Chapter 349: Array Eye
Its life was continuing on, just in a different way.
Xiao Ye, however, was in a bind. The array core was under the tree, which meant he would have to dig.
This tree was clearly ancient. It would be a shame to destroy it.
Xiao Ye wanted to preserve this new life if he could.
Every living thing in this world, even a simple plant or tree, has a right to live—especially one this old.
"The array core is under this root. We should try not to damage it too much. We just need to dig a hole about this big."
Jin Mingzhu glanced at the spot Xiao Ye indicated. "Alright, I know what to do. Don't worry, I'll make sure the tree survives. I have experience."
With that, she immediately got to work.
She stood on the trunk for better leverage.
「Half an hour later.」
A shallow pit had appeared in the tree trunk, but even so, she was still a long way from her target underground.
Just as Jin Mingzhu was about to dig harder, she suddenly heard a buzzing sound.
She turned her head and saw something that looked like a hornet.
Her pupils shrank. 'This thing is poisonous!'
'If I get stung and don't get the antidote within a few hours, it could be life-threatening!'
Without a second thought, Jin Mingzhu drew her dagger, intending to kill it.
But just then, she lost her balance.
The ground here was a slope, making it difficult for even a master like Jin Mingzhu to get a foothold. All she could do was feel herself begin to fall.
As she fell, she instinctively reached out to grab onto something.
Seeing this, Xiao Ye immediately grabbed her wrist. "Don't worry, I'll pull you up!"
Jin Mingzhu felt a moment of relief, but then she saw a huge swarm of poisonous hornets.
'These things live in colonies. If you see one, it means there's probably a nest nearby.'
"Xiao Ye, let me go!"
"There are poisonous hornets behind you! A huge swarm, and they're highly toxic!"
With that, she tried to wrench her hand free.
Xiao Ye had already heard the commotion.
He had two choices: let go of Jin Mingzhu, giving him a chance to deal with the hornets on his own...
...or fall with Jin Mingzhu.
Xiao Ye's expression remained unchanged. His fingers moved swiftly, forming a hand seal.
The divination result showed: Life!
'The danger level is very low. In other words, even if we fall, nothing disastrous will happen. We'll probably just get minor injuries at worst!'
Seeing the result of the divination, Xiao Ye didn't hesitate for a second longer and leaped down.
Jin Mingzhu's eyes widened. "What are you doing?!"
Before the words were out of her mouth, Xiao Ye was already at her side, wrapping his arms protectively around her.
THUD!
The two of them landed on the ground at the same time. The slope was steep, and their bodies rolled uncontrollably.
Xiao Ye whipped out his dagger, planning to dig it into the ground to stop their fall.
But the slope was too short. The next second, they tumbled into a deep pit hidden under fallen leaves!
THUD!
The two of them landed heavily on the ground.
At the last second, Xiao Ye managed to use his dagger to brace against a nearby stone wall, slowing their descent slightly.
In the end, he was on the bottom, and Jin Mingzhu was on top.
The landing wasn't too hard, just a dull ache spreading through his body.
Xiao Ye pushed Jin Mingzhu off, got up and stretched a bit. "Are you okay?"
Jin Mingzhu stared at him blankly, thinking of his resolute expression as he jumped down with her.
Her heart suddenly began to race!
She knew this wasn't about weighing pros and cons anymore. She was genuinely developing feelings for Xiao Ye. Her heart was pounding.
After several seconds, Jin Mingzhu finally came back to her senses. "I'm fine, but my foot hit something while we were rolling down."
She stretched out her leg. Sure enough, her ankle was already swollen, and there was a long, bloody scratch.
Most people would have burst into tears from the pain of such an injury.
But her expression remained unchanged, as if it were nothing.
"Let me see. It's not serious, just a superficial wound, and your bone is a little dislocated. I'll set the bone for you, then you can treat the wound yourself."
Jin Mingzhu could handle such a minor thing herself.
In truth, she knew how to set bones herself, but when she heard Xiao Ye offer to help, she answered instinctively, "Okay. Thank you."
"I'm fine with treating surface wounds, but with bones... I'm not as skilled."
This wasn't really a lie; she just wanted to have more contact with Xiao Ye.
Everyone has their own selfish desires, even a top-tier agent.
Xiao Ye grabbed her ankle and applied a bit of force.
CRACK.
The bone was back in place.
Jin Mingzhu took out medicine and gauze to disinfect and bandage the wound.
"Sorry, this is all my fault. I dragged you down with me."
"It's fine. None of this would have happened if it weren't for the hornets." They were deep in the mountains; anything was possible here.
Xiao Ye didn't blame her. It was a sudden accident, and it wasn't her fault.
However, he was very interested in the place they had fallen into.
'Why would there be a hole on a slope?'
Moreover, the stone walls of this pit clearly showed signs of carving.
However, due to years of exposure to the elements, they were so heavily eroded that they were almost invisible.
After treating her wound, Jin Mingzhu also noticed the issue. "This place isn't natural. It's man-made."
"Right." Xiao Ye looked to their left, where there was a cave entrance.
"If I'm right, this is most likely an ancient tomb. The place we just fell from is a tomb raiders' tunnel."
"They must have been planning to move some large items, so they made the opening huge. It's been covered by leaves and branches all these years, so no one noticed."
'But if that's the case, then everything inside this tomb must have been stolen long ago.'
'And judging by the level of erosion, it has to have been at least ten or twenty years.'
Jin Mingzhu coughed. "So, should we go in?"
They couldn't get out through the hole above them.
It was wide at the bottom and narrow at the top, and the surrounding soil was extremely loose.
Even if they could get a purchase, it wouldn't be enough to support an adult's weight.
Xiao Ye nodded. "Since we're here, of course we should go take a look. This tomb is right near the array core. To be able to find such a prime feng shui location in ancient times and be buried here..."
"I suspect the occupant was no simple figure. Besides, there are many ethnic minorities here. I suspect it was someone like a Tusi."
'If it really was a Tusi, then this is a major tomb.'
In ancient times, a Tusi was a high-ranking official, a tribal chieftain.
Jin Mingzhu got up, dragging one leg. "Then let's go in."
After speaking, she coughed again, feeling a bit of an itch in her throat.
'Probably just from inhaling some dust.' She thought nothing of it.
The two of them walked into the ancient tomb, one after the other.
Just as Xiao Ye had guessed, the inside had long been looted, and many items were even damaged.
And because it was open to the outside air, the decay was even more severe.
'Such fine artifacts, ruined just like that.'
Tomb robbing had been rampant decades ago, and the situation had only slowly improved in more recent years.