Return of the Immortal Emperor Daddy-Chapter 162: Why the Rush to Fight Each Other?

Wu Tian’s brow furrowed slightly. "So the sword is still with that Tomb Raider Major friend of yours?"

"Yes, my brother has been studying it for twenty years," Mouse Tooth sighed. "The first month he got the sword, he had a cold for the entire month. The second month, he had a high fever for the entire month. The third month... Eventually, he locked the sword up and went abroad. I haven’t seen him in over ten years."

"This sword..." Lin Zhan trembled with fear, unsure of how to even describe it. It seems that whoever obtained this sword was cursed to the extreme. I also love collecting antiques, but I would never dare to touch one like this. It’s a good thing that man was a Tomb Raider Major; anyone else would have thrown the sword away.

Lin Zhan didn’t know much about tomb raiding, but he was aware that the practice was divided into four factions: the Hill Excavators, the Gold Touchers, the Mount Movers, and the Ridge Dislodgers. Tomb raiders also had various titles, such as General of Hill Excavation, Tomb Raider Major, Mount Mover Daoist, and Ridge Dislodger Strongman.

The Tomb Raider Majors had a legendary origin, dating back to the Three Kingdoms Period at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty. It was said that the warlord Cao Cao’s family background was inferior to his rival Yuan Shao’s, but he refused to accept this disadvantage. Besides his pedigree, in what way is a man like Yuan Shao superior to me, Cao Cao? So, to supplement the army’s budget, he established military ranks like the General of Hill Excavation and the Tomb Raider Major, who specialized in plundering tombs for treasure to subsidize military expenses.

"Enough about that," Mouse Tooth said. "It’s still early, so I’ll take you to my brother’s place right now. He isn’t home, but his two sons are."

Though not typically a kind-hearted man, he was also eager to learn the sword’s secrets. Thus, he led Wu Tian and the others to the Yao residence.

On the way, Mouse Tooth explained the Yao family’s recent situation to Wu Tian. After his old friend went abroad, the Yao family established a strict ban on tomb raiding.

However, one person had broken this rule: the cousin of Mouse Tooth’s friend. This man established a tomb raiding team in Inner Mongolia, sweeping across the Dragon Country and rampantly plundering ancient tombs with very few failures. This Mr. Yao was an expert in geomancy and adept at observing celestial signs. Using a skill known as "divining by metal and fire," he could pinpoint the location of ancient tombs with uncanny precision. Because of his almost supernatural abilities, he was acclaimed as the foremost master of tomb raiding, a living Tomb Raider Major.

Regrettably, for all his skill in tomb raiding, his character was severely lacking. He rarely shared the spoils with his subordinates. He would feast and live lavishly while his comrades received little, which led to intense internal conflict. The team soon fell apart, and not long after, this Mr. Yao was brought to justice.

Arrogant and unyielding even after his capture, he had bellowed, "You’re lucky you caught me when you did! Otherwise, I was planning to excavate Qin Shi Huang’s mausoleum next! Those so-called experts are useless. None of them have any real skill; they can’t even compare to one of my men."

He was the very definition of arrogance. But it was undeniable that the Yao family truly had a knack for tomb raiding.

"Uncle Mouse Tooth, why are you here?" a young man asked as he emerged from a small room beside the main gate upon their arrival at the Yao estate.

Mouse Tooth frowned. "What are you doing here? You’re a young master of the Yao family. How can you be working as a gatekeeper? Did your brother make you do this? He’s gone too far!"

Mouse Tooth’s friend had two sons: Yao Yuansheng and Yao Yuanyao. According to the Yao family’s tradition, the family skills were passed down to the eldest son. Therefore, Yao Yuansheng inherited the family’s tomb raiding knowledge, while Yao Yuanyao did not. Mouse Tooth hadn’t visited in many years and was shocked to find Yao Yuanyao now guarding the gate. This infuriated him. That Yao Yuansheng has taken things too far!

"No, no, no, it has nothing to do with my brother. I’m doing this voluntarily," Yao Yuanyao said, quickly shaking his head. No matter how my brother treats me, I won’t get angry. If we were to fight, it would bring shame upon the Yao family in front of outsiders, and I would never want that.

"Fine, fine, I won’t meddle in your affairs." Yao Yuanyao has been kind-hearted since he was a child, the type who is easily bullied. To think that after all these years, he’s still so soft. At a loss for what to say, Mouse Tooth simply asked, "Nephew, I came to ask if the Heaven-Defying Sword is still here at your house."

"Yes, it is," Yao Yuanyao replied quickly, not daring to hesitate when an elder asked a question. He wasn’t always sure what things his family possessed, but he knew for a fact the Heaven-Defying Sword was still there. That was because his recent streak of bad luck had not subsided. I’ll choke while drinking water, slip while sweeping the floor, the nib of my pen will suddenly break while I’m writing, and my clothes will rip as I put them on. These unlucky things keep happening. Therefore, Yao Yuanyao was certain the sword was still in the house.

"By the way, Uncle Mouse Tooth, who are these people?" Yao Yuanyao asked, his curiosity piqued by Wu Tian, Lin Zhan, and the little one. His father’s friend, Mouse Tooth, hadn’t visited the Yao residence in years. For him to come this time with guests... Though kind, Yao Yuanyao was no fool and sensed that these people were extraordinary. Especially Wu Tian; his aura makes me feel ashamed of myself.

"These gentlemen are distinguished guests," Mouse Tooth stated solemnly. In all my years of experience, I’ve never seen anyone with an aura like Wu Tian’s. It’s clearly not something one develops overnight. He must be a person of great importance.

"Oh," Yao Yuanyao nodded. Just as he was about to greet Wu Tian and the others, a mocking voice cut in.

"Hah! Distinguished guests? I suppose the vegetable sellers and shoe shiners on the street are distinguished guests too?"

The sudden voice displeased Mouse Tooth. He looked toward its source and saw a tall figure with dyed-blond hair stepping out of the main house, his eyes filled with disdain.

"You shouldn’t say that," Yao Yuanyao said, seeing his brother’s attitude. "Besides, Uncle Mouse Tooth is our elder, we should..."

"Shut up," the newcomer, Yao Yuansheng, snapped. He glared at Mouse Tooth. "People say you’re formidable, and my brother here respects you. But as for how much skill you actually possess... others might not know, but how could I not? I ask you, in all those successful tomb raids back then, was it because of you? Or my father?" 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

"It was your father, of course," Mouse Tooth said earnestly. In their old team, it was naturally their father, Yao Sijiu, who had played the most crucial role.

"Good, as long as you’re telling the truth," Yao Yuansheng chuckled, his voice dripping with pride. "In that case, my father was the master of the team, and you all were merely his servants. My calling you ’Uncle’ is an act of benevolence. It would be perfectly reasonable for me not to. Wouldn’t you agree?"

"But..." Mouse Tooth’s face darkened, but he said nothing. It was Yao Yuanyao who grew anxious. But Father said that on several of those tomb raids, they were able to survive desperate situations only because Mouse Tooth was there! He didn’t have any tomb raiding skills, but he was a lucky charm, and his intuition found them the way out of the tombs many times.

"Shut up," Yao Yuansheng barked at his brother before turning back to the visitors. "The Yao family has no time to entertain others today, because the Zhao Family is paying us a visit."