jdhmnovel Chapter 643 Ouyang Jue, Covered in Dust
Chapter 643 Ouyang Jue, Covered in Dust
"Are you sure this is the place? If you are, start digging. Don't waste time!"
"Let's start digging, this is about it, it's clearly marked on the map."
After leaving the capital, Ouyang Jue followed the treasure-hunting team south, eventually arriving at a remote mountain forest.
The forest was a maze of intricate structures, but the final location was determined by a strangely shaped large rock.
However, there seems to be a layer of rock beneath the surface, making the excavation progress very slow.
More than a dozen shovels and picks have been worn out, and the hands of the people responsible for digging have been blistered.
Of course, Ouyang Jue didn't have to dig it himself, but he wasn't in much better shape. He was covered in dust and dirt, and he had lost a lot of weight.
He regretted coming out. Wouldn't it have been better to enjoy a life of leisure in the capital? Given the power and influence of the Ouyang family, the Fifth Prince wouldn't openly take away his share.
The former life of luxury and extravagance has been replaced by coarse clothes, dry food, and raw water.
Ouyang Jue was not used to it at all.
I really want to escape, but we've already reached the treasure trove, and it would be a huge loss to leave now.
Be patient, be patient some more, and we can return to the capital once we've unearthed the treasures of the previous dynasty.
Ouyang Jue drank the not-so-clean stream water from his water bag, which was partly to encourage himself and partly to brainwash himself.
The forests of the South are covered with thorns, but what's even more unpleasant is the constant presence of snakes, insects, and rodents.
As soon as Ouyang Jue entered the forest, he was bitten by a series of large welts by unknown insects, which caused him to walk with a limp.
None of the Fifth Prince's men were kind enough to carry him, since everyone else also had to carry equipment, and it wasn't easy for anyone.
Only one person with a little medical knowledge gave him some pain-relieving powder and a dry twig to use as a walking stick; that was all.
"The environment is harsh, Young Master Ouyang, please bear with it!"
This was the umpteenth time Ouyang Jue had heard this sentence on the road; he had truly felt wronged the entire way.
I was so wronged that I felt like I was going to vomit my bile dry.
Just as Ouyang Jue was feeling wronged, the group of people responsible for digging exclaimed, "We've found something!"
"It's hard, extremely hard! With a little more effort, it might be an entrance, like a stone gate!"
Upon hearing this, everyone was overjoyed and quickened their digging.
Before long, a huge stone slab appeared before everyone's eyes.
The stone slab was covered with unknown runes, and a person familiar with the script of the previous dynasty stepped forward to examine it.
"Strange, it's not the script of the previous dynasty. Could it be that this princess of the previous dynasty learned a foreign script?"
The runes on the stone slab exuded an ancient and eerie aura, and for a moment, no one had the thought of taking any further action.
"Why isn't it moving? Keep digging!"
Ouyang Jue limped over, boasting of his extensive knowledge and claiming he knew all the runes. He argued that these people were simply ignorant and needed his expertise.
Um... these circles and dots don't look like words, they look more like random scribbles.
Ouyang Jue was also stunned, having never seen such writing before.
Given that the Ouyang family possessed tens of thousands of books and he could recognize some of the languages of the surrounding small countries, the characters on this stone slab were truly unheard of and unseen before.
How embarrassing! I wish I hadn't come up there.
"Hey, why did you stop digging? We finally saw a glimmer of hope, everyone keep up the good work!"
“It’s not that we don’t want to dig, it’s just that we really can’t dig anymore. You see this as a stone slab on the surface, but the part buried in the soil is actually much larger. It might be a huge rock that is nearly ten feet long and wide.”
"No? You haven't even dug any deeper, how do you know this isn't the stone gate to the entrance, but a square stone block?"
Do you guys have X-ray vision or something?
Some people agree with Ouyang Jue's words, but those who have actually been putting in the effort don't quite agree.
Dig? Dig until the end of time? One swing of the pickaxe and the blade is dulled. Don't they know how many tools they brought into the mountains?
“We’re all seasoned tomb raiders, so we all have some sense of judgment. It’s normal for Young Master Ouyang to have doubts since he’s not good at this.”
"Tomb raiders? Heh," Ouyang Jue thought to himself. "What tomb raiders? They're just trying to make themselves look good. They're nothing but a bunch of grave robbers."
I have no idea where the Fifth Prince gathered these people. For a prince to do this, he has no class at all!
The title of "Mojin Xiaowei" originated in the late Eastern Han Dynasty. In order to make up for the lack of military funds, the Wei army established military ranks such as "Faqiu Zhonglangjiang" and "Mojin Xiaowei".
They specialized in tomb raiding to supplement military funds, relying on feng shui and weather analysis to locate ancient tombs.
The relevant knowledge points immediately flashed through Ouyang Jue's mind, making him even more contemptuous of the group of people in front of him.
However, the other side has a large number of people. Although it is a group of people gathered together, they have definitely known each other for a longer time than I have, who joined later.
It's hard to guarantee that these people won't all unite as one to fight against us.
In these deep mountains and forests, even if I were beaten to death and buried, no one would know. A wise man doesn't stand under a dangerous wall, so I have to continue to suffer in silence.
Cough cough, a true man can bend and stretch. Once they leave, hmph, once they return to the capital, these people won't even be qualified to set foot in the Ouyang family's door.
No, they don't even have the right to see the gatekeepers and servants of the Ouyang family!
Ouyang Jue's mind raced as he weighed the pros and cons, but his face remained as calm as a rock.
"So that's how it is. So all the heroes are capable people. I was just ignorant and only relied on my knowledge from books to judge things."
However, it's getting late, and we all need to think of a solution. It's not easy to get into the mountains. What do you all think? Should we continue or go down to resupply first?
These words were spoken politely and appropriately. This group of rough men had never seen a noble young master before, except for the Fifth Prince. Ouyang Jue's sudden politeness made them a little embarrassed.
"Young master, you flatter me. How could you be so ignorant? It's just that we have different paths and different strengths!"
What the hell do you mean by "each has their own strengths"? Who wants to compare themselves to you brutes?! Ugh, I've had enough of these vulgar people who can't even understand what I'm saying!
"Yes, yes, everyone has their strengths. So, are you all going to continue digging or come out of the mountain first?"
"Or, let's go down the mountain first. We don't have a single usable tool left. Are we going to dig with our hands?"
"Yes, Young Master Ouyang's injury also needs to be examined by a doctor. We can't delay, since the Fifth Prince didn't give us a time limit for returning."
How long it takes to dig and when we'll find it are all up to us; we have the time to decide and control the process.
Besides, the exact location has been found, and only Young Master Ouyang has the map, so why worry about someone else getting there first?
Others can't even find this mountain range, let alone this remote, winding place.
With everyone offering their opinions, they finally made a decision: to leave the mountain!
Because Ouyang Jue changed his attitude, there were now one or two people willing to travel with him and take care of his speed.
In the end, seeing that Ouyang Jue was too slow, the two of them took turns carrying him on their backs.
However, Ouyang Jue wasn't too moved; his attention was drawn to the smell of sweat emanating from the two of them.
You either have to endure the pain and walk on your own, or you have to bear the smell of sweat and grime while being carried. This is truly a once-in-a-lifetime choice!