Tomb Raider: Call Me Dragon Vein Cleaner

Chapter 20 Conversation with Shirley Yang

Back in the desert above, the group sat in the shade.

Ye Yixin and Sadi Peng, who remained above, huddled together, looking at Chu Jian's notebook.

The above contains the knowledge points he recorded below.

Hu Bayi and Professor Chen, on the other hand, were frowning as they pondered the possibility of crossing the underground river.

"Currently, if we want to use the underground passage, there are two major challenges that must be overcome."

First, regarding transportation: the underground river is icy cold and its depth is unfathomable; it is impossible to travel without a boat.

Even if there were boats, there's no way to transport them across; the passage is too narrow.

As the team leader, Hu Bayi analyzed the situation rationally.

Professor Chen and the others also learned of Yang Xueli's speculation about the raft, but they couldn't find that many animal hides.

They also lacked the skill to build rafts.

"Xiao Hu, we brought many tents, and the fabric on them is waterproof."

Perhaps we could try making a small raft?

Hao Aiguo had a sudden inspiration and said to Hu Bayi with a hint of excitement.

Hu Bayi sighed, then responded helplessly:

"Okay, even if these tents can be made into rafts and are tough enough, we still face another problem."

This leads to the second challenge I wanted to discuss: the large catfish with its sharp teeth.

Hu Bayi described the catfish's size, the sharpness of its teeth, and its jumping ability.

Hao Aiguo was dejected.

Anyone with a brain can see that using a tent as a boat to sail on a dark river teeming with sharp-toothed catfish is tantamount to suicide.

"Hey everyone, don't be discouraged. If we can't find the secret passage, we'll just find the ancient city of Jingjue in the desert in the open."

Besides, this secret passage wasn't part of our original plan, so there's no need to be discouraged.

After much deliberation, Professor Chen decided to forgo this shortcut, reasoning that he couldn't do something where the risks outweighed the benefits.

Hu Bayi had no objection to this. In fact, he did not agree with the idea of ​​fighting to the death over the underground river, as that would be playing with one's life.

At this moment, Cheng Feng raised his hand and patted Yang Xueli on the back, saying:

"Ms. Yang, there's something I'd like to discuss with you privately, is that alright?"

Everyone else looked at Cheng Feng. Yang Xueli looked puzzled, but still nodded and agreed to Cheng Feng's invitation to talk.

Under the curious gazes of Hu Bayi, Professor Chen, and others, the two got up and walked towards a small sand dune in the distance.

Filled with doubts, Yang Xueli was led by Cheng Feng to the shaded side of the sand dune.

"What do you want to talk to me about, and why are you doing it in secret?"

Yang Xueli's eyes flickered uncertainly, wondering if Cheng Feng was about to confess his feelings to her.

It's quite normal for Cheng Feng to develop feelings for her after spending this time together.

"What I'm about to say may shock you and be hard to understand, but please listen calmly, as it concerns the life and death of everyone in the team."

Seeing Cheng Feng's unprecedentedly solemn expression, Yang Xueli also became much more dignified.

"Okay, tell me."

Cheng Feng nodded and continued:

"You are a descendant of the Zaglama tribe, right?"

"Professor Chen told you that?"

The only person in the archaeological team who knew her identity was Professor Chen, so it was only natural to assume that Professor Chen had mentioned it to Cheng Feng.

Cheng Feng shook his head without giving a specific explanation.

"People of the Zaglama tribe are born with an eye-shaped birthmark on their backs."

It's a sign, and a curse; it won't kill you instantly, but you'll never live past fifty.

Cheng Feng then continued:

"And your grandfather, the Mountain-Moving Taoist Partridge Whistle, came up with a plan, which was to leave the ancestral land,"

The farther away you are, the slower the curse takes to take effect.

Yang Xueli's eyes flickered as she stared intently at Cheng Feng and asked, "Who exactly are you, and why do you know so much about my affairs?"

This was not something that could be learned from Professor Chen; Professor Chen was on good terms with Yang Xueli's father.

Although Professor Chen knew some information about the Zaglama people, he could never have known the name Partridge Whistle.

"That's not important. Next, I'll talk about the Jingjue Ancient City. Remember, I said I knew a little about it."

Cheng Feng took out a cigarette from his pocket, lit it, and then spoke.

"Okay, keep talking!"

Despite the myriad of doubts in her heart, Yang Xueli forced herself to remain calm and spoke.

Cheng Feng took a deep breath and said:

"There are two things you should carefully consider before going to the ancient city of Jingjue."

The first thing is that anyone who gets close to the Ghost Cave in the Jingjue Ancient City will be cursed.

The effect is the same as in your family; they won't live past fifty. Professor Chen is almost seventy, and Hao Aiguo is not young either.

Yang Xueli's heart skipped a beat, and an indescribable chill rose from the bottom of her heart.

She thought of Cheng Feng's amazing performance all the way, his superhuman skills, and his control over the fireflies.

They discovered the tomb of Prince Gumo even earlier than Hu Bayi.

Even without evidence, they believed Cheng Feng's words to some extent.

"Secondly, the coffin used by the Queen of Jingjue was made of Jianmu wood, which is a divine object."

Furthermore, her corpse was parasitized by the corpse flower (Amorphophallus titanum), a plant that induces extremely strong hallucinations.

Under the influence of the Jianmu tree, anyone who enters the area of ​​the Jingjue Ancient City falls within its sphere of influence.

"What happens then may not be true."

After saying that, Cheng Feng stubbed out his cigarette, which had burned out completely, and stood up, saying:

"You need to think carefully about whether you still want to go to the Jingjue Ancient City and whether you should bring the entire archaeological team."

Finally, here's some news: there's no way to break the curse in the ancient city of Jingjue.

After saying that, Cheng Feng left Yang Xueli, who was being controlled by his verbal persuasion, and turned to walk towards the crowd of people who were peeking around.

After casually responding to the curious Hu Bayi and the others, Cheng Feng found a place to lie down and rest.

He didn't know how much time had passed when Cheng Feng felt someone standing next to him.

When he opened his eyes, Yang Xueli was looking down at him with a tense expression.

"Get up and eat."

"it is good!"

The two arrived at the fire one after the other, where instant noodle packets that Yang Xueli had brought from the United States were cooking.

Perhaps Hu Bayi had told some gossip, because the crowd looked at the two of them with a mocking gaze.

Professor Chen was also smiling, his face showing a kind expression.

In his view, it would be a double blessing if the descendants of the two old friends were to be together.

"Xiao Feng, while you were resting, we discussed it and decided to give up on taking the secret passage."

"We'll still rely on Anliman's guide to find the traces of the Zidu Dark River; then we'll naturally find the ancient city of Jingjue."

Professor Chen's words made Cheng Feng pause for a moment, but he quickly returned to normal.

"Okay, when do we set off?"

Cheng Feng glanced at Yang Xueli without making a sound.

Team leader Hu Bayi said, "It's getting dark soon, let's get some rest tonight and set off tomorrow."

Cheng Feng nodded without speaking, while the others chatted idly, with the students verifying each other's knowledge.

Little did they know that the journey ahead might very well be the final leg of their young lives.