Evil Spirits Carrying A Coffin

Chapter Twelve Professor Sun

“That old man really ripped us off.”

Hearing Li Yuan curse, I felt a little helpless. I had not expected that the old man would not only drag us over but also leave us to pay the bill in the end.

Seeing Li Yuan’s expression, as if he would kill that man on sight if they met again, I shook my head. Luckily, I had withdrawn a few hundred extra yuan earlier. Otherwise, it would have been truly embarrassing if we could not even pay.

After handing five hundred yuan to the waiter, Li Yuan stormed out while watching the man smile. I quickly followed after him.

“Is it really worth getting this worked up? It’s just five hundred yuan. Once we take that thing back and sell it, we’ll earn it all back.”

Even after walking for a long time, Li Yuan still looked annoyed. I found it a little amusing. The combined assets of our two families exceeded ten billion, yet he cared so much about this small amount of money.

“If that old man dares show his face again, I’ll make sure he regrets it.”

As he spoke, Li Yuan threw a punch into the air, venting the anger in his chest.

“Alright, enough. Let’s go.”

I dragged him back to the hotel. We ate something simple and then returned to our respective rooms.

Nothing happened that night. The next morning, when I got up, I found that Li Yuan had already returned from his workout. I felt slightly embarrassed. It was summer vacation, and I had finally planned to sleep in, yet he was already up so early.

“Where are you planning to go today?”

We talked while eating breakfast. We had come here specifically for the ancient tombs near the Yellow River, so there was no reason to leave empty handed. We opened a map of the area and began discussing possible destinations.

In the end, a place called Wenshang Town caught our attention. It was said that there had once been many ancient tombs there, but most were submerged after the Yellow River repeatedly changed its course. If not for those changes uncovering a large number of cultural relics, no one would have known how many tombs were buried there.

“Let’s go there.”

After settling on the plan, we ate a bit more, slung our backpacks over our shoulders, and left the hotel. The weather in the north was dry, especially at this time of year. Unless there was a heavy rain, the temperature was usually high. Even in short sleeves, we were soon drenched in sweat.

We finally managed to hail a taxi. This time, we were careful. No matter what the driver said, we insisted on using the meter. The driver looked unhappy but still drove off.

About half an hour later, Wenshang Town came into view. After arriving, we asked around and learned that although Wenshang Town appeared close to the Yellow River on the map, only one small village was actually near the river.

The village was called Huangni Village, and it was quite far from the center of Wenshang Town.

We tried several taxis, but the moment the drivers heard we wanted to go to Huangni Village, they all waved us off. Even offering more money did not help. At first, we did not understand why, but later we learned the reason.

The road to Huangni Village was entirely dirt. It was often muddy, and cars were prone to breaking down if they went there.

With no other choice, Li Yuan and I found an oxcart to take us to Huangni Village. The price was not cheap at all, fifty yuan per person.

We could have chosen another destination, but Huangni Village was the only place that truly relied on the Yellow River for its livelihood. In the end, we accepted it. If we found nothing, we would just come back.

The ride was extremely bumpy. Even sitting still, the constant jolting made us dizzy. The driver said he was a villager from Huangni Village and had come out to buy daily necessities. Normally, almost no one wanted to go there, so he was surprised that we were headed to Huangni Village.

He asked why we were going. When he heard our answer, he rolled his eyes, clearly not believing us. Still, since we did not want to say more, he did not press the issue.

On the way, a plainly dressed old man also came over, saying he wanted to ride the oxcart. The driver seemed to know him. After seeing the old man, he quickly jumped down and greeted him.

“Professor Sun, what brings you here?”

Hearing the name Professor Sun, Li Yuan and I exchanged a glance. It could not really be such a coincidence.

“It’s the dry season again,” Professor Sun said calmly. “I’m going to check on that ancient tomb.”

He glanced at Li Yuan and me. Perhaps because we were young, he did not avoid speaking openly in front of us.

The driver hesitated, then said, “That ancient tomb is very strange. You really need to be careful.”

Professor Sun’s expression darkened slightly, as if he had been reminded of something unpleasant.

Seeing his reaction, the driver froze for a moment and immediately realized he had said too much.

“Professor Sun, don’t listen to me. I’m just talking nonsense.”

Professor Sun shook his head, indicating that he did not mind. The two of them soon changed the subject.

“Have Yuan Li and Li Xin come back yet?” Professor Sun asked.

“They’re back, they’re back,” the driver replied quickly. “Everyone says their eighteenth birthday celebration changed them so much. I almost didn’t recognize them.”

“That’s good,” Professor Sun said. “We might still need their help later.”

“No problem,” the driver said warmly. “Just say the word, and our whole village will be willing to help.”

It was clearly a polite response. Professor Sun smiled but did not say anything further.

“These two young men look unfamiliar,” he said, turning to us. “Are they from Huangni Village?”

For a moment, I was caught off guard by the question. Li Yuan and I had been excited to finally meet Professor Sun, and I did not react immediately.

The driver answered for us right away. “Those two? They said they came to look around. Who knows what they’re really here for.”

Li Yuan frowned at once. “What do you mean? Do we look like liars to you?”

Seeing Li Yuan’s displeasure, the driver stopped talking.

“We did come to take a look,” I said calmly. “We wanted to see the Yellow River. We heard stories from the older generation in our family, so we came here. It just happens to be by the river.”

After hearing my explanation, Professor Sun nodded, seemingly convinced.

After all, returning to one’s ancestral homeland was a long standing tradition. People often went searching for their roots, and my explanation sounded reasonable. Although Professor Sun seemed to sense that something was slightly off, he did not think too deeply about it.