Chapter 91: Don't Hold Everyone Back

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Jiang Factory Director opened the door to the nearby mountain. "I believe everyone is already aware of today's mission. Our goal is to explore the ancient tomb, and judging from the experts' opinions and the layout of the tomb, there are unpredictable dangers inside. This has posed challenges to our national archaeological team. Your task is to clear the way into this tomb. The reward will be one-third of the treasures found inside the tomb."

At this point, Jiang Factory Director glanced at Tang Ailian because he had promised her that all her earnings would belong to her as a reward for her assistance in saving lives and providing the Revival Soup. However, he didn't consider whether Tang Ailian, being so young, would make it out safely from the underground tomb.

The fifteen eccentric individuals from the Jianghu world immediately turned their attention to Tang Ailian, and they were not pleased with the idea that such a young child would also receive a share of one-third of the treasures.

"Hey, are you kidding? Bringing a little child along, aren't you afraid she'll drag us all down?" Zhang Tian Master pointed at Tang Ailian and said to Jiang Factory Director.

Jiang Factory Director replied, "Well, Tang Ailian is a child prodigy."

His implication was clear: having a child prodigy along would ensure that everyone would be taken care of.

"But she's so young. Even if she's been learning medicine from her mother's womb, how much could she have learned? Taking a child into the ancient tomb is very dangerous. If something big happens, she'll burden everyone," the female Daoist from Maoshan Mountain said disdainfully.

"Yes, she's only around six years old, right? Even if she's been learning medicine since birth, it's still very risky to bring her along. Maybe she should stay behind," the amiable former president of the Traditional Culture Association said.

In fact, the Traditional Culture Association was mainly composed of people from the Jianghu world, and it wasn't until the 1980s that the Jianghu world began to flourish again.

White Consultant couldn't help but speak up, "You should put your minds at ease. Tang Ailian won't be a burden to you."

He really wanted to tell them that they were worrying too much. Not only was Tang Ailian different from ordinary people, but she was also the disciple of a formidable master. Could anyone not provide her with life-saving items? Moreover, if real danger arose, Tang Ailian's master might even appear.

If Tang Ailian heard his thoughts, she would probably push him away immediately: "Stay away from me. I don't even have a master. If there's real danger, no one can save you."

Tang Ailian sighed and looked at the fifteen people one by one. "Rest assured, I won't burden any of you uncles and aunties. If we encounter danger, I'll make sure to stay out of the way. If I can't keep up with everyone, my big brother Lu will carry me. Also, I won't take a share of one-third of the treasures."

Of course, she wouldn't share one-third of the treasures with them. She intended to take all the treasures she wanted for herself.

Everyone's faces turned somewhat red, but in reality, weren't they all thinking the same thing? They were bringing along an outsider who would not only need to be looked after but also expected to receive a share of the treasures.

Zhao Lu stood in front of Tang Ailian and said, "Don't worry; I'll take care of you."

Those people glanced at White Consultant and then at the tall and strong Zhao Lu. They figured that with these two taking care of Tang Ailian, it shouldn't be too hard to bring her along. Still, they looked at them with disdain because the ancient tomb was no ordinary place, and bringing a child inside was quite unusual.

However, as long as someone was taking care of her and there was no share of treasures allocated to them, they didn't voice their complaints.

If this ancient tomb turned out to be as experts said, and even one or two priceless treasures could be obtained, they would secure a lifetime of comfort as long as they managed to get hold of one or two such items.

"Additionally, I want to make it clear that this ancient tomb is very dangerous. Everyone should be careful. Those who don't want to go in can still choose to leave now. As long as you stay in the camp until we return, you can leave together. Now, let's confirm again, is everyone really determined to go in? If anyone wants to withdraw, please raise your hand."

No one raised their hand.

Jiang Factory Director then ordered, "Alright, since everyone is determined, let's proceed."

The vehicles took them half an hour up the mountain, and then they had to walk uphill since the mountain path was not accessible by car. They all began the uphill trek on foot.

At first, everyone was in high spirits, chatting and laughing as they walked. It was winter, so they were all dressed in thick clothes, which made movement somewhat inconvenient.

Tang Ailian walked in front of White Consultant, with Zhao Lu following behind her, taking slow steps. Despite her short legs, Tang Ailian kept up with everyone, showing no signs of fatigue.

Now, everyone had to admire her; this little girl was no ordinary child!

Even Zhang Tian Master finally gave Tang Ailian a proper look. "Not bad, but stay alert. Don't drag everyone down when it matters."

Tang Ailian couldn't help but smile wryly. Not bad? She had spent nearly a month collecting herbs on this mountain. Which day did she not walk for over ten hours? As for whether she would hold everyone back when it matters, she wanted to say that they were worrying too much. In critical moments, the least likely person to hold everyone back was her, Tang Ailian.

When the group had been climbing for over an hour, some people began to feel tired and took out water bottles to drink and rest briefly. However, Tang Ailian was still walking steadily, showing no signs of fatigue.

At this point, everyone had no choice but to admire her. After all, she had walked on this mountain for hours every day, collecting herbs.

"This little girl is impressive. She hasn't fallen behind yet," said the former president of the Traditional Culture Association in approval, glancing back at Tang Ailian.

Lao Shan's female Daoist, Haiying, curled her lips. "It's only the beginning. Let's see if she can keep up the pace."

Walking ahead of Zhao Lu, the young Daoist from Maoshan Mountain, Bingo, turned around and nodded approvingly at Tang Ailian, who replied with a big smile.

After more than an hour of hiking, they finally arrived at the halfway point of the mountain. Jiang Factory Director suddenly shouted, "Everyone, be alert. The entrance is up ahead. Prepare yourselves. Each person going down must carry a small vial of Revival Soup. Each drop of Revival Soup can protect you from absorbing Yin energy for three hours. Each vial contains ten drops, so you will have a total of thirty hours to explore inside. Once thirty hours are up, return as soon as possible. Our factory personnel, aside from the eleven guards who will guide us, will remain outside."

It was only when they entered the passage that Tang Ailian realized that Jiang Factory Director and the others had no intention of going in. They were here to guard the entrance. The ones entering were the fifteen experts from the Jianghu world, White Consultant, Tang Ailian, and thirteen others, making a total of twenty-eight people.

Perhaps Jiang Factory Director and the others were here to guard against them. Even the eleven guards who entered with them might be more like monitors.

Once they entered the depths of the tomb passage, it was pitch black, and each person had a powerful flashlight on their head to light their way.

Everyone was highly motivated, chatting and laughing as they walked, while Tang Ailian followed behind White Consultant and Zhao Lu, moving steadily and showing no signs of fatigue.

Now everyone couldn't help but admire her. This little girl was truly extraordinary!

Finally, Zhang Tian Master looked at Tang Ailian with approval. "Not bad, but be careful not to hold us back when it counts."

Tang Ailian couldn't help but smile wryly. Not bad? She had spent nearly a month collecting herbs on this mountain. Which day did she not walk for over ten hours? As for whether she would hold everyone back when it mattered, she wanted to say, "You're worrying too much." In a critical moment, the least likely person to hold everyone back was Tang Ailian.

(End of the chapter)