Chapter 9

"Ha ha, men, you know." Tian Gang gave a dry laugh, his expression saying, "You get it." Then he walked away with a big smile.

"That woman is not bad, she’s Third Sister from the Qinghua Building in Jiangbeicheng." Outside the tent, Tian Gang’s dry laughter could be heard again.

Soon, a tall woman in a red long robe with a willow-leaf face gracefully entered the tent. She curtsied to Tang Chun and said, "This humble girl, Hang Qingqing, has come specially to serve the Centurion."

Tang Chun glanced at her; she was indeed quite beautiful. Even by modern standards, she could be considered a top-tier beauty. Moreover, she was doused in a pure floral scent that made one feel restless.

However, Tang Chun had seen many women and didn’t find her particularly appealing. Besides, a woman coming to the army to provide private services had likely slept with many officers.

"I have an injury, so it’s unnecessary." Tang Chun waved his hand.

"If the Centurion doesn’t accept me, I will be executed." Hang Qingqing looked pitiful.

"Oh, why is that?" Tang Chun was taken aback.

"This is a private military rule set by the generals, and I dare not disobey. Moreover, the generals have paid privately, and if I return, the boss will beat me to death." Hang Qingqing’s pitiful appearance made one feel sorry for her.

"Alright, you can rest in this tent for a while before going out. Just say you’ve completed your task. Here, ten taels of silver as a reward." Tang Chun took out a silver ingot and threw it to her.

"Have you heard that the Centurion received three essence stones as a reward from the generals?" Hang Qingqing asked.

"That’s right, why do you ask?" Tang Chun found her question a bit strange.

"I have no other intention, I want to make a deal with the Centurion." Hang Qingqing said.

"Tell me what these essence stones are for first." Tang Chun asked.

"In our Great Yu Dynasty, these highly medicinal natural stones are divided into five categories based on their attributes: Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Because martial artists also have attributes. For example, if your body is suitable for practicing Metal-attribute techniques, you will be taught techniques of that attribute." Hang Qingqing explained.

"I see, so these essence stones must be consumed according to one’s attribute, right?" Tang Chun asked.

"That’s correct. If you are a Metal-attribute and consume a Wood-attribute essence stone, it will be detrimental because Metal and Wood are in conflict. Of course, there is also a high-quality stone called an essence stone, which is attributeless. This means any martial artist can consume it. The three stones the general just gave you are attributeless essence stones. Wood stones are actually called Wood essence stones. Attributeless essence stones are very rare because they have many uses." Hang Qingqing said.

"Do you want these attributeless essence stones to help someone practice?" Tang Chun asked.

"Yes, for my brother. His body is very peculiar and doesn’t belong to any of the five elements. Only attributeless essence stones can be consumed. I’m not sure why, but that’s the case." Hang Qingqing said.

"Tell me about your deal." Tang Chun asked.

"This is something passed down in my family for hundreds of years, but no one has figured out what it is. Recently, I had a chance to come to the camp and found that the symbols on the parchment are similar to those at Tongqiaoguan. I think the secret passed down by my ancestors might be there. My ancestors always instructed us to pass it down generation by generation until the secret is revealed. It’s said that one of my ancestors was a 'Qi Passage' expert." Hang Qingqing said.

"Do you mean this secret was left by your 'Qi Passage' ancestor?" Tang Chun asked, intrigued.

"It’s possible. Even if it’s not a 'Qi Passage' expert, it must be a master above the innate level. I want to go with you to find it. If there are any benefits, I’ll give you thirty percent. However, you need to give me three essence stones as a condition. Of course, there might be no secret, so it’s a gamble." Hang Qingqing said.

"Deal!" Tang Chun agreed without hesitation, thinking that a 'Qi Passage' expert wouldn’t leave behind anything insignificant.

Anyway, he had privately obtained ten essence stones from Zhao Qianzong, so he wasn’t short of them. The secret of a 'Qi Passage' expert was more important.

The next night, Tang Chun and Hang Qingqing set out quietly. They claimed to be on a reconnaissance mission, which didn’t raise Hu Yan’s suspicions. They arrived at Tongqiaoguan at three in the morning.

Tongqiaoguan was extremely perilous, with two towering mountains on either side and only a narrow path in the middle that could barely fit three people side by side. If an ambush were set here, the impact would be significant. However, the stone walls on both sides of Tongqiaoguan were almost vertical, making it difficult to climb.

After observing for a while, they found a location that seemed to match the symbols on the parchment. They quietly took out a rope and began to climb.

Tang Chun noticed that Hang Qingqing seemed to be more agile than he was. However, since she had a family, Tang Chun wasn’t worried about her trickery.

Finally, they found a cave entrance hidden under a dense cluster of trees, covered with weeds. They carefully tapped around to ensure there was no poison gas before crawling in.

The cave entrance was small, just enough for two people to crawl through. After crawling for about ten meters, they could stand up. It was probably designed for concealment.

The cave was quite dry, but bats occasionally flew out, startling them. The cave was filled with bat droppings, and the stench was nauseating. Tang Chun missed the nose-filter masks he used in the Dragon Group in his previous life, but there were none here.

As for holding one’s breath, it was said that 'Qi Passage' experts could go without breathing for over ten hours, using internal energy instead of oxygen. That was a level Tang Chun could only aspire to.

After walking down for nearly a hundred meters, the cave opened up. The entire cave was a crack-like structure, and they couldn’t see the end. The stench in the crack was even stronger. They were shocked to find many mummies lying in the crack. Over a hundred mummies were scattered over a distance of a hundred meters.

The mummies, due to their age, were shriveled and only a layer of black, wrinkled skin remained on the skeletons. "Why haven’t they decayed? According to logic, the skin should have cracked and disintegrated long ago." Tang Chun observed.

"I don’t know." Hang Qingqing frowned, shook her head, and pinched her nose. Women, no matter where they go, can’t change their nature.

Soon, they reached an open area. The mummies were strangely arranged in a circle, all facing inward and feet outward, forming a circle about thirty to forty meters in diameter.

In the center of the circle, a mummy was sitting cross-legged. Hang Qingqing’s eyes welled up with tears as she quickly knelt down and bowed.

"Is this your ancestor?" Tang Chun asked.

"Yes, I’ve seen the sketch of the first-generation ancestor, Hang Xiaoyuan. He looks very similar. It must be him. I never thought he would have passed away here." Hang Qingqing said.

She took out a round iron ring with some saw-toothed gears from her pocket and crawled over. After a while, she approached the cross-legged mummy and gently placed the ring on its head.

"Quick, retreat!" Tang Chun suddenly shouted and moved back several meters.

New book needs your support in terms of collection, recommendation, and clicks. Where are the loyal readers of "Guanshu"? Dog Brother needs your support, not endless questions about "Guanshu".

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