“Let’s talk about your conditions, or rather, the conditions of that System behind you.”
The moment Qiu Yunzheng saw Gu Hanfeng walking in, she became like a wind-up toy, reflexively sitting up straight while trembling slightly. Her delicate oval face showed no expression, and her beautiful almond-shaped eyes grew dull with fear.
Gu Hanfeng suddenly found it somewhat amusing. Looking at Qiu Yunzheng like this, he thought to himself: With such timid courage, she still dared to go alone to such a remote place and even dared to excavate tombs. It’s hard to say whether she’s carefree or just foolishly brave.
Meanwhile, Yang Jianshe, who was observing the situation from outside, grew very curious. Qiu Yunzheng’s current state was like a rabbit spotting an eagle, or a mouse encountering a cat. Of course, this also made Yang Jianshe feel less suspicious and guarded toward Qiu Yunzheng. It’s hard to say whether this was an unexpected benefit, though even if Qiu Yunzheng knew about it, she probably wouldn’t be happy.
“N-no particular conditions. Just… just develop the Ancient Tomb as quickly as possible, complete it quickly. And… I must be present. Yes, I absolutely must be there. I won’t do anything, I’ll just follow and observe. I also have a map, I know the safest route. But I can only look at it myself – I can’t write it down or tell you about it.”
The more Qiu Yunzheng spoke, the more flustered she became, starting to ramble incoherently. Her entire face turned bright red, and tears nearly spilled from her eyes.
Ahhh, this is so embarrassing! What am I saying? I’m not threatening anyone, really! I’m just stating facts!
Besides, she had originally intended to hand everything over directly, but in her nervousness, her words had gotten tangled.
Ahem. “Is this required by the System? Or is it your own requirement?”
Gu Hanfeng suddenly felt that his previous excessive suspicion – that this young girl might have ulterior motives – might have overestimated her. Looking at her now, this young girl was indeed somewhat adorably foolish.
“A bit of both… And… ***, that is, after I complete the development, I’ll receive rewards. I can give them all to you then. I don’t want these rewards. Also… also, after this Ancient Tomb is fully developed, I can continue helping to find more Ancient Tombs. Really, I’m not lying.”
In her anxiety, Qiu Yunzheng nearly slipped and mentioned the System, but it came out as a busy signal sound, so she had to rephrase.
Although Gu Hanfeng didn’t hear Qiu Yunzheng mention the System and couldn’t read her lips, he could roughly guess what she meant.
“So the sooner the better? And you just need to be present, regardless of how many people are involved?”
“Yes, yes, yes.”
Qiu Yunzheng quickly nodded while rapidly agreeing, thinking to herself: Finally we’re getting to the main point. This man is so terrifying! Let’s finish quickly so he can leave, please leave!
Gu Hanfeng wasn’t oblivious to the fear and resistance in Qiu Yunzheng’s eyes toward him, but he didn’t particularly care. After all, he was used to seeing such reactions.
“Then rest for now. I’ll make arrangements. Later, someone will take you to wash up and change clothes. What you’re wearing isn’t suitable for exploring the Ancient Tomb.”
“Okay, okay.”
After Gu Hanfeng left, Qiu Yunzheng finally felt as if a weight had been lifted off her shoulders. She relaxed her body again, slumped over the table while panting heavily, with even fine beads of sweat forming on her forehead.
Even though Gu Hanfeng had deliberately restrained his imposing presence, for Qiu Yunzheng, who had already experienced one fright, the shadow he cast over her remained significant.
“Hanfeng, what exactly did you do to this girl before? She seems utterly terrified. If you don’t tone down your demeanor, you might end up without a wife in the future.”
Yang Jianshe, who had been observing from outside the room the entire time, no longer wore his earlier stern expression. Instead, he was smiling cheerfully as he teased Gu Hanfeng upon his exit.
“Ahem, Commander Yang, please don’t make fun of me. You know I don’t have such thoughts. For someone like me, whose life could end at any moment, why should I make others live in constant fear?”
Gu Hanfeng rubbed his nose, but his expression turned serious and resolute, making it clear that his words reflected his true feelings.
“You… ah, forget it.”
Faced with his most capable subordinate, Yang Jianshe could say no more. He knew that Gu Hanfeng’s mindset had been this way for a long time.
The next day, the sun was radiant, shining brightly overhead.
It made the wasteland appear even more desolate. Under the sun’s relentless assault, the already sparse leaves on the crooked-neck tree became even fewer, as if a single gust of wind would strip them all away.
Unlike Qiu Yunzheng’s previous solo visit, the wasteland was now swarming with soldiers patrolling and inspecting the area, along with numerous archaeologists equipped with professional gear.
This time, however, the first to descend into the tomb were Qiu Yunzheng, Gu Hanfeng, five soldiers, and an elderly professor. The decision to keep the group small was due to concerns about potential dangers inside and the difficulty of ensuring everyone’s safety.
More importantly, despite being sixty years old, the professor moved with such agility that he seemed even more nimble than Qiu Yunzheng.
The other professors were naturally puzzled about why a young, pretty girl was allowed to enter first, but none voiced their doubts or made unnecessary comments. Everyone was simply following orders.
There was no room for clichéd drama—no one questioned Qiu Yunzheng’s capabilities, tried to isolate her, or mocked her.
Frankly, for professors and scholars wholly preoccupied with the contents of the tomb, they had no time for such trivialities.
If the state had authorized this young woman to join the expedition, and anyone who had ever entered a large-scale tomb knew that the first to go in faced the greatest risks—essentially putting their lives on the line—who would bother nitpicking or testing her?
With so much important work to do, it was far better to focus on analyzing the images and texts transmitted from below, offering assistance as quickly as possible to help those exploring the tomb overcome any challenges they might encounter.
“According to what you said, where should we enter?”
Bai Lishen, who had been standing nearby, was the first to speak. However, he wasn’t addressing Qiu Yunzheng but rather Gu Hanfeng, who was examining the arrangements.
It couldn’t be helped—the tent held only the three of them. One was standing at the entrance, reviewing a report in his hands; another was Qiu Yunzheng, who was clearly hiding behind Bai Lishen to avoid someone; and the last was Bai Lishen himself.
He knew nothing about the situation, having only suddenly received orders stating that an ancient Spring and Autumn period monarch’s mausoleum had been discovered here, and that absolute confidentiality was required due to the sensitive nature of the location.
The people who came were just a few elderly scholars from their research institute, along with several thoroughly vetted apprentices they had brought along.
He didn’t recognize Qiu Yunzheng, but had some understanding of the imposing Gu Hanfeng standing nearby—though they weren’t familiar with each other.
“Qiu Yunzheng, you explain.”
Gu Hanfeng was still reviewing the report in his hands. This mission was special, and the location was particularly sensitive, so he had taken full command. He would soon need to enter the Ancient Tomb himself.
With limited time currently, Gu Hanfeng had Qiu Yunzheng answer Bai Lishen’s inquiry instead—besides, he didn’t know the details anyway.
Qiu Yunzheng, who had been sitting idly while bickering with 288, was suddenly called upon by Gu Hanfeng. He nearly couldn’t resist jumping up to shout “Present!”
But he restrained himself. Although he remained quite fearful of Gu Hanfeng, he hadn’t reached the point of trembling uncontrollably.
Still, this demeanor of his really didn’t seem convincing nor particularly fitting for the situation.