Ye Tiancheng entered the passage, and the fat man followed. Ye Tiancheng could clearly feel something damp, sensing water vapor spraying on his face.
"Brother Ye, why is there so much water vapor underground? I feel like I'm already in the underworld."
Ye Tiancheng glanced at the fat man's complexion. The fat man's face was pale with fright, and his entire demeanor was abnormal. In fact, Ye Tiancheng could understand him.
After all, the fat man was an ordinary person, unlike himself who had been through many hardships and didn't take general dangers to heart. Therefore, his physical strength was not as good as before, and he no longer had true qi to protect him. However, Ye Tiancheng's courage had been honed.
Even without that kind of strength, his disposition remained. Anyway, he wouldn't bother with these minor issues.
"You dead fatty, you're already talking about the underworld. I say, is it fun to be so scared and deceptive? Are you playing with me?"
"Brother Ye, you're poisonous! It's not that I'm timid, it's that you're too brave. You're the bravest person I've ever seen, as if you're not afraid of anything. My legs are weak from fear. I feel like you're treating this like your own home, so leisurely and contented."
Actually, having the fat man around was quite amusing. Ye Tiancheng felt much more relaxed seeing him.
However, he also regretted bringing the man in without the ability to protect him. If they encountered danger later, Ye Tiancheng truly didn't know what he would do.
It seemed he had to be even more careful and absolutely must not let the fat man get into trouble, otherwise, he would regret it even more.
Suddenly, a rustling sound reached Ye Tiancheng's ears, sounding like flowing water. Ye Tiancheng realized they must be approaching a water source, so he warned the fat man to be careful not to be suddenly submerged by the water.
"Brother Ye, how did you hear that? I only heard what sounded like wind. It didn't sound like water to me."
Ye Tiancheng judged the direction of the water sound and felt that this passage continued downwards. Following the sound of the water, it must lead to deeper places.
"I think the fragment of the Fuxi Qin is below."
Ye Tiancheng continued walking towards the depths where the sound of water came from, his body tense. Suddenly, a gentle breeze brushed his face, and some memories flooded into Ye Tiancheng's mind.
"Little Fatty, I feel like this place is very familiar."
"Brother Ye, you feel familiar? What's going on? Have we been here before?"
Ye Tiancheng realized that it was the residual soul of a cultivator who had died here. Therefore, he decided not to continue discussing this topic, as it would be truly strange.
Suddenly, the cave entrance collapsed, blocking their path forward. The fat man was so scared that he sat on the ground.
"Brother Ye, you said you had a map, so you must be more familiar with this place than us. You have to lead me to find another way out." "Fatty, calm down, it's alright. It's just a small collapse, this might just be an accident."
Actually, Ye Tiancheng was also startled just now, but at the critical moment, he was still able to stabilize his mind.
"Brother Ye, don't joke. This isn't a game. What if the entire passage collapses?"
The fat man, terrified, couldn't help but mutter that although he had been married, he was divorced and hadn't found his true love for life. What was most regrettable was that he didn't have children yet, and he didn't want to die in this passage.
But the rumbling sound around him seemed to indicate that the passage could collapse at any moment.
The fat man was extremely scared and kept begging Ye Tiancheng, hoping that Ye Tiancheng could save him, take him out quickly, and not let him endure this suffering.
"It won't happen." At the critical moment, Ye Tiancheng finally gathered the last trace of true qi in his dantian and then blasted open the collapsed passage. "I will definitely not let anything happen to you."
Through the passage they had just blasted open, the two of them tumbled and scrambled into another stone room.
"Brother Ye, that move you just used was too amazing! I didn't see it clearly. Can you show me again? Your move just now really had the style of the past."
It was a powerful move he had managed to unleash in a moment of desperation. Now, even if the fat man asked Ye Tiancheng to demonstrate it again, Ye Tiancheng couldn't do it. His true qi was wandering around him, and Ye Tiancheng couldn't gather it at all. If it weren't for the special circumstances, such an exception wouldn't have happened.
"Alright, stop being glib. We need to be more careful. The danger hasn't passed. I always feel that the aura of this stone room is even more bizarre."
Ye Tiancheng's words were not wrong. Inside this stone room, there were many spirit banners. A wind from somewhere caused the spirit banners to flutter one after another, looking very strange.
This time, let alone Ye Tiancheng, even the fat man heard some strange sounds and reminded Ye Tiancheng.
"Brother Ye, it sounds like something is flying."
"I heard it too. Let's be careful. If necessary, we'll lie down on the ground."
However, as soon as Ye Tiancheng finished speaking, he saw the culprits making those sounds: swarms of unknown insects, like horseflies, suddenly attacked.
The area in front of them was a dense black mass, making it impossible to judge how many terrifying insects there were. The attack was too sudden. Ye Tiancheng's heart sank, he turned around, grabbed the fat man, and ran.
As they ran, the two of them, by chance, rushed out of the tower and saw the sun outside.
"Brother Ye, I told you, you were tricked! It's good enough that we could get out. We didn't find the treasure you were looking for at all. This damned swindler actually targeted Brother Ye."
The fat man was still boasting, but Ye Tiancheng noticed that he was scratching his hand while talking.
"Not good, you were bitten by insects just now. Don't scratch it! These insects have venom. If your bump breaks, it will easily leak out. This venom is no joke; it will corrode your skin upon contact."
When the fat man heard Ye Tiancheng say this, he was so scared that he couldn't move. Ye Tiancheng tried to use his true qi to help heal the bump on his face, but he couldn't gather any true qi.
"Fatty, I could have helped you before, but I don't have that ability now. It looks like you'll have to go to the hospital for treatment."
"Brother Ye, I got injured for you. If it gets infected, you'll have to take responsibility for me."
"Yes, don't worry. Ordinary insect repellent cream will work." Fortunately, it wasn't a difficult-to-treat poisonous insect. "Alright, how could I know you were so stupid? I shouldn't have taken you exploring."
The fat man stopped talking, as if the bump on his face was quite uncomfortable. Ye Tiancheng quickly took him to the hospital. They needed to drain the pus from his bump first, and then apply some disinfectant.
After this incident, Ye Tiancheng realized he had indeed been set up. He was worried that with the current clues, coupled with someone obstructing him from the shadows and his own insufficient abilities, it would be too difficult to find another fragment of the Fuxi Qin.
The fat man was hospitalized on the doctor's advice, with his face bandaged. Su Muxian, who had promised to give Ye Tiancheng freedom, originally intended not to bother him again, but she brought fruits and health products to see the fat man.
"Brother Fatty, I don't know what Brother Ye is busy with, but like me, you shouldn't get involved in his affairs anymore, or you'll be in danger." Su Muxian's voice was very low, but the fat man could hear her. "And I feel that Brother Ye is a bit extreme. If you continue to get involved in his affairs, I'm afraid he will hate you."
"Su Muxian, perhaps you don't understand. We are brothers, closer than blood brothers. I must ensure Ye Tiancheng's safety. Whether he hates me or not, I have to help him. I don't know what treasure he is looking for, and I don't really care. I can't watch him sink deeper into danger. I don't need to save him."
Su Muxian understood the fat man's meaning. It seemed that good friends couldn't abandon each other.
"Brother Fatty, although I met you through Ye Tiancheng, and we are good friends, since you say so, I can't just ignore your matters either."
The fat man didn't want Su Muxian to get involved. She, a young girl, was even weaker than him. If she encountered danger, it would be a disaster.
"Su Muxian, I think your brain is also damaged. You must ensure your own safety, otherwise, Ye Tiancheng will beat me to death."
The fat man persuaded Su Muxian for a long time before Su Muxian realized that she couldn't cause them trouble. She finally decided to go back to her hometown to live for a while until Ye Tiancheng's current problems were resolved.
Actually, Su Muxian envied the fat man. She also wished she could become Ye Tiancheng's comrade-in-arms, like in another world, but she had no ability and could only be a burden.
"Brother Fatty, take good care of your face in the hospital and make sure you're alright before you leave. As for Ye Tiancheng, he's been quite temperamental lately, so please be patient with him."
The fat man also said that Ye Tiancheng had a sharp tongue but a soft heart, and that between the two brothers, they wouldn't fuss over minor details, so Su Muxian didn't need to worry.
Before returning to her hometown, Su Muxian wanted to see Ye Tiancheng again. However, she needed a reason. She heard that inviting Ye Tiancheng for a meal at the only decent barbecue restaurant in town was a good idea.
"Brother Ye, there are many dishes here. Which dish do you like? Eat it yourself, don't be polite with me."
"Su Muxian, I think we're being a bit strange. Why don't we call Fatty over? Let's eat together, the three of us."
Actually, Su Muxian wanted to be alone with Ye Tiancheng. Even the fat man wasn't suitable as a third wheel, so she didn't continue on this topic. Instead, she changed the subject and told Ye Tiancheng that the charcoal-grilled beef here seemed very good.
"Su Muxian, I advise you not to focus all your energy on me. My situation is not good right now, and I can't protect you. Give me some time."
Ye Tiancheng seemed particularly afraid of implicating Su Muxian. Su Muxian also felt this, and perhaps it was a form of protection for her.
Su Muxian didn't want to bury Ye Tiancheng's good intentions: "Alright, Brother Ye, today is for eating. Look at all this delicious food. You haven't eaten like this in a long time. Let's eat first, and we can discuss other things later."
After they finished the barbecue, Ye Tiancheng personally sent Su Muxian back to her hometown.
Now, many people were looking for Su Muxian, all sorts of methods were being used for the one million information fee.
Ye Tiancheng thought that only in the remote Su family hometown could they temporarily hide, but it probably wouldn't last long. After all, the waiter had seen them together before, and the news had already spread quietly.
It had been almost a month now, which was quite good. Logically, they should have been caught long ago.
In fact, the reason Ye Tiancheng still wanted to send Su Muxian back to her hometown was that he hoped the Su family could find her.
According to the usual behavior of Su Jiapeng's daughter, perhaps she wouldn't have to get married anymore, and Su Muxian could return to her carefree life as a young lady.
Seeing Su Muxian living such a hard life, Ye Tiancheng felt unbearable. After all, barbecue of this quality was something the young lady Su couldn't have eaten before. Now, she had sacrificed so much for him, and Ye Tiancheng didn't want this situation to continue.