaven'?"

I emphasized my tone: "Uncle Li, I also want to hear you speak the truth. If I follow them, will I be able to survive?"

Please wait a moment

Unfortunately, there are some things I truly cannot tell you, and this is also for your own good. Until your abilities reach a certain level, revealing these matters to you... will only bring you misfortune

Uncle Li sighed and said, "Among them, some are methods to deal with those filthy things. After all, they pry money from the hands of the dead, and it is inevitable that they will encounter some strange occurrences. Over time, they have developed their own ways to handle those things! Originally, your father left this book with me hoping you would not touch these matters, but now that you are in this situation and have decided to go to Jiangxi to find those people, I will hand it over to you. Take a good look at it; it might prove to be of great use in the future!"

I calmly nodded. If someone had told me this before yesterday, I would not have believed it, and I might have even struck the person who said it to me. However, after experiencing all the strange events of last night and today, I have long begun to reject everything in my life, including those who were once my closest companions, who now feel strangely distant. It is as if life has played a huge joke on my eyes and me. The environment I live in may be a false tranquility, and what my eyes see may not necessarily reflect the true situation. I have long begun to reject everything in my life, including those who were once my closest companions, who now feel strangely distant. It is as if life has played a huge joke on my eyes and me. The environment I live in may be a false tranquility, and what my eyes see may not necessarily reflect the true situation

Then I will trouble you, uncle

Uncle Li has actually been alone most of the time, having never married in his life. Whenever my father mentioned this when he was still around, he would always let out a gentle sigh. I know that Uncle Li must be someone with a story, but I have never asked him about it, as it is after all his personal matter

I nodded slightly and then left Uncle Li's study. What I did not know was that the series of decisions I had just made would directly change my fate

Thus, Uncle Li and I waited in silence at the entrance of the flower shop for nearly an hour, until Zhou Jing finally emerged carrying a small package. The little fellow's eyes were swollen from crying, resembling two walnuts, and his face was dirty, looking particularly pitiful

Uncle Li fell into silence after saying this, and after a long time, he painfully grasped his own hair and said: "To be honest, I really don't know if this choice I made for you is right, after all, this has always been something your father tried to keep you away from."

But if I go to find them, I should be fine for now, right? Although Senior Zhou said that I can turn misfortune into good fortune, I believe in myself even more. I have to do something!

Seeing him like this, I also felt it inappropriate to further inquire about the matters discussed between him and Old Master Zhou. Moreover, I have a premonition that even if I were to ask Uncle Li, he would likely not provide me with an answer

At that moment, after listening to Uncle Li speak about how those people exist specifically to resolve such matters, I had already made up my mind: "I should go find them; if I find them, I still have a way out. If I don't, I don't know how many days I can survive. As for what happens next... I'll deal with that later!"

By this time, it was already past 10 o'clock in the morning, and Antique Street was gradually becoming lively. However, after leaving Old Master Zhou's place, Uncle Li appeared somewhat distracted, as if he had been stimulated by something. His body was slightly trembling, clearly indicating that his emotions were somewhat agitated, to the extent that he did not even notice the large rooster raised by Zhou Jingyang gently pecking at his leg

Old Master Zhou was clearly speaking privately with Zhou Jing, and both Uncle Li and I felt it inappropriate to stay too close. In fact, to avoid any suspicion, we awkwardly moved outside the shop.

Although I already had some guesses in my heart, I still looked up and asked Uncle Li: "What is this?"

I let out a bitter laugh, but after all, I have lived for over twenty years, so it would be inappropriate to argue with a child. I could only touch my nose and follow behind.

Uncle Li hesitated for a moment, then finally said: "But let me be frank with you, those people are difficult to work with. Once you get involved with them, it's basically like falling into a quagmire, and it will be hard to extricate yourself. As the saying goes, a broken jar does not leave the well, and a general is bound to perish on the battlefield. Those people deal with dirty things all day long, and the risks are evident; they essentially live with their heads held by their belts. You experienced the strangeness and terror of that last night. Once you step into their circle, encountering such matters becomes as commonplace as having a meal. Moreover, your fate is weak, and in the eyes of those dirty things, you are practically a living target. If misfortune strikes, you will definitely be the first. Working with them, your future life is likely to be very difficult. This is also why I do not want you to have any contact with them; it is no different from pushing you into a pit of fire!"

I took the book with some confusion, only to realize that it is quite old. The paper is likely the "Caihou paper" that appeared during the Eastern Han Dynasty, which is no longer in use today. The four large characters written in traditional script on the book are: "Faqiu Secret Technique"

To be honest, Uncle Li has never been as serious as he is now. He sat quietly behind the desk, pondering for a long, long time before finally speaking. When he spoke, there was even a hint of hoarseness in his voice: "Xiao Tian, you are a smart child. I know you must have guessed that your father and I have kept many things from you. You must be filled with confusion right now, right?"

Uncle Li called out to me, hesitated for a moment, and said: "I have something else here for you"

Before I could finish my words, that little brat Zhou Jing slapped my hand away with a "smack," his face full of disdain

... ...

After speaking, Uncle Li paid no further attention to me and directly began rummaging through the bookshelf behind him. In no time, he took out a blue-covered book and handed it to me, saying, "Make sure to take some time to read more."

I am somewhat agitated; those who have never experienced the fear brought by such things will never know what it feels like to have death smile at you. Suddenly, in the middle of the night, a corpse dressed in a burial suit crawls onto your back—aren't you afraid?

Uncle Li glanced at me, then let out a gentle sigh and said, "Well, since this is your decision, I won't say much more. I will book the tickets right away. Tonight, I will take you and Zhou Jing away from here. We will go to Jiangxi to find the person recommended by Senior Zhou and have him help you look into the issues you are facing."

I hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded

Your ancestor, the one who wrote the book as the Tomb Raider, recorded all his experiences and methods of tomb raiding in it

At that moment, Uncle Li finally came to his senses, glanced at Zhou Jing, let out a gentle sigh, took the little brat's hand, and hailed a taxi to a restaurant. After we finished our meal, Uncle Li told me not to go home, and directly took me and Zhou Jing to his house

I took a deep breath, stood up, and honestly, I do not know whether my choice is right or wrong, nor do I understand what capabilities those people possess. However, seeing how cautious Uncle Li is around them, it seems they are not to be trifled with. Perhaps if I truly provoke those individuals, I will no longer be able to live a peaceful life. Yet, no matter how difficult they are to deal with, they are still human, which is certainly better than those filthy beings.

Seeing him like this, I felt a pang of compassion in my heart. Suddenly, I felt some pity for this child, after all, his becoming this way is directly related to me. I couldn't help but reach out and touch his head: "Don't be sad anymore, rest assured, Grandpa Zhou got into trouble because of me. In the future, I will not treat you poorly..."

They exist solely to deal with these sinister matters; if you seek them out, they can indeed resolve the issues you have with precision!

Uncle Li nodded and said, "If I were to listen to Senior Zhou and take you to find them, I would be completely going against the life your father has arranged for you"

After arriving at Uncle Li's house, Uncle Li asked Zhou Jing to watch television in the living room, and then took me directly to the study.

If I had not been born into a family like mine and had a certain understanding of ancient characters, I might not have recognized the words in this book at all. As soon as I got my hands on this book, I basically confirmed one thing—barring any surprises, this book has been passed down from the Eastern Han Dynasty to the present day. Its preservation is nothing short of a miracle, and this book alone is worth quite a lot!

My life is my own