Chapter 26: Setting Sail: The Undersea Tomb

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Chapter 26: Departure — The Undersea Tomb

“You damn bastard! Why are you calling me at a time like this?”

Wu Yu could only laugh bitterly to himself, completely at a loss for words.

Especially when he looked at that smiling face across from him. For some reason, Wu Yu felt a terrible sense of danger. Though the man was smiling, Wu Yu seemed to understand exactly what Jiang Chen meant.

Was he implying that refusing to add him would be disrespectful?

After hanging up, Wu Yu was just about to add him on WeChat when Wu Tianzhen called again.

“I say, Wu Tianzhen! What the hell do you want?” Wu Yu snarled through clenched teeth.

That fellow really had no sense of timing. He was always making trouble at the worst possible moment!

“Little Brother, something terrible has happened! Third Uncle is in trouble—come quickly!”

Wu Tianzhen sounded frantic and rambled on for quite some time, but the gist was simple: Uncle Three had gone out to sea, and the entire ship had vanished. After seven days, the International Maritime Bureau had begun contacting the families.

“Missing?”

Wu Yu’s eyes shifted, and he suddenly became frantic as well. The panic and terror on his face were so convincing that even an award-winning actor would have been unable to distinguish them from the real thing.

The next moment, he tossed down two bills.

“Heartbroken Man, I’ll come back for your egg noodles next time!”

With that, he hurried away, continuing to argue with Wu Tianzhen over the phone and acting as though a catastrophe had befallen his family. He left the stall at a brisk pace, treating Jiang Chen as though he did not exist.

But he had neglected one obvious detail: if he were truly in a hurry and dealing with an emergency, he would have simply thrown down the money and left. Why would he still have had the leisure to bid Heartbroken Man farewell?

Jiang Chen’s expression as he watched the scene was indescribably strange. He stared at Wu Yu’s retreating back for a long while before finally letting out a derisive laugh and shaking his head.

“I never expected that coming to the mainland this time would lead me to meet such an interesting young man. This is far too amusing!”

As he spoke, he picked up the Bible, tore out a random page, and quickly folded it into a paper crane.

“Go. Follow that little fellow. I’m very interested in him.”

The paper crane actually began to move on its own. As its wings fluttered, a faint glow spread across its body. After circling the place where Wu Yu had been sitting twice, it flew straight into the night sky and vanished.

“Your beef-offal noodles are ready, sir.”

Heartbroken Man had clearly put on another layer of makeup. With his sallow, gaunt appearance, he looked remarkably convincing.

The bowl of beef-offal noodles was generously filled with all sorts of scraps and a large amount of blood curd. The aroma was irresistible. Even Jiang Chen, who was extremely particular about food, could not help nodding.

“Excellent cooking, boss!”

“Heh heh!”

Heartbroken Man immediately puffed up with pride. He poured himself a little liquor, sat down beside Jiang Chen, and began boasting about his culinary skills.

Unfortunately, Wu Yu did not witness this scene. Had he seen it, he would certainly have admired Heartbroken Man even more.

It was not until the taxi had driven some distance beyond the university town that Wu Yu finally breathed a sigh of relief. Only then did he realize that his clothes were completely soaked through.

He circulated his inner power, quickly drying his clothes, and then let out a long sigh. After holding his phone and hesitating for a long while, he finally sent a question mark to a contact whose profile picture was entirely black.

“What is it?”

“I just met someone,” Wu Yu replied. “Someone terrifying. Absolutely terrifying!”

“Could he really be more frightening than you, the legendary Sword Immortal?” The other person sounded somewhat curious.

“There is no comparison at all!”

Wu Yu typed with unusual solemnity.

“I suggest that the company strengthen its preparations regarding powerful outsiders entering the country.”

“Understood. I’ll report it immediately, though I’m afraid the people above may not believe me.”

After a brief silence, the other person continued:

“Our department is not subordinate to the Combat Division, and we are strictly forbidden from taking action against outsiders. At present, I am merely a good citizen making a small contribution to a harmonious society.”

“But let me offer you one piece of advice. Don’t arrogantly send just anyone to watch him. Unless you can persuade that old master on Mount Longhu to take action, turn a blind eye as long as he does not cause trouble.”

Having said that, Wu Yu turned off his phone and stopped looking at it.

He had done everything he could. Whatever happened next was beyond his control.

For now, he had only one priority: obtaining the Muchen Pearl.

Only then could the curse upon his mother and himself be lifted. That was the urgent matter. Everything else could wait.

An hour later, he arrived at Uncle Three’s villa. Before he even entered, he saw that every light was on and all the doors and windows stood open. Inside, the place was a complete mess, as though it had been thoroughly ransacked.

“Tianzhen? Where are you?”

Wu Yu frowned.

“Could Third Uncle have been robbed?”

At that thought, his hand slowly moved behind his back, and a short sword appeared in his grasp.

“Little Brother…”

Wu Tianzhen suddenly emerged from the doorway, looking utterly dejected. Wu Yu instinctively raised his sword and nearly drove it into him.

Only after recognizing him did he withdraw the blade, staring at him in astonishment.

“We were apart for only a few hours. How did you turn yourself into this?”

Good heavens. Wu Yu had never imagined that Third Uncle occupied such an important place in Tianzhen’s heart. Looking at Wu Tianzhen’s despairing eyes and utterly dispirited state, he nearly told him the truth outright.

“Third Uncle… he’s really dead!”

With that, he threw himself into Wu Yu’s arms and began to sob bitterly.

Wu Yu curled his lips. He finally understood.

Tianzhen had transferred all his fatherly affection onto Third Uncle.

Fortunately, they were brothers. Otherwise, Wu Yiqiong would have had no choice but to say something. That refined, scholarly eldest uncle of his would probably already have taken up a knife and gone hunting for someone to kill.

“Do you know why Third Uncle went out to sea? Did he leave behind any clues before he left?”

After comforting Wu Tianzhen for a while, Wu Yu spoke again.

“You know very well that old fox Third Uncle would never knowingly put himself in a dead-end situation.”

“I found something!”

Wu Tianzhen opened his hand. Inside lay the Warring States silk manuscript and a Snake-Brow Bronze Fish.

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“I discovered them in Third Uncle’s study. This Snake-Brow Bronze Fish was lying on an ocean map!”

Wu Tianzhen was visibly excited.

“Third Uncle must have found some clues connected to the Snake-Brow Bronze Fish and the Warring States silk manuscript. That’s why he set out to investigate!”

“Don’t get worked up. Calm down.”

Seeing Wu Tianzhen in that state, Wu Yu stopped asking questions. He ordered some takeout and decided that the two of them should get a good night’s rest before discussing the matter further.

Unexpectedly, before dawn the next morning, the ringing of the landline woke them both.

“Hello, who is this?” Wu Yu answered.

“Hello. Is this the residence of Wu Sanshu?”

The voice on the other end spoke standard Mandarin.

“Yes. Who are you?”

“Hello. We are from the International Ocean Exploration Company. The Maritime Bureau gave us this number. Wu Sanshu was a consultant for the ocean-exploration team we hired. We were told that this was his emergency contact number. Are you Wu Tianzhen?”

“I am! I am!”

The moment he heard that, Wu Tianzhen hurriedly snatched up the phone.

“How is my Third Uncle?”

“I’m very sorry. Your uncle and our entire team have gone missing. There is not the slightest trace of a GPS signal. However, we have their planned route and destination, so we intend to make another trip there to see whether we can find any clues. We would like to ask whether any of the family members wish to come aboard.”

The other person continued:

“But I must warn you that this is the storm season. Conditions at sea are dangerous, and their route is extremely hazardous. We cannot guarantee your absolute safety.”

“If there is no particular need, I suggest that you remain at home and wait for our news—”

Before he could finish, Wu Tianzhen interrupted him.

“No need. We’ll come at once!”

After hanging up, he turned toward Wu Yu with pleading eyes.

He still possessed enough self-awareness to know that, relying solely on his own strength, he would certainly be unable to cope if they encountered any real danger.

Wu Yu nodded and said nothing more.

Wu Tianzhen excitedly slapped him on the shoulder.

“There are two of us.”

“All right. I’ll reserve two places for you.”

After giving them an address and a time, the other party hung up.

The End of the Chapter

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