Li Zhonglou unnerved her somewhat.
For someone so young, he had instantly seized the initiative in their conversation. This was not a good sign, and it forced her to reconsider things.
"Junior disciple, Ms. Tang likely won't retract her offer. Let's go," Lin Ying said, standing up discreetly.
She intensely disliked Tang Lengyun, finding her scheming and calculating. Their auras clashed. If Li Zhonglou hadn't shown any intention of leaving, she would have been long gone without a word.
"Wait!" Tang Lengyun stood and declared, "I accept this transaction."
"Wait here."
With that, she ascended to the villa's second-floor collection room. She opened the safe, retrieved the chipped piece of meteorite inlaid with cat's eye, identical to the photograph. Approaching Li Zhonglou, she paused. "I can give you the item. But remember what you just said. If you don't go to Zhonghai within three months, I will find you by any means necessary."
"Young man, every choice a person makes carries consequences."
Her words held a veiled threat. With her current strength and the Fan family's influence, achieving this would be easy. If Li Zhonglou had merely tricked her for the key, she would ensure he understood the price of speaking carelessly.
"Your current choice is quite correct," Li Zhonglou smiled, taking the chipped piece. He brought it together with his own dragon-head totem. Although the iron ore carved into the dragon's head had weathered considerably from exposure to wind and rain, it fit perfectly at the chipped corner.
"Mr. Li, I'll be waiting for you," Fan Meng said, standing up as well. Hope flickered in her large eyes as she spoke earnestly.
The first time she saw Li Zhonglou, she felt an inexplicable sense of familiarity and a natural closeness. Seeing him again now, with her father's life at stake, she instinctively placed all her hopes on him.
"Let's return to Zhonghai," Li Zhonglou said, handing the totem and the chipped piece to Lin Ying. He nodded seriously to Fan Meng as he turned to leave.
Leaving the Tang family villa, Zhao Zheng let out a long sigh of relief and gave Li Zhonglou a thumbs-up. "Zhonglou, you're amazing. You settled Tang Lengyun in just a few words. That woman is known for being difficult to deal with."
"If it weren't for you today, we would have all been on a pointless trip."
Zhang Chen chuckled, "You haven't seen how ruthless my master can be." He shivered slightly after saying it.
Only Lin Ying remained engrossed, studying the totem and the chipped piece, saying nothing. With the items secured, they would head up the mountain to excavate the tomb tomorrow. Their initial purpose was preliminary recording and research; once the artifacts were moved to the museum, their role would be over.
Back at the hotel, after explaining the situation to Professor Song, everyone decided to rest early, aiming to ascend the mountain at first light.
"Junior disciple, keep these safe," Lin Ying returned the totem and the chipped piece to Li Zhonglou, admonishing him seriously. Li Zhonglou had played a crucial role this time. As long as the tomb excavation proceeded smoothly, his position within the team would be solidified.
Li Zhonglou placed the items back in his bag and returned to his room. He resumed his usual practice of cultivating his mental techniques.
*Thud!*
Late into the night, a faint sound from outside the window startled him. Li Zhonglou, deep in his cultivation, jolted awake. He didn't move, but his eyes opened a sliver. In the darkness, he couldn't see clearly, but he could sense the window lock being gently opened, and a figure sliding in. The movements were incredibly light, agile, and as graceful as a cat. The intruder's pupils even emitted a faint, eerie green glow, making them seem like a human-shaped night creature.
Once inside, the figure's eyes locked onto Li Zhonglou's bag. Silently, they darted towards the bag. Just as they reached out, a voice from behind them spoke, "With such fine skills, using them to steal is a bit of a waste."
The figure spun around abruptly, their eyes meeting Li Zhonglou's in the darkness. The green-tinged pupils contracted sharply. "Did I wake you? My apologies."
"You should have feigned sleep. What a waste of this life!"
Saying this, they crouched like a hunting leopard and lunged towards Li Zhonglou, who had already sat up in bed. Their palm, held stiffly like a blade, struck towards Li Zhonglou's neck.
*Crack!*
The palm strike met flesh, but not his neck. Li Zhonglou's hand had intercepted the attack. A muffled grunt escaped him as his entire body was shunted nearly thirty centimeters to the right. A nameless dread filled him. "Such immense strength!"
His current strength and speed far surpassed those of ordinary people, and he wasn't much inferior to someone who had trained in San Da for years. He had expected to block the blow with his hand, but even with his palm cushioning the impact, he felt dizzy. This person was incredibly powerful, possibly not much weaker than Liu Yishou. He was certainly no match for them. A direct confrontation would only result in his own disadvantage.
With this realization, he followed the momentum, flipping off the bed with a loud thud on the floor.
"Hmm?" The figure seemed surprised. They hadn't expected Li Zhonglou to react so quickly in the darkness. After the failed palm strike, they immediately flew from the bed and stomped a foot towards the fallen Li Zhonglou. The darkness posed no hindrance to them; rather, it was their element. Their movement was so swift that there was no time to react. In the blink of an eye, they were before Li Zhonglou.
"This is bad!" Li Zhonglou inwardly exclaimed, instinctively crossing his arms over his chest to block the kick.
*Bang!*
The next second, a searing pain shot through his arms. His body slid a full three meters, crashing violently into the wardrobe. An intense ache spread throughout his body, as if he were falling apart. His arms, in particular, felt the brunt of the impact; if not for his recent diligent cultivation of the mental techniques, they likely would have been shattered.
This person's strength was overwhelming; he had almost no chance to fight back. It was akin to facing Liu Yishou again.
"Wait!" Li Zhonglou calmly called out, "You're wearing a mask, and I can't see your face."
"Take whatever you want and leave." In this situation, late at night and in quiet solitude, a real fight would likely prove fatal. This was no ordinary thief; their target was clearly the ancient tomb key. The best course of action was to comply. After all, the ancient tomb was still there. Once they obtained the key, they would inevitably try to open the stone wall. A monk might run, but the temple would remain.
"Do you think I'm an idiot?" the shadowy figure sneered. Another powerful kick was aimed at Li Zhonglou, this time with even greater force. If it landed, he wouldn't just be injured; he'd be severely brutalized.
In that instant, Li Zhonglou deeply felt his own weakness. Since practicing the sheepskin scroll, his confidence had grown daily, until he encountered Liu Yishou. That was a test set by his senior sister, which had taught him that there was always someone better. From that moment on, he had cultivated even more diligently. He had thought he had improved significantly, but facing a true master revealed the vast difference in their abilities.
This kick was unavoidable. His entire body was in pain and unresponsive, and the opponent's intent to kill was evident in their speed, which far outmatched his own.
"Am I going to die here?" Li Zhonglou knew there was no escape and simply closed his eyes. He was unwilling! If he died in Yucheng, what would happen to his mother? And Jiang Yuxin? What about his master and senior sister? He couldn't die. Even if there was the slightest chance, he had to seize it.
Li Zhonglou's thoughts raced. He considered bracing for the kick and enduring the shattering of his arms just to preserve his life.
*Thump!*
At that very moment, the solid wooden door of the room was struck with tremendous force. The entire lock assembly flew outward, a projectile shooting like an arrow towards the shadowy figure poised to take Li Zhonglou's life.
"Dare to touch my junior disciple, you court death!" Lin Ying's voice, cold and filled with killing intent, exploded in the room.