Chapter 276

Chapter 276

The Gold-Touching Captain tradition was the most iconic of the four great schools of Tomb Raiding. Its practitioners specialized in Dragon-Searching and Feng Shui Site Selection and adhered to the rule, “No Gold-Touching at Cockcrow or When the Lamp Goes Out.” Their Tomb Raiding techniques were second to none.

However, the vast majority of them had no experience in large-scale combat, much less commanding vast numbers of Ghost Soldiers.

That said, any Descendant of the Gold-Touching Captains capable of securing a position at the Special Affairs Office was bound to possess extraordinary abilities.

It was the legacy of generations of family training.

Since Fang Chuanzong had managed to bring in such an expert to oversee the situation, we had nothing to worry about.

Liu Junyan added another reminder. “Elder Fang, the Corpse Fiend and the Three-Eyed Toad were both severely wounded last night. They’ll definitely replenish themselves on a massive scale before they Undergo a Tribulation. You need to keep an eye on the nearby villages and towns as well.”

Fang Chuanzong said he had already considered that. He had contacted the relevant authorities in the latter half of the night, and they would arrange for the villagers to evacuate temporarily.

After a lengthy discussion, everyone had more or less laid their cards on the table.

Then we began making our own preparations and deployments.

Late that morning, Hui Yumo finished assembling every force the Gray Immortal Hall could mobilize and came over to coordinate the handoff with Hui Moqiong. The siblings would be working together again tonight.

What we hadn’t expected was that Hui Xiaotiao would come with her.

In the underground mine tunnels last night, Hui Xiaotiao had maintained the appearance of a Giant Rat the entire time.

Later, when he reunited with Old Madam Hui inside the tent, he had transformed into human form. But I hadn’t gone inside and had only seen his silhouette cast against the tent wall.

Today, as he stood before us and clasped his hands to salute Liu Junyan and me in turn, I couldn’t help wondering how this boy had managed to survive all those years in the mine tunnels.

He was far too thin — nothing but skin and bones, emaciated almost beyond recognition.

His eyes were deeply sunken, with dark bluish shadows beneath them. Without any fat to soften his features, his cheekbones jutted sharply and his chin came to a point. At first glance, he even looked a little strange.

Even so, it was clear that he had excellent bone structure.

Once he put on some weight and filled out, he was certain to be striking.

He was dressed in casual clothes today. They were the latest style and made from excellent material, though they looked a little too large on him.

No, the clothes weren’t too large. He was simply too thin to fill them out.

That alone showed that his family had prepared new clothes for him every year.

Someone had always been waiting for him to come home.

Hui Xiaotiao had suffered terrible misfortune, but he was also incredibly fortunate.

After greeting everyone one by one, he turned to me alone, clasped his hands, and bowed at a full ninety-degree angle.

I hurried forward and reached out to help him up.

But Hui Xiaotiao said, “Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu, this bow is to thank you for saving my life. You ventured deep into the mine tunnels, broke the Seal, and rescued me.”

I opened my mouth to speak, but he bowed to me again.

“This second bow is on behalf of the miners who were trapped in those tunnels for over a century. Thank you for granting them Salvation with the Soul-Guiding Lantern and giving them a chance at Reincarnation.”

I hastily said, “It was everyone’s achievement, and it was also the result of your own perseverance and hard work. You don’t need to thank me like this.”

Hui Xiaotiao replied, “You were the one who showed us the way. Without you leading from the front, we never would have found the right direction.”

With that, he clasped his hands and bowed to me once more. “My grandmother told me about the pawn agreement last night. From now on, I’m also a member of our Pawnshop. I hope you’ll look out for me, Shopkeeper Xiao Jiu.”

Then he clasped his hands toward Liu Junyan and Hui Moqiong. “I hope Seventh Master Liu and Brother Mo will look out for me as well.”

Liu Junyan nodded to him.

Hui Moqiong slung an arm around Hui Xiaotiao’s shoulders and laughed. “Why do you sound like some stuffy old scholar? Everything you say is so rigid and formal. Don’t call me Brother Mo. Just follow Yumo’s lead and call me Fifth Brother.”

Hui Yumo’s face reddened as she protested, “Brother, if you two want to call each other brothers, why drag me into it?”

Hui Xiaotiao visibly relaxed and called out with a smile, “Fifth Brother.”
“You got it.” Hui Moqiong thumped his chest. “Back when I enshrined your memorial tablet, I said that as long as you came back alive, I’d have your back from then on!”

Hui Xiaotiao knew exactly how to play along. “I appreciate you looking out for me, Fifth Brother.”

For a time, all was harmony.

Amid the hustle and bustle, it was three in the afternoon before we knew it.

The rain grew heavier and more relentless. The sky overhead looked ready to collapse, and the dark clouds pressed down so low that it was almost hard to breathe.

The first group of reinforcements arrived on Fang Chuanzong’s side.

There were seven of them in total, but none had been among those Fang Chuanzong invited.

They were from Maoshan.

The man leading them looked to be around sixty, yet his hair and beard were glossy and lustrous, without a single strand of white. His steps were remarkably light and nimble.

The moment Fang Chuanzong saw him, his delight was plain on his face. “Brother Jingxuan, why did you come in person?”

Mao Jingxuan replied guiltily, “I’d intended for those youngsters to follow you and gain some proper experience, but I never imagined they’d cause you such a huge disaster. As their grandmaster, how could I turn a blind eye? It was only right that I come and apologize on their behalf.”

He handed Fang Chuanzong a box. “Inside are several pills I refined myself. Dissolve them in water for your men to drink. They’ll improve circulation, clear blood stasis, restore qi, and protect the meridians.”

Fang Chuanzong accepted the box as though it were a priceless treasure, then began exchanging pleasantries with Mao Jingxuan.

From beginning to end, Mao Jingxuan never greeted us.

We could understand that. A major sect couldn’t casually associate with just anyone, and people who had reached their level naturally possessed a certain pride.

If we knew our manners, we should have taken the initiative to go over and introduce ourselves.

Hui Xiaotiao and the others made no move to do so either.

I glanced at Liu Junyan, then at the… whole nest… of Mouse Immortal adepts beside me. On second thought, forget it.

Maoshan was an orthodox sect. Its members considered it their duty to subdue demons, eradicate evil, and uphold justice. In their eyes, we were… more or less on the opposing side, weren’t we?

Fortunately, Fang Chuanzong soon led Mao Jingxuan and the others into the RV. We remained in our tent and discussed that night’s operation in detail.

Strangely enough, after the group from Maoshan arrived, there was no further activity.

No one else came, even as six o’clock approached.

We began to wonder whether Fang Chuanzong had actually managed to convince the others to come.

Then, at six thirty, as though they had all arranged it in advance, more than a dozen vehicles converged on the foot of the mountain from different directions. Aside from the drivers, only two or three people emerged from each vehicle, but every one of them looked formidable. They were all highly trained practitioners.

We understood that these people were representatives of the various sects. The manpower they had brought was probably hidden nearby, ready to obey orders at any moment.

Yet from beginning to end, none of Fang Chuanzong’s fellow disciples — whether Senior Brother or Senior Sister — ever showed themselves.

During the wait, Hui Moqiong’s people had already made inquiries. Among those of Fang Chuanzong’s lineage, he was the only one who had entered government service. All the others were people of the martial world.

“People of the martial world are better. They don’t put on bureaucratic airs,” Hui Moqiong muttered. “They probably arrived ages ago. Maybe they’ve even finished scouting the terrain by now, unlike those people…”

Liu Junyan warned him, “Moqiong, don’t make careless remarks about people behind their backs. Walls have ears.”

Hui Moqiong immediately mimed zipping his mouth shut and said nothing more.

I couldn’t suppress a faint sense of unease. “For an operation this big, having more people is a good thing. But with so many people from so many different groups… I’m afraid something might go wrong.”

At that moment, I suddenly realized why Liu Junyan had refused to explain his second ace in the hole when he said he had two.

Revealing his second ace would probably cause unnecessary trouble for both him and our small team.

But he had also said that his second ace could draw out the Great Lama.

At that thought, something flashed through my mind.

I thought I knew what it was…