The Informal Tomb Raiding Diary: She is the occupant of the tomb!-Chapter 32: Misunderstandings Only Deepen

Boss Lu looked at me as if Columbus had discovered a new continent, and I didn’t understand what was so remarkable about collecting a steel helmet.

"It’s truly surprising that the Leng Family produced such a peculiar person like you!" Boss Lu’s dubbed tone came out again.

"I’ve heard that Leng Family people pride themselves as descendants of the phoenix, leaving no treasure untouched, but it seems there are also those who like scrap metal."

All Boss Lu’s recovered energy was spent on talking; like all villains, she was exceptionally verbose.

"You and Professor Chen truly have a matched affinity. No wonder he goes to great lengths to enter the tomb to find you; you’re practically a natural pair."

Her last sentence, clearly sarcastic, set off Miss Scream’s nerves.

Previously drooping and whimpering about how her bones were falling apart, Miss Scream immediately sat upright and stared wide-eyed, asking, "What? Who’s a pair with whom?"

I almost forgot about her, and what Chen Qinghan said, Huang Wenjing and the others still didn’t know.

Anyway, with Boss Lu now alone, we weren’t afraid of lies being exposed, so it wouldn’t matter to take this chance to tell her the truth.

I had just opened my mouth when Wen Jing shouted, "Oh—so Professor Chen came to find Little Fu!"

He had a suddenly enlightened look, saying, "Could Little Fu be——"

"She’s a P!" Miss Scream angrily interrupted Wen Jing.

Wen Jing and Shunfeng knew Chen Qinghan’s purpose of entering the tomb; I guessed they wouldn’t misunderstand our relationship. Wen Jing’s sudden realization must have been understood entirely differently.

But Boss Lu, due to their reactions, firmly believed in my relationship with Chen Qinghan, waiting like an eager spectator for Miss Scream to act out.

Being alone in the tomb, even the appearance of a Tomb Robber could cheer me up for half a day. Sometimes, in a good mood, even if they splashed me with blood, I’d treat them kindly.

It wasn’t so complex back then. Boss Lu just got a bit of strength and began instigating trouble, and Miss Scream happened to be easily provoked.

I didn’t bother dealing with Miss Scream nor waste time conversing with Boss Lu on meaningless matters. Maybe I had a social disorder? 𝗳𝐫𝚎𝗲𝚠𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝘃𝚎𝗹.𝗰𝗼𝗺

I looked at Chen Qinghan, hoping he’d instinctively take over the task of explaining. Living people are troublesome, living women even more so; thus, at critical moments, a man must stand up to resolve things.

"That’s right; I came this time specifically to find her." Chen Qinghan spoke up, but what he said was completely contrary to my expectations.

"Impossible, you didn’t say before you came to find anyone; you came to help my father look for things!" Miss Scream shouted.

I looked up at the supporting frame of the mine tunnel’s ceiling, worried she’d shout the entire mine down.

I gave Chen Qinghan a glare, blaming him for provoking Miss Scream at such a time, as her usual tantrums could implicate everyone.

Chen Qinghan quickly pinched her neck, causing her to fall into unconsciousness, and Boss Lu slightly regretted pouting.

She’s the one who enjoyed the spectacle and didn’t consider if Miss Scream collapsed the mine, no one would escape.

"Oh... Different people have different preferences; cultured people are so refined, ignoring rich and beautiful women but preferring oddities."

I didn’t take Boss Lu’s words to heart; she was just self-righteous. But why did Chen Qinghan continue to lie? What was his real intention?

Wen Jing and Shunfeng’s understanding of Chen Qinghan ’finding me’ clearly differed from that of Boss Lu and Miss Scream.

Their eyes, now looking at me, were remarkably bright, like four light bulbs.

I couldn’t guess their thought process. Regardless of their thinking, I planned to flee after descending the mountain, going our separate ways, beginning wherever, just as I pleased!

Seeing everyone rested enough, Chen Qinghan stood up, extinguished the campfire, and then had me lead the way deeper into the mine passage.

Chen Qinghan and I walked at the front, Boss Lu in the middle, and Wen Jing and Shunfeng pushed Miss Scream at the back.

By the side of the mine, there were several small carts, originally thought to be broken after so many years, but unexpectedly, the carts are entirely metal-made, and aside from the severely decayed tires, the rest was still intact.

Normally, metals would corrode and perish over time, yet these carts, whether due to special anti-corrosion treatment or special metal crafting, remained sturdy and durable after being left unused for years in the mine.

The only flaw was the tires, squeaking as they were pushed, likely to soon awaken Miss Scream from the jostling.

Arriving at the tunnel I dug out, Chen Qinghan climbed to the mine’s ceiling to inspect it, confirming Boss Lu spoke the truth.

The tunnel’s collapse was engineered; the explosion didn’t damage the overall structure. If those miners hadn’t died from poison, they could dig through the soil to escape.

Chen Qinghan widened and heightened my dug tunnel, allowing even Wen Jing, who was large-framed, to pass through.

Only the carts couldn’t pass, fortunately, there were carts on the other side of the collapse.

Following the winding mine tunnel downwards, we reached the door at the bottom. Chen Qinghan calculated the tunnel’s height, saying we now were below the mountain yet still above the ground by several meters.

His calculations were certainly more precise than mine; not having ventured out, I couldn’t match him traversing south and north.

Knowing we’re nearing the ground, Wen Jing said, "Then what are we waiting for? Maybe this mine tunnel parallel to the surface leads to an exit."

"If you’re unsure, shall I go ahead to scout the path?"

"Let me go; you stay here to look after them."

Chen Qinghan pressed my shoulder, then drew his sword and stepped into the mine passage.

He said for me to look after them, among them certainly didn’t include Boss Lu, so I understood it as him deliberately reminding me to keep an eye on Boss Lu.

Chen Qinghan’s silhouette went beyond the flashlight’s range, and soon even his footsteps were inaudible.

"Miss Leng, I haven’t finished the story earlier. Would you like to continue listening?"

As soon as Chen Qinghan walked away, Boss Lu spoke up. She never told it sooner or later, she timed it right when Chen Qinghan wasn’t there, her intentions crystal clear.

"Go ahead." I understood living people have many thoughts and are skilled at playing tricks, especially ’Jianghu people’.

"Though the mine owner didn’t disclose the secret inside the mine to his family, in his later years, during bouts of dementia, he often babbled nonsensically; these words were overheard by his personal nurse."

"What did he say?" The one asking was Shunfeng, the youngest and most curious, listening intently to the story earlier and now eagerly asked upon hearing it continued.

"An ancient passageway leading to the Netherworld."

"Netherworld? This place still is several levels higher than the ground, far from the Lower Yellow Springs." I disinterestedly responded.

"Oh my goodness, as a Leng Family member, can’t you think less narrow-mindedly? Must the Netherworld be underground?"

"Do you mean... Different Space?" I heard about the theory in some sci-fi movies.

Thanks to the Tomb Robber having broad interests, I’ve encountered various information, albeit little of it that’s scientific, mostly from films and novels.