Upon hearing that voice, I slowly opened my eyes.
Looking up from my feet, I saw her standing gracefully. I thought to myself, could it be her?
When I finally saw her face, a warm wave washed over me. It was her, Hills. She was safe; my heart felt at ease, and I drifted back into slumber.
In my daze, I heard someone calling out, but I was just too tired.
When I woke up again, Fat Ma was already chatting away with a smile on his face.
"You're awake?" Hills asked.
I blinked and nodded. Now that I saw Hills in person, she looked just as she did back in Northwest.
Fat Ma leaned in closer and said, "Old Sun, now that you see Hilly Big Sister, why are you so tongue-tied?"
I shot an angry glance at Fat Ma.
Fat Ma pretended not to notice and continued to tease me.
I was at a loss for words.
"You've been fooled," Hills suddenly squatted down and said to me.
At those words, I froze.
Hills' lips curled into a slight smile, and after a moment, she said, "You really are foolish. A single photo fooled you. Back when we were in Northwest during the educated youth movement, I never realized you were this silly!"
I felt my face flush at her words.
Hills stifled her laughter and asked again, "Are you really okay now?"
I sat up and nodded heavily.
At that moment, Fat Ma spoke up, "Old Sun, don't you have something to say to Hilly Big Sister?"
Fat Ma's abrupt comment caught me off guard, and I scolded him, "Don't talk nonsense."
Fat Ma smiled at me and gestured with his eyes. I understood what he meant.
Hills leaned closer and asked, "Do you have something to say to me?"
I hurriedly explained, "Don't listen to Fat Ma's nonsense. Over the years, he has always had a loose tongue."
A glimmer of curiosity flashed in Hills' eyes as she continued to ask, "Are you really sure there's nothing you want to say to me?"
I hesitated for a moment before finally shaking my head.
At that point, I glanced around the surroundings and noticed that four or five more people had entered the tomb without me realizing it.
These people must have come with Hills, I speculated inwardly.
I actually had many questions I wanted to ask Hills.
Hills seemed to sense what I wanted to know and said, "Just ask whatever you want!"
Over the years, Hills had become more cheerful.
Fat Ma cleared his throat a few times.
I glanced at him but quickly looked away; he must have something up his sleeve again.
Seeing that I was ignoring him, Fat Ma let out a long sigh of frustration, as if he were lamenting my lack of attention.
My first question was, "How did you end up here?"
Hills paused for a moment before replying, "Can I not answer?"
I instinctively nodded. Hills smiled at me, his eyes twinkling.
My second question was, "What is your current identity?"
Hills replied straightforwardly, "The same as yours!"
Although I had prepared myself for this answer, I couldn't help but feel a wave of confusion and surprise wash over me.
"Are you caught up in some kind of conspiracy?" I asked for my third question.
Another silence fell, and Hills smiled as he said, "Can I not answer this question?"
I agreed again, cursing myself inwardly. Old Sun, when did you become so lacking in ambition?
Hills stood up with a smile.
Fat Ma helped me to my feet. I still felt a bit weak, but after replenishing some fluids, I felt somewhat better.
Along with Hills were three men and one woman, making a total of five people.
I called out to Hills, saying, "I have one last question."
Hills waited silently for me to continue.
"What is your purpose for coming here?" I blurted out quickly.
Fat Ma, standing next to me, couldn't hold back either: "Old Sun, can you show a little ambition? Can you stop asking useless questions?"
The clay figure leaned against his chest and looked at me, unable to resist reminding me, "Isn't there something more important than this?"
I ran through my thoughts and realized there really wasn't anything more important. I shook my head.
Fat Ma patted my shoulder weakly and said, "Take care of yourself." Then he went off with the clay figure to smoke.
Hills replied to me, "Isn't your question the same as the first one?"
I reflected for a moment and felt disappointed in myself.
Let’s not dwell on that.
Fat Ma later reminded me that it was Hills who saved my life, a classic case of being saved after trying to save someone else.
I expressed my gratitude to Hills, who smiled but didn’t respond.
Hills turned away to discuss something with a few others who had come along.
At that moment, Xiao Nan walked up to me, his face still bearing a sorrowful expression. He asked, “Brother Sun, do you like that sister?”
I was taken aback and, in the next second, I tapped Xiao Nan on the head as a lesson, saying, “You’re small but clever.”
Xiao Nan clutched his head and cried out in pain.
Black Glasses remained silent, putting his glasses back on at some point without me noticing.
I glanced at Hills again; she was deep in discussion with her team.
Although Hills had appeared, my confusion only deepened. First, the person who had given me Hills' photo had not shown up, and second, Hills had suddenly appeared out of nowhere.
I suddenly recalled the note that said, “If you want to see her, come to Xing'an.”
I quickly rummaged through my pockets but found that the note was gone. I felt a pang of disappointment; it was my only lead.
The photo was shown to Hills, who deemed it ordinary.
In fact, with Hills' appearance, our purpose for coming here was considered achieved. However, at this point, retreating was not going to be easy.
After finishing a cigarette, Fat Ma approached me and gave me a pat, pulling me out of my thoughts.
I asked Fat Ma, "What's up?"
Fat Ma's expression turned serious as he said, "Now that Hilly Big Sister is safe, we can relax. It's time to discuss serious matters."
I glanced over to another corner where the clay figure Black Glasses and Xiao Nan had already gathered.
I followed Fat Ma over.
The five of us huddled together.
Black Glasses looked at me and asked, "Are you guys planning to retreat?"
The body of Old Mountain Master was still tied to his back, and I couldn't help but sigh. Black Glasses was indeed a person who valued loyalty!
The clay figure and Fat Ma both turned their gazes toward me, seemingly waiting for my decision.
Xiao Nan looked at me with hopeful eyes. After a moment of silence, I replied, "No."
The truth was that the reasons for not retreating were more than just that; perhaps Fat Ma and the clay figure were also reluctant to leave. This tomb had yet to be fully explored.
Fat Ma broke into a smile, and Black Glasses' expression softened a bit, while the clay figure remained relatively silent.
Xiao Nan thanked me.
I replied to Xiao Nan, "It's nothing, no need to thank me."
The White Jade Chair was situated between the Stone Carved Beasts, and it should be clear to pass through now. The flames at the black hole had also extinguished.
It seemed that everything had calmed down.
However, the sudden appearance of Hills added an air of confusion to the situation.
Fat Ma seemed to notice my hesitation and said to me, "Old Sun, Hilly Big Sister is not an outsider."
I glanced at Fat Ma in surprise; he smiled, looking as if he held hidden talents and achievements.
I nodded. I looked at Black Glasses, who also showed no signs of discomfort.
I understood Fat Ma's implication—he meant that we could team up with Hills and their group to explore (or loot) this tomb together.
Just as I was considering how to strike up a conversation with Hills, she approached us first.
The smile that had been on Hills' face was now gone. She spoke, "This tomb is beyond what you can handle; let's cooperate!"
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