In the forest, Shao Xuan followed the footsteps of the two in front of him.
According to Robber Eleven and Robber Twelve, the treasure was found in an underground cave not far from the Yanjiao tribe.
At that time, the two of them started from the Drumming tribe and followed the Yanjiao team to the old haunt. They planned to get something from the Yanjiao team. Because they stole the Water Moon King Stone from the Yanjiao tribe and other tribes, they had a lot of "loot" that affected their movements. They wanted to hide the loot first before continuing to follow the Yanjiao team.
Just like before, they would find an inconspicuous place to hide the loot. When they were done, they would go back to dig up the loot and escape with it. It was at that time that they found an underground cave.
Many tribes would find a place to dig underground caves. Some did it to hide food, some did it to prevent danger and build a place to hide. The place where the cave was located was probably where a small tribe used to live. But after the tribe moved or was destroyed, the cave was left behind.
The cave was well hidden and uninhabited. It was surrounded by dense trees and bushes. If they didn't deliberately dig around to hide the treasure, they might not have found the cave.
Now that Shao Xuan wanted to know the location and promised to let them go as long as they led the way, Robber Eleven and Robber Twelve agreed.
Robber Eleven and Robber Twelve had never been caught before. Even if they were discovered, they could escape quickly and hard to catch up with. This was their first time being caught. They could either be killed or lead the way. They could only choose the latter.
The two of them were husband and wife. If one was caught, the other wouldn't think of running away. Unless it was absolutely necessary, Robber Twelve wouldn't leave alone. She also didn't dare to act recklessly. The other end of the string tied to Robber Eleven's leg was in Shao Xuan's hands. She didn't have the confidence to kill Shao Xuan before Shao Xuan made his move. She could only wait for an opportunity.
"We're almost there. I remember it's around here," Robber Eleven said as he moved his ankle.
If he didn't use a knife to cut them, he wouldn't have been able to break free from those threads. The more he struggled, the tighter they became. Now, his entire leg was numb. If one of his legs was crippled, he wouldn't be able to keep his title as "Robber Eleven". He couldn't accept the fact that he couldn't get into the top ten and fell to eleventh place. Only by squeezing into the top ten could they learn more secrets and obtain more attractive things. Their status in the tribe would also be greatly improved.
He didn't want to risk losing a leg, so he was willing to compromise. He only hoped that Shao Xuan would really let him go. Robber Eleven recalled the first time he met this kid. Back then, this kid wasn't that strong. Getting rid of him was child's play. How could there be such a huge change in just two years?
"Yes." Shao Xuan memorized the surrounding terrain. Next time, if no one led the way, he could come here himself. He could even fill in the gaps on the incomplete map.
Yanjiao's patrol team had received the message from Shao Xuan and turned back. As for the people from the Feather tribe, Tian Shan tribe and Hui tribe, they lost track of Shao Xuan and Robber Eleven and Robber Twelve after they entered the forest. Shao Xuan wasn't interested in knowing where they went, whether they continued to search or returned to Yanjiao.
Now, no one was following them.
Logically speaking, Robber Eleven and Robber Twelve should be happy that no one was following them. Two against one, they should have the advantage. However, they didn't feel that way. Instead, they became more cautious.
Shao Xuan dared to follow them alone. Either he was too arrogant and stupid, or he wasn't afraid of them playing tricks on him.
For the sake of his leg, Robber Eleven decided to be honest. He had to think carefully about his escape plan. This kid didn't seem like someone who would fool around.
"It's over there!"
Robber Eleven pointed to Shao Xuan. At the same time, he paid attention to Shao Xuan's expression to see if Shao Xuan had any killing intent towards them.
Shao Xuan looked over and saw that the area between the two hills was just an ordinary grassland. The ground was overgrown with weeds.
Robber Twelve noticed Robber Eleven's gaze. She hesitated for a moment before walking over and taking out a knife.
Both of them had a habit of leaving a mark where they hid something that no one else could see. It was a mark that only the two of them could understand. Hence, after Robber Twelve went over, he quickly found the right place to stab.
She removed the layer of soil on top, revealing a square stone slab that was about a meter long.
The stone slab was thick, so Robber Twelve had a hard time prying it open. Although they ran fast, they weren't strong enough.
Robber Eleven wanted to go over and help, but Shao Xuan walked over and reached out his hand that wasn't holding the silk thread. He grabbed the thick stone slab and lifted it up along with the layer of soil that was still covering it.
Seeing Shao Xuan lift the thick slab of stone as easily as peeling off tree bark with one hand, the two of them were impressed by the strength of the Flaming Horn tribesmen.
"It's down there."
Robber Twelve and Robber Eleven looked at each other. They jumped down first and led the way.
The cave below was relatively deep, but it wasn't very long. The storage area was only about seventy to eighty square meters. However, it was very sturdy. It was supported by stone pillars and stone slabs. Otherwise, it wouldn't have lasted for so long.
That was why Shao Xuan had a clear view of the cave after just a few steps.
Robber Twelve took out a water moon stone and lit up the cave. She pointed at the three skeletons leaning against the wall. "We found the thing on them."
They didn't mention the words "longevity leaf" to Shao Xuan. They thought that Shao Xuan might not know what it was. He just referred to it as "thing" and "treasure". Now that they thought about it, they regretted it. Why did they bury it in Yanjiao? They should've left it here. If not, they might've been able to squeeze into the top ten of the "robbers" list with the longevity leaf.
Would those vulgar people in Yanjiao know the true value of the longevity leaf? It was best if they didn't know. If they had the chance, they would sneak into Yanjiao and steal it back. Unfortunately, they couldn't find out Shao Xuan's intentions. They also didn't know what Shao Xuan was thinking.
Shao Xuan approached the skeletons. Their clothes were no longer recognizable and there were no distinctive items on them to prove their identity. However, from the hardness of their bones and the degree of preservation, these people must've been powerful warriors. The stronger they were, the better their bones were preserved.
Shao Xuan still remembered the wooden cylinder that held the longevity leaf. After so many years, the color of the cylinder had changed. However, to be able to preserve it for hundreds or even thousands of years without rotting, it was still a rare high-quality wood. The longevity leaf inside was even better. When he took it out, it was as fresh as new.
The longevity leaf recorded the knot divination of the Yi tribe. It was made a long time ago by the people of the Yi tribe. It was similar to what Shao Xuan learned from the Yi family in the Royal City. For it to appear on this side of the sea, it must've been brought here by the people who came through the sea passage a thousand years ago.
Looking at the posture of the skeletons, Shao Xuan asked Robber Eleven and Robber Twelve, "When you came here, did you move them?"
The two who were communicating with their eyes were startled by Shao Xuan's sudden question.
"No! We flipped them up and looked at them, but we restored them later. " They were thieves, but they were still respectful towards these corpses that had been preserved for so many years. They wouldn't break the bones and throw them away.
Shao Xuan looked at the posture of the three skeletons. They were all facing the same direction as if they were looking at something.
Following the empty eye sockets, Shao Xuan found the answer on a stone pillar.
There were many words and patterns engraved on the stone pillars. Some of them might have been left behind by the small unknown tribe that first lived here, and some of them were written in the language of this place. One of the pictures seemed to be mixed with other words and pictures. Those who didn't know wouldn't be able to tell. This was also why Robber Eleven and Robber Twelve didn't pay attention to it. Different tribes had different styles of pictures. Robber Eleven and Robber Twelve didn't pay much attention to this small tribe that didn't even make a splash in history. That was why they didn't pay much attention to most of the words and pictures on the pillar.
The carvings on the stone pillar looked like some kind of plant. However, Shao Xuan was already very surprised when he saw the carvings.
This was the Ji family's family tattoo in the Royal City on the other side of the sea! It was the Ji tribe's totem tattoo in the early years!
Back then, when the passage under the sea rose, a group of people came from the other side of the sea. Other than the Mu and Yi family, there were also people from the Ji family. However, now that the Mu family changed their surname to 'Shi' and dominated the desert, the Ji family died here. The people who came here had a lot of internal conflicts. What were the three Ji family members trying to do by stealing things from the Yi family?
Unfortunately, a thousand years had passed and Shao Xuan didn't know what they were thinking.
Shao Xuan looked carefully again but didn't find anything. Other than the Ji family tattoo, there was nothing else on the pillar. The Ji family tattoo seemed to be the last trace left behind by the three of them.
Walking out of the cave, Shao Xuan didn't reply to Robber Eleven's probing. He just let them go as promised.
Once they were free, Robber Eleven and Robber Twelve didn't bother to probe Shao Xuan anymore. They just wanted to escape.
Looking at the two escaping figures, Shao Xuan turned around and walked back to the cave.
The Ji family had a habit. They would put grains in their graves. Judging from the looks of the three people in the cave, they should be prepared to die. If so, did they follow the customs of their tribe? Looking at the tribal tattoo they left behind, they should still have deep feelings for the Ji family.
Shao Xuan had already carefully checked the cave below, but he didn't find any grains. Perhaps they had already rotted into dust, or perhaps they were eaten by other underground creatures. However, Shao Xuan had a feeling that this wasn't the end. If they followed the customs of the Ji family, they should have placed a container for grains. It didn't have to be pottery, it could have been something else. But in reality, there was nothing.
If they knew they were going to die and never return, what would they do if they had grains in their hands?
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