Chapter 16: Grave Robber

As she took a step, the howling of wolves erupted, and her brow twitched.

Oh no. Tu Shan’s expression changed abruptly; she hadn't expected the creatures in this world to be so sensitive to supernatural energy.

She had been extremely cautious, releasing only a tiny bit, yet the wolf pack deep in the mountains had still been able to catch the scent and come running.

If a wolf pack descended from the mountains, it would surely lead to disaster. If that happened, she would truly be guilty of a grave sin.

She hurriedly packed up her things and ran in the direction of the wolf pack.

“Is that a wolf pack? What’s going on?”

In the Stone Valley, at the entrance of a secluded cave, a short man sitting cross-legged frowned, his intuition telling him something was wrong.

Another short, stocky man sneered with a devil-may-care attitude: “What’s there to be so surprised about? This is a big mountain; it’s perfectly normal to have wolves.”

Tian Junjie’s eyes were gloomy: “Can I not tell the difference between a wolf pack deep in the mountains and one that is approaching? Can’t you hear that there are wolves coming this way?”

Lin Yong’s smile faded. A flash of dissatisfaction crossed his heart, but he put on a serious face: “Don’t worry, this place is remote, and we’ve spread repellent. The wolves won’t come near; they’re probably just passing through.”

Tian Junjie snorted coldly: “Better be careful. Take some men and go check it out. Also, tell everyone to speed up. We must finish moving everything within three days.”

“Understood.” Lin Yong picked two men to go with him to investigate.

After Tu Shan went up the mountain, she killed a wild chicken, infused it with some supernatural energy, aimed for a quiet, empty valley far from the village, and used her ability to toss it over.

Sensing the much richer supernatural energy, the wolf pack quickly changed direction and sprinted toward the valley.

Crisis averted, Tu Shan dusted off her backside and left.

A scream rang out. Tu Shan let out a "What the hell," turned around, and ran toward the valley, shouting internally about what a nuisance it was—why were they running around in the mountains in the middle of the night?

Lin Yong and his two subordinates had just climbed into the valley when they ran head-on into a pack of wild wolves.

The wolves swarmed in. They didn't bite, but they charged recklessly, knocking the three men off the ridge and into the valley.

After a bout of tumbling, the two subordinates breathed their last on the spot.

Lin Yong was lucky enough to keep his life, but he had a broken leg and a head injury. Blood was gushing everywhere, and he screamed incessantly.

Tian Junjie ran over when he heard the commotion and was terrified out of his wits.

He turned and ran toward the cave. He didn't see the wild chicken lying quietly at the entrance; he only saw the wolf pack heading straight for him.

Panicked, he shouted wildly: “Stop them! Quickly, stop them!”

His group of subordinates were also pale with fright. How could they dare to stop them? They scrambled to escape into the cave.

The small cave was packed with over a dozen people; no one could get in or out. The scene was as chaotic as a brawl.

In truth, they wouldn't have been this terrified if they had encountered wolves under normal circumstances. It was just that the wolf pack had arrived so ferociously and in such large numbers that they were momentarily stunned.

Fortunately, the wolf pack stopped at the cave entrance and didn't continue inside.

In the dark of night, the wolves—perhaps stimulated by something—began fighting frantically at the cave entrance. Flesh and blood flew everywhere; the sight was gruesome.

The smell of blood was pervasive. The people in the cave were nearly scared to the point of wetting themselves; just listening to the sounds was enough to imagine how explosive the scene was.

Ten minutes later, calm returned. The crowd cautiously poked their heads out to look.

The wolves hadn't left; they were just lying at the cave entrance, licking their paws.

Every wolf had wounds on its body, covered in blood, but they seemed not to feel the pain, just lying there lazily.

Scattered on the ground were many wolf carcasses, all of them mangled limbs and body parts.

Everyone watching gasped in unison.

Tu Shan sprinted to the valley and found Lin Yong, who still had a breath left, on a cliffside.

She couldn't help but curse again. Why weren't they at home sleeping in the middle of the night? Well, look at them now—they might be sleeping forever.

She walked up to Lin Yong: “Hey, how are you?”

“Save… me…” Lin Yong’s consciousness was blurred and scattered, leaving only instinct.

Tu Shan’s brow twitched. This accent didn't sound like a local’s.

She reached out to feel Lin Yong’s bones and checked his hands and feet.

His bones were slightly short and small, his fingertips had thick calluses, his lower leg bones were flared—this was caused by long-term kneeling—and his spine was curved, also caused by behavioral habits, such as frequent bending.

She went to look at the two men who had died; their physical condition was similar to this half-dead one.

Taking advantage of the cover of night, she walked a bit further in.

She saw a cave entrance. The wolves were at the entrance, and the people were inside.

She listened carefully. There were over a dozen people in the cave, but there seemed to be an underground passage; there were at least twenty or thirty breathing sounds inside.

It was a bit far, so Tu Shan couldn't hear clearly.

However, looking at the geography and location, she did a quick calculation: there was a large tomb here.

Combining the few simple words these people had exchanged with the half-dead man, it was no surprise that this was a large-scale tomb-robbing gang.

Tsk, little rats.

Tu Shan felt reassured; she hadn't hurt any innocents.

She rubbed her hands together. She didn't have a hero complex; when encountering something like this, she had to call for backup.

There wasn't much vegetation in Stone Valley, so Tu Shan left some supernatural energy in the air and soil to hook the wolf pack and keep them from leaving.

She then turned and ran toward the North District Criminal Police Team.

This place was at the junction of the North and East Districts; it didn't matter whether she went to the North or East District to find people.

However, she had an acquaintance in the North District.

It wasn't until she arrived at the North District Criminal Police Team that Tu Shan realized, belatedly, that it was the middle of the night.

There was only an old gatekeeper there, and he was sleeping so soundly he was drooling.

She knocked on the duty room door—*bang, bang, bang*. The old man woke up in a second, his eyes as clear as if he hadn't been drooling just a moment ago.

He was calm and composed: “Girl, what big thing happened? Don't rush, tell me slowly.”

Tu Shan, who had been knocking expressionlessly, fell silent. She wasn't rushing.

“I found a tomb-robbing gang. They’re currently moving treasures.”

The old man…

The old man???

“You girl, such a big deal, why didn't you say so earlier?”

The old man panicked and rushed into the duty room to make a call.

Tu Shan raised an eyebrow. Why was there a need to be so anxious about finding a tomb-robbing gang? The people wouldn't run away anyway.

Seeing the old man acting like it was a matter of life and death, she didn't know what to say, so she sat down on a nearby chair, crossed her legs, and sat.

She took some peanuts out of her pocket and started cracking them—*crunch, crunch*.

After eating them, she secretly used her ability to grow another handful and kept eating.

The old man watched her eat, his gaze frequently darting to her pocket.

Tu Shan’s hand paused. It seemed, perhaps, that she shouldn't be pulling more things out of this pocket.

She pulled out a handful of air and spread it out in front of the old man: “There’s no more.”

The old man rolled his eyes and turned his head: “Are the peanuts in our team from you?”

Tu Shan nodded nonchalantly: “Ah, not many, just enough for everyone to get a taste. Have you had any, Grandpa? How were they? If you like them, I have more at home…”

Just as the old man was about to wave his hand, Tu Shan smiled and said: “I’ll give you a discount.”

The old man… In the end, he had been overthinking it.

But buying was fine too.

“How many do you have?”

Tu Shan got interested: “As many as you want. Grandpa, how many do you want?”

The old man thought Tu Shan was bragging: “If I want a hundred or eighty catties, you have that?”

Tu Shan pouted: “If I didn't have a hundred or eighty catties, what would I even be doing?”

“Tsk tsk tsk, look at you,” the old man said with disdain, but a moment later, he leaned in mysteriously: “Girl, do you really have them? How are you selling them?”

Tu Shan smiled: “I really do. Whatever the black market price is, that’s my price. But, like I said, I’ll give you a discount—one cent less per catty than the black market. How about that?”

The old man’s face beamed with joy: “Alright, you’re a straightforward girl. I want two hundred catties. Do you have it?”

“I do.”

The old man was even happier: “Then where shall we trade?”

“Tomorrow. I’ll carry them over for you tomorrow.”

The old man worried: “Carry them here? Wouldn't it be bad if people saw?”

Tu Shan shrugged: “What’s wrong with bringing my grandpa some peanuts to eat? But if you’re worried, just give me an address, and I’ll deliver them to you.”

The old man was coaxed into a good mood by Tu Shan: “I’ll accept you as my granddaughter. How about this: you help me deliver them to my house. There’s always someone home. Just deliver them whenever you have time, and I’ll let my family know.”

“Alright.”

The freshly minted grandfather and granddaughter were chatting happily when He Jiahuan and his team arrived one after another.

(End of chapter)