"Actually, there's no need for Hu Bayi."
Cao Yi looked at Wang Kaixuan, a faint smile appearing at the corner of his mouth.
In the original storyline, Hu Bayi didn't come, and Wang Kaixuan found the Goddess Tomb by himself.
Wang Kaixuan was taken aback, then suddenly realized, slapping himself on the face, "How could I forget that Daoist Priest can easily save a dying patient with just a talisman? How could something like the 'Divining for Gold' technique possibly stump him?"
Cao Yi gently shook his head; he wasn't a tomb raider nor a Feng Shui master, so he didn't know much about Divining for Gold.
"Not him."
Wang Kaixuan was confused. If it wasn't Hu Bayi and it wasn't Daoist Priest, then who else could it be?
Big Gold Tooth? Don't make me laugh; he was just an antique dealer.
As for Ying Caihong's group, they were even less likely to help; if they had the means, they wouldn't need to hire someone.
"You."
Cao Yi uttered a single word.
"Me?"
Wang Kaixuan was even more perplexed. Among the trio of tomb raiders, he was the least skilled. Otherwise, he wouldn't be blowing up holes all the time.
Cao Yi said nothing more and turned to look west.
At that moment, the sun was rising. A red sun, radiating slight warmth, leaped out from the gray horizon, and the not-too-strong morning light blanketed the rolling hills, revealing beautiful curves.
In the northwest, there was a section of hills that felt unusual.
"Daoist Priest, what are you looking at?"
Wang Kaixuan followed Cao Yi's gaze, asking in confusion.
"What does that look like to you?"
Cao Yi pointed.
In the early morning, the wind on the hills was strong, making the loose Daoist robe of Cao Yi flutter.
Wang Kaixuan squinted against the wind, initially not noticing anything odd after looking at the hills all morning, nearly losing focus.
After scrutinizing for a while, a look of wild joy appeared on Wang Kaixuan's face.
That section of rolling hills resembled a head, twin peaks, and the abdomen of a pregnant woman.
Overall, it looked like a woman lying on the ground, heavily pregnant.
Wasn't this exactly what he saw when escaping from the Japanese fortress back then?
"Daoist Priest, I've been here before!"
Wang Kaixuan turned his head, only to find that Cao Yi had vanished from sight.
Turning around, he lowered his gaze and saw Cao Yi, in a sky-blue Daoist robe, walking leisurely down the hill, hands behind his back, as if enjoying a stroll.
"Truly a recluse, leaving the world behind!"
Wang Kaixuan was filled with emotion.
He had spent almost twenty years going up and down mountains with Hu Bayi, encountering all sorts of bizarre characters.
But someone so transcendent and hidden in layers of mist was someone he had never encountered before.
"Ah!"
Suddenly, the walkie-talkie emitted a shrill scream, like that of a slaughtered pig.
Wang Kaixuan's thoughts were interrupted, his expression changed, and he picked up the walkie-talkie, shouting, "Damn it, is this never-ending? The tomb has been found, let them go!"
The walkie-talkie immediately crackled with Yoko's cold voice, "Where?"
Wang Kaixuan snorted heavily in his nose.
These guys were too arrogant; if it weren't for the Other Shore Flower, he wouldn't be serving them at all.
"Ah!"
Another round of screaming followed.
Without a doubt, Big Gold Tooth was getting beaten again.
"In Area 15!"
Wang Kaixuan fumed.
To facilitate communication, every blasting crew member had a walkie-talkie.
Within half a minute of giving the location, a booming explosion echoed, and countless roots and soil flew into the air, forming a small gray mushroom cloud.
Soon, the voices of more than ten walkie-talkies reported, "It's very deep below, and the space is large; it seems to be a tomb."
Wang Kaixuan let out a sigh of relief; it was just as he remembered.
Big Gold Tooth, yelling and shouting, finally wouldn't get beaten anymore.
Yoko released Big Gold Tooth.
Ying Caihong smiled; the long-awaited Goddess Tomb had finally been found, and the Other Shore Flower was not far away.
"Now we can't go down."
Cao Yi walked over.
The Goddess Tomb was right in front of them, so why couldn't they go down?
The crowd looked puzzled.
Cao Yi said nothing more and walked away.
Big Gold Tooth, who was always good at explaining, looked at Cao Yi's back and said in a tomb raiding expert tone, "In a thousand-year-old tomb, the air composition inside is unknown. Many tomb owners leave traps for tomb raiders; when they encounter a large amount of oxygen, it can produce harmful gases. It's normal for Daoist Priest not to let you go down immediately since you haven't brought gas masks or anything."
Mark, who had been unnoticed along the way, chuckled, looking at Big Gold Tooth as if he were an idiot, "It's the technological era now; we can check if the air is safe."
Big Gold Tooth opened his mouth but had no retort.
Mark acted immediately, preparing to test the air and get the tools for going down into the tomb.
Throughout the process, Ying Caihong didn't express any objections; the talisman Daoist Priest had given her was nearly unable to suppress her worsening condition.
...
In the tent, Cao Yi sat on a folding bed.
"Ding! The host has completed the hidden task, revealing his holiness in front of Wang Kaixuan and helping him find the Goddess Tomb."
"Reward (1): Magical Level Sanqing Bell, which can break illusions and is used in conjunction with the Corpse Expelling Talisman."
"Reward (2): Magical Level Peach Wood Sword, effective against zombies, ghosts, and for home protection."
"Reward (3): Magical Level Money Sword, similar to the Peach Wood Sword, but less powerful yet sturdier and more durable."
"Choose one of three; please make your selection."
To deal with a thousand-year-old zombie, just using the corpse-restraining talisman was not safe.
"I choose the Peach Wood Sword,"
Cao Yi said.
"Selecting Reward (2): Magical Level Peach Wood Sword, effective against zombies, ghosts, and for home protection."
Suddenly, a distortion appeared before his eyes, as if a piece of cloth were being wrinkled.
Cao Yi was puzzled as the distorted area shattered, transforming into a golden light screen, through which a figure was seen running continuously.
Cao Yi frowned, not understanding what it meant.
After half a minute, a red fireball appeared ahead of the figure, continuously moving forward.
The figure ran for a while, then crouched down and turned into a seed. Following that, it rapidly grew into a sapling, then into a peach tree, blossoming and bearing fruit.
One day, two figures approached the tree, took a knife, and cut off a branch to make a peach wood sword.
"I understand now,"
Cao Yi revealed an enlightened expression.
He had once read a legend about the Peach Wood Sword.
It was said that Kuafu chased the sun, died of thirst, and transformed into a peach forest. The deities Shentu and Yulei used peach swords to slay demons, ensuring the peace of the people.
The first figure must be Kuafu.
The latter two must be Shentu and Yulei.
Boom!
The light screen shattered, turning into a black hole, and a gust of wind rushed out from inside.
Cao Yi didn't even think; he rolled to the side.
In the next instant, a peach wood sword rushed out from the black hole, enveloped in black mist.
"Not good!"
Cao Yi dodged again.
This time he was a bit slow, and the peach wood sword whizzed past his ear.