Chapter 2: A Modicum of Knowledge

I don’t know what kind of path the mountain bandits took, but the carriage jolted and swayed so violently that after an hour, several of the hostages inside had already vomited.

To encounter motion sickness in ancient times—Wen Wan felt quite flustered by the experience.

A foul odor hung in the air. Out of the corner of her eye, Wen Wan saw A-Chai with a cold expression, his brows furrowed into three steep mountains.

She hesitated for a moment, then reached into her bodice and pulled out two homemade masks.

The masks were sewn from gauze. Her needlework was poor, the stitches crooked, and the pattern embroidered on them was a simple cartoon kitten.

After putting one on, she handed the remaining one to A-Chai and whispered, "Using this will help block the stench."

A-Chai stared at her warily and asked in a low voice, "Why give it to me?"

As fellow prisoners, it was hard enough to look out for oneself; he didn't believe anyone would show kindness to a stranger so easily.

Wen Wan answered with great confidence.

"Because you’re good-looking."

She was just that kind of superficial person—what you see is what you get!

People who look good naturally deserve her preferential treatment.

Her answer, however, was clearly incomprehensible to A-Chai.

The look he gave her now carried a hint of suspicious scrutiny.

The girl before him wasn't old, perhaps eighteen or nineteen. Her features were rather cute and pleasant—not exactly a peerless beauty, but her eyes were exceptionally clear. Even in the dim carriage, they looked like extraordinary treasures infused with flowing light.

It was a pity that such a girl was merely a concubine of a merchant’s family.

"Do you want it or not? If not, I’ll give it to that young man in the back," Wen Wan said calmly.

Sitting in the corner of the carriage were a few other youths around A-Chai’s age. Although they weren't as handsome as him, they had decent features and strong muscles.

They were likely the "good-looking lads" the bandits had mentioned.

A-Chai’s fingers twitched, and he ultimately chose to take the mask and put it on.

Once he wore it, his expression shifted, and his brows gradually relaxed.

The carriage stopped in front of an abandoned Temple of the Mountain God.

The hostages were driven into a room with drafts coming from all four sides.

This must have been one of the bandits' strongholds; the dilapidated doors and windows were sealed with wooden planks, leaving only a food-delivery slot slightly larger than a palm.

A sliver of moonlight filtered through the gaps in the boards, but the sparse light did nothing to illuminate the vast room.

In the pitch-black corner, the terrified hostages were finally able to catch their breath.

Because of the "mask diplomacy," A-Chai’s attitude toward Wen Wan was not as disgusted as it had been at the start.

So, when Wen Wan sat down beside him, he didn't speak up to stop her.

Wen Wan lowered her voice and leaned into his ear. "Do you want to escape?"

A-Chai was silent at first, then said in a calm voice, "Why? Do you have a way?"

"I do!"

Wen Wan answered with absolute confidence.

"Oh," A-Chai replied coldly.

In the darkness, neither could see the other's expression; they could only guess at each other's emotions through their tone.

From A-Chai’s cold reaction, Wen Wan could tell he clearly didn't believe her.

"Don't be like that, I really have a way."

A-Chai remained silent.

Wen Wan hesitated for a moment, then lowered her voice. "I can not only get you out, but I can also make you rich. Do you believe me?"

A-Chai remained unmoved, ignoring her entirely.

Wen Wan sighed inwardly. Heaven is truly fair; most people who look good have personalities that aren't very likable.

A-Chai was the typical type who wouldn't shed tears until he saw the coffin.

She pondered for a moment and decided to give him a little incentive first.

Wen Wan raised her hand and tapped the floorboards at her feet. The sound from the dirt floor was dull and muffled, nothing out of the ordinary.

"Two feet beneath this ground is the side chamber of an ancient tomb. Do you believe me?"

I don't know which word in her sentence touched a nerve for A-Chai, but he suddenly grabbed her wrist.

"What did you just say?"

A-Chai’s reaction was beyond Wen Wan’s expectations, and the pain in her wrist made her knit her brows.

"It’s pitch black, and you grabbed me instantly? Are you a martial artist?"

Her sharpness flashed a look of surprise in A-Chai’s eyes, though unfortunately, in the darkness, she didn't notice this look of astonishment.

A-Chai admitted coldly, "I have indeed studied martial arts for a few years. You say there is an ancient tomb beneath us?"

Having successfully piqued his interest, half of Wen Wan’s plan was already a success.

"Yes. So, are you going to cooperate with me to escape?"

After a brief silence, A-Chai finally uttered a "Fine."

Wen Wan moved closer to him, feeling justified.

"I observed the geographical location of this ancient temple while getting off the carriage. From the perspective of geomancy, this shouldn't be a place where a temple is built."

A-Chai was startled. "Geomancy?"

"Uh..." Wen Wan thought for a moment and explained, "Feng shui. It means what you usually call feng shui."

A-Chai’s tone was mocking. "You’re so young, and you understand this?"

Wen Wan pursed her lips. "I know a little, not very much."

A-Chai: "Go on."

He was clearly interested.

Wen Wan: "To find the dragon, one must watch the winding mountains; each layer of winding is a barrier. If the gate has a thousand locks, a king or noble must dwell within. From the perspective of geomancy, there should be a grand tomb at this location. And now, where there should have been a tomb, a temple has been built instead. This means..."

She deliberately left a cliffhanger, waiting for A-Chai to pick up the thread, but to her surprise, the young man didn't react at all.

He was as cold as if she were performing a one-woman show.

How boring.

Losing interest, Wen Wan finished her performance. "The person who built this temple hated the owner of this grand tomb so much that they went to the trouble of building a temple to suppress his vengeful spirit."

At that time, Wen Wan had no idea what kind of stormy waves her simple words had stirred in the young man's heart.

A place they had spent so much effort and risked their lives for so long to find, yet could not locate...

Had been identified by this unremarkable girl in a single sentence.

Just by taking a brief look at the terrain while getting off the carriage, she had analyzed so much information...

She called this "knowing a little"?

She called this "not very much"?

If it weren't so dark in the room, Wen Wan might have noticed the vigilance and killing intent in the young man's eyes at that moment.

A-Chai asked coldly, "Who exactly are you?"

"I already said that at the inn; let's not waste time repeating it. We don't have much time left, so let me explain my plan."

She didn't answer his question and continued on her own. "Here is what I’m thinking: the bandits want money, right? So let’s lure them with profit."

"Tomorrow morning, when the bandits come to deliver food, I’ll tell them there’s an ancient tomb beneath us. We’ll pretend to lead them to find the treasure, enter the tomb first, and then..."

She was introducing her plan with full confidence, but suddenly, A-Chai struck her down with a harsh rebuke.

"No!"

Wen Wan was unconvinced. "Why not?"