Ten Deadly Tombs

The next day, I was woken up before seven in the morning by Zhang Jinya's harsh, duck-like voice. After getting dressed and stepping outside, I found that most of the people going to the Qinling Mountains were already gathered in the yard, surrounded by bags and packages of all sizes.

As soon as Zhang Jinya saw me and Zhou Jing coming out, he immediately waved us over: "Xiao Tian, come over and help. We need to set off at 8 o'clock."

"Why are there so many things? Do you think this is a vacation?" I looked at the various packages and frowned slightly: "There's no way to drive in the Qinling Mountains. Are we really going to burden ourselves with all these things? Once we dive into those deep forests, are you planning to trek across mountains and rivers with all this on your back?"

"Indeed, we do have to carry all this stuff into the mountains. Everyone's load is fifty kilograms, no exceptions, except for that little kid next to you!" Wu Pangzi came over with a chuckle, patted my shoulder, and said: "Little brother, you must not be familiar with the Qinling Mountains. Let me tell you, bringing these things is for your own good. I've been to that godforsaken place before. There are no villages ahead or shops behind, it's literally a place where birds don't even bother to poop. Once we're in, there's no way to resupply, and we don't even know how long we'll be staying in that hellhole. It's better to be prepared, brother. Think about it, is it still too much to bring all this?"

Hearing this, my face turned green... Carrying fifty kilograms is literally asking for my life!! My physique is not like ordinary people's. I've been weak since I was a child, and my physical strength is even worse. No amount of training seems to help. My innate lack of energy can't be compensated for by mere training!! I spent all of last night worrying about this trip to the Qinling Mountains. Trekking hundreds of kilometers through those deep forests is no joke. With my physical condition, keeping up is one thing, but adding a fifty-kilogram load, I wouldn't make it ten kilometers before collapsing!!

"Shut up, Fatty!" At that moment, the always cold Rosa suddenly spoke up, looked at me deeply, and said indifferently: "Uncle Ge and I have discussed his condition. He can't carry the fifty kilograms. When we arrive, you'll take thirty kilograms for him, and I'll take twenty."

"Why should I?!" Fatty's eyes bulged as he protested: "Eighty kilograms, I may be strong, but isn't this too much?"

Before Fatty could finish, Rosa pulled out the pistol tucked in her waistband. The dark muzzle was pointed directly at Fatty's forehead: "If you're not willing, then you might as well not go to the Qinling tombs. I can blow your head off right now, believe it or not?"

Looking into this woman's eyes, I felt a chill in my heart—she didn't seem to be joking! What exactly does this woman do? With her disregard for human life, she doesn't seem to be someone to mess with! I've spent most of my life obediently studying in school and have never encountered such a situation. I was somewhat stunned and puzzled—this woman seems to know about my physical condition. Is this Uncle Ge she mentioned my father? And why would she want to help me? At that moment, my curiosity about this woman's identity deepened.

At this time, Zhang Jinya and the others also hurriedly came over to mediate. It was clear that, except for Qingyi, everyone was very wary of this woman. They all spoke gently, eventually agreeing that each person would take an extra ten kilograms for me. Only then did Rosa finally relent, putting away her pistol and looking at me: "You'll ride in my car. From today on, you'll stay by my side, understand?"

I could only respond with a wry smile. After this incident, I felt somewhat embarrassed. It seemed that going to the Qinling tombs with these people, I really became a burden. I quickly went to help them pack, doing as much as I could. I couldn't just sit there and comfortably burden others.

Around eight o'clock, after finishing these tedious tasks, we set off as planned.

This time, we had three cars. Qingyi and Heizi were in the Buick business car driven by Zhang Jinya. I was in a car with Rosa, and Wu Pangzi and Zhou Jing were in another car. We first headed to Yingtan, then to Xi'an, Shaanxi. After resting for a day in Xi'an, we would start our journey to the Qinling area. After all, the journey was over a thousand kilometers. If we didn't rest before entering the mountains, not just me, but even they would be exhausted. After getting in the car, I asked Rosa why she was helping me and if she knew my dad, but unfortunately, the woman completely ignored me. She didn't even spare me a word, just drove with a cold face. I was left to play with my phone in silence, having hit a dead end.

The journey was not short. By the time we arrived in Xi'an, it was nearly noon the next day. After lunch, Rosa took us to a local budget hotel in Xi'an. I shared a room with Zhou Jing, the little kid. But before we could even rest, Zhang Jinya called me and Zhou Jing to Rosa's room. The woman wanted to discuss the specific action plan with us. Seeing the situation, I vaguely understood that this operation was probably led by this woman.

When Zhou Jing and I arrived at Rosa's room, almost everyone was there. Rosa's room had a large bed, which provided enough space for everyone to gather around. Rosa sat in the middle, holding a pen and drawing on a map, enthusiastically discussing something.

As Zhou Jing and I entered, we quickly turned around to lock the door and then joined the group by the bed. After all, we were heading to an ancient tomb, and it would be hard for anyone to believe we weren't tomb raiding. If we accidentally let slip and someone with a big mouth reported us, we might be invited to the police station for tea before even reaching the Qinling Mountains.

"Everyone's here. Let's talk about our next plan," Rosa said, glancing at Zhou Jing and me by the bed, then turning her gaze back to the map. Without lifting her head, she continued: "We'll set off at ten o'clock tomorrow morning, taking the mountainous area between the Wei River and the Han River. It should take about a day to reach Guangyuan Village, where we can only drive up to. Then, we'll have to trek into the Qinling Mountains on foot. From Guangyuan Village, heading towards the direction of the Jialing River, a hundred kilometers or so through the mountains will get us to our destination. We'll travel during the day and camp at night. Without any accidents, we should arrive in five days."

Hearing this, I immediately frowned. A hundred kilometers in three to four days? You've got to be kidding! With my physical condition, I can cover four kilometers in an hour, at least fifty kilometers a day. To take five days for such a short distance seems like a waste of time.

Before I could voice my concerns, Zhang Jinya said: "This is taking too much time. Plus, I've heard that after the Qinling tomb complex was excavated, it attracted many people to the area under the guise of mining. Although many have left due to continuous accidents causing panic, many still remain. As the saying goes, 'fellow competitors are enemies.' If we linger too long on the road, it's easy to run into these people. In the wilderness, if we're killed by someone, we won't even have a place to cry! I suggest we bite the bullet and speed up the journey. If we travel day and night, we should arrive in less than two days."

Many people agreed with Zhang Jinya's words, nodding in approval.

"No!" Rosa immediately frowned and shook her head in disapproval: "We must travel from ten in the morning to three in the afternoon each day. I'm the only one here who has been to the Qinling tombs and returned alive. I know better than you how dangerous it is there. The most terrifying thing in that place is not people, but..."

At this point, Rosa suddenly stopped, her face turning slightly pale as if she had recalled something extremely terrifying. Even fear appeared in her eyes, and she shook her head vigorously: "Anyway, listen to me, we must travel when the yang energy between heaven and earth is strongest. Once the yang energy begins to wane, we must immediately set up camp and rest!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jinya's eyes widened in shock: "Are you saying there's something on the road?"

"Yes! And a lot of it!" Rosa said gravely: "But if we don't travel at night and just sleep in our tents, we should be fine."

After saying this, Rosa ignored everyone else's suggestions, insisting on following her plan. Everyone asked her what exactly was on the road, but she just kept shaking her head, saying she couldn't explain clearly. She told us to fend for ourselves, and whether we could make it alive to the Qinling tombs would depend on our luck. She then explained the general route to us and instructed everyone to go buy some items we hadn't managed to get in Yujiang County in the afternoon.

After finishing, Rosa ended the brief meeting, and everyone dispersed.

"Alright, the past two days in Dingtao Village were tough enough. This afternoon, I'll take you two out to have some fun and relax." Zhang Jinya stretched and patted my shoulder, chuckling: "Otherwise, after today, we'll be heading to the Ten Deadly Tombs. Whether we can return alive is uncertain. We need to enjoy ourselves while we can!"

Ten Deadly Tombs? I couldn't help but shiver, looking at Zhang Jinya in disbelief: "Are you saying the burial group in Qinling is the Ten Deadly Tombs?"

"Yeah, everyone knows that." Zhang Jinya turned to look at me, his eyes as if he had discovered a new continent: "Don't tell me you didn't know the Qinling tomb complex is the Ten Deadly Tombs until now?"

"Yeah, brother, are you really from the Ge family?" Wu Pangzi also came over, his face full of fat trembling with laughter: "It was your dad who first identified those tombs as the Ten Deadly Tombs. It's pretty much known throughout our line of work now. We thought you knew about this long ago!"

I was dazed, barely hearing what Zhang Jinya and Wu Pangzi said afterward. The words "Ten Deadly Tombs" echoed in my mind, nearly scaring me to the ground!