Hedonist Prodigy

Chapter 82: Tomb Raider

Xiaohe Village, named after the river, is situated beside a small river called Moshui. Although in recent years, due to the expansion of the ring road in Yanjing and the development of various scenic spots, many surrounding areas have undergone tremendous changes, Xiaohe Village remains quite primitive. This is largely due to its remote geographical location and the lack of various resources for development. Even though it is backed by Yanjing and close to Tang City, the village still retains its original appearance, with little influence from the outside world on the villagers’ lives.

Jiang Feng arrived at Xiaohe Village around three in the afternoon. As soon as he got off the bus, he noticed the place was bustling with activity. Besides some local villagers, there were many unfamiliar faces. Jiang Feng frowned slightly, then quickly realized that the collapse of the tomb in the mountains and the rumors of hauntings had attracted a lot of people eager to investigate.

Most of these people were hurrying towards the northwest direction. Jiang Feng glanced in that direction and knew it must lead to the tomb. Although he had also come because of the ghost stories, he wasn’t in a hurry. He decided to find a place to settle down first and would explore the situation later in the evening.

Twenty minutes later, Jiang Feng found himself in a small inn. He asked the owner if there was a vacant room, and just as he was about to pay for it, three people barged in from outside. 

“Boss, do you have any rooms left? We need two,” said the man with a pockmarked face who was leading the group, speaking loudly. 

The owner smiled and replied, “I’m sorry, but the last room just got booked. Why don’t you try looking elsewhere?” 

“We just checked other places, and they all said they were full. I see your place is quite big; can you find a way to give us two rooms?” The pockmarked man frowned. 

“Well, I really can’t help you. A lot of tourists have come to Xiaohe Village recently, and all the rooms are fully booked,” the owner said, looking troubled. 

“Then just one room,” the pockmarked man’s expression changed. 

“We don’t even have one room left,” the owner said with a bitter smile. 

“Who says there isn’t? Didn’t someone just book a room? It must be this young brother here,” said the short man at the back, stepping forward. He glanced at Jiang Feng and reached out to pat him on the shoulder with a grin, saying, “Young brother, it’s tough for us to be out here. Why don’t you let us have your room? What do you say?” 

Jiang Feng stepped aside, subtly avoiding his hand, and replied coolly, “Not interested.” 

“Oh, quite the character,” the short man said, surprised by Jiang Feng’s direct refusal. His expression changed slightly, but he forced a smile and continued, “You know, at home we rely on our brothers, and out here we rely on friends. You shouldn’t be so quick to reject us, right?” 

Jiang Feng was too lazy to engage in his nonsense. He simply tossed the money to the owner and said, “Give me the key.” 

The owner, holding the money, smiled awkwardly. While he was happy to have business, he didn’t know how to handle this situation without offending anyone. After thinking for a moment, he decided to give the key to Jiang Feng. After all, Jiang Feng arrived first, and it was only fair. Whether it would cause trouble was beyond his control. However, just as he reached out, the key was snatched away by someone. 

The short man chuckled and waved the key in his hand, saying to Jiang Feng, “Sorry, but this key is now in my hands. You should find another place to stay.” 

Jiang Feng’s expression darkened as he said, “Give me the key.” 

“The stuff is in my hands now; there’s no reason for me to give it to you. If you have the ability, come and take it,” the short man said, glancing at him with a mocking smile. 

At this, the pockmarked man and another chubby guy who came in with him burst into laughter, watching Jiang Feng as if he were a joke.

Jiang Feng furrowed his brows slightly. To be honest, he wasn’t an unreasonable person. If those three had come to him and discussed things calmly, he might have considered transferring the room to them. After all, he didn’t necessarily have to stay at the inn; he just needed a place to rest. But when those three approached him with an attitude that suggested they had him cornered, it really rubbed him the wrong way. Glancing at the short man, Jiang Feng said, “Are you sure about that?”

The short man smugly replied, “Oh, from what you just said, are you planning to make a move on me? But let me remind you, there are three of us and only one of you. If it comes to blows, you might regret it.”

Jiang Feng didn’t have the patience to listen to his nonsense. He reached out and grabbed the hand holding the key. The short man’s expression changed drastically, and he hurriedly stepped back, pulling his arm back in an attempt to break free from Jiang Feng’s grip. Jiang Feng wasn’t about to give him a chance. With a swift motion, he twisted the man’s arm, and with a crack, the man’s arm was broken, causing the key to fall into his palm. Jiang Feng then kicked the short man down to the ground.

The other two stood by, watching the commotion. They thought that with the odds stacked against him, Jiang Feng wouldn’t dare to make a move. Moreover, with his fair and delicate appearance, he looked like a refined scholar who had probably never been in a fight in his life—how could he compare to their rough and tumble kind? However, they were caught off guard when Jiang Feng not only made a move but did so with such speed. Although the short man was quick on his feet, he didn’t manage to gain any advantage against Jiang Feng and ended up surrendering without a fight.

The two exchanged glances and charged at Jiang Feng from either side. Jiang Feng, holding the key, threw two punches. The two men, who had rushed in quickly, retreated even faster, landing on their backs on the ground, blood streaming from their noses. “Are you still going to fight?” Jiang Feng said coldly. 

The three of them had barely any strength to retaliate before being taken down, and they didn’t dare to make a sound as they scrambled to escape. Jiang Feng couldn’t be bothered with such trivial matters. He casually pulled some money from his pocket and tossed it to the owner, who was left dumbfounded, before heading upstairs.

Around ten o’clock at night, Jiang Feng, sitting cross-legged on the bed, slowly opened his eyes, revealing a hint of disappointment. Back in the courtyard of the rented house, due to the spiritual energy released by the ginkgo tree, Jiang Feng felt that he was on the verge of breaking through to the third level of body tempering, with a faint trend of breaking through at any moment. However, when he previously attempted to push through in one go, he found himself stuck, leaving him feeling quite helpless. It seemed that if he wanted to cultivate on Earth, where the spiritual energy was nearly depleted, it would be impossible without a significant opportunity.

The lights in the room were off. Jiang Feng turned his head to look outside and felt that it was about time. He immediately got out of bed, pushed open the door, and walked out. 

Xiaohe Village wasn’t large, with only about seventy to eighty households. By this time, it was late, and the villagers had gradually turned off their lights and gone to sleep. Jiang Feng walked straight through the village, heading northwest. The cemetery was located on a mountain a short distance from the village. After about half an hour, Jiang Feng finally arrived at the foot of the mountain. He stopped and peered up towards the mountain top, feeling that something was a bit off.

Recently, he had delved into many ancient texts of China, reading quite a bit about feng shui and destiny. Although his understanding was only superficial, he could tell at a glance that the mountain’s ridge mirrored the flow of the river in Xiaohe Village perfectly. In feng shui, this is referred to as “hiding the wind and gathering Qi,” which signifies a true feng shui treasure land. Realizing this, Jiang Feng was taken aback; he hadn’t expected the feng shui in this area to be so good.

Soon, Jiang Feng recalled the news report he had seen, which stated that this mountain used to be a burial ground. This indeed aligned with the idea of gathering Qi, as the ancient people of Huaxia always placed great importance on the resting places of their ancestors, believing they would bless future generations. Such a location would surely attract many people. After a brief thought, Jiang Feng decided not to dwell on it further; he resolved to climb the mountain and see what was going on with the collapsed area. Just then, he heard faint footsteps approaching from behind.

Jiang Feng was slightly startled, not expecting anyone to come at this late hour. He quickly hid to the side, and soon, three figures appeared within his line of sight. Looking up, Jiang Feng recognized them as the same three individuals he had clashed with at the small inn, which made his expression even more peculiar.

“Qiangzi, is your hand alright?” asked the man with a pockmarked face, who was leading the group.

“It’s nothing serious, just dislocated,” replied the short man named Qiangzi, his face dark as he spat forcefully on the ground. “But that kid hit too hard; I definitely need to get my revenge.”

“Revenge? Do you think you can take him on?” the chubby man in the middle chuckled, a glint of mischief in his small eyes. “If you can fight him, then go ahead. If not, just accept it. I think that kid is a bit strange; it’s better not to provoke him.”

“What are you talking about? He’s just a kid who hasn’t even grown up yet. Am I supposed to be afraid of him?” the short man said indignantly.

The chubby man chuckled and ignored him, turning to the pockmarked man. “Boss, this place is a godforsaken dump. Can there really be treasures here? Don’t let us get our hopes up for nothing.”

“I came here to scout about half a month ago. I felt the feng shui was good, so I dug a few shovels in the ground. At that time, I sensed something was off and planned to return later to investigate. But just a few days later, the mountain collapsed. Don’t you understand what that means?” the pockmarked man said in a deep voice.

“Are you implying there’s an ancient tomb beneath this mountain?” The chubby man’s eyes lit up as he exclaimed.

“Even if there isn’t, it can’t be too far off. We’ll find out what’s going on once we go up,” the pockmarked man replied.

The chubby man and the short man exchanged glances, greed evident in their eyes. They then stopped mentioning their conflict with Jiang Feng, lowered their heads, and strode towards the mountain’s peak.