Ye Fan waved his hand, forcing a bitter smile. "Brother Shen Er is seriously injured. Tend to his wounds first to prevent infection."
After placing Shen Bao on the bed, Qiao Ping quickly took out her medical kit to treat his wounds.
"Brother Ye, what exactly did you do? Why is the second young master so severely injured?"
Seeing that Ye Fan seemed unharmed, Elder Ji approached, his face filled with panic.
Fortunately, they had returned. Even if injured, at least their lives were still intact. If anything had happened to them, he wouldn't have been able to live in this world.
"We were ambushed by people from North and South Village. If we hadn't run fast, we might not have made it back today."
Ye Fan said it lightly, but only he knew the true extent of the risks they faced.
Recalling the scene, Shen Tianyin couldn't help but cover her mouth, her eyes instantly turning red.
Ye Fan felt helpless. Shen Tianyin was too sensitive, but he also felt a warmth in his heart. If this girl didn't care about him, she wouldn't be so emotional.
Feeling an inexplicable surge of emotion, Ye Fan raised his hand and wiped away the tears on Shen Tianyin's cheeks.
"Aren't we back now?"
Shen Tianyin rolled her eyes at him and said indignantly, "From now on, you're not allowed to leave me behind again, or I'll be finished with you."
Initially, she was just annoyed that Ye Fan had taken risks and made her worry, but the words she spoke sounded a little ambiguous.
Elder Ji and Elder Lei covered their mouths and chuckled, while Ye Fan scratched his head.
Shen Tianyin shyly turned her head away, but not before reaching out and pinching Ye Fan's waist fiercely.
"En~."
A soft groan pulled them back to reality. Shen Bao had woken up.
"Did we manage to escape back?"
Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings and the familiar faces, Shen Bao asked weakly.
"Second Brother, you're safe now."
Shen Tianyin hurried forward, her brows filled with joy.
Tears flowed uncontrollably again, but this time they were tears of happiness, tears of excitement.
"Phew, we finally escaped. After a trip through the gates of hell, it feels so good to be alive."
If Ye Fan hadn't pulled her to safety at the last moment, with his stamina, he wouldn't have been able to hold on.
Especially when they had to hide in the bushes for a long time to evade the search parties from East Village, which caused Shen Bao to lose too much blood and fall into a coma, on the verge of death at any moment.
Having walked through the gates of hell, Shen Bao naturally knew how to cherish life more.
However, Ye Fan felt nothing. He had already died once, and compared to his past life, today's encounter was child's play.
In his past life, while guarding the Tomb of Marquis Sui, he often faced desperate criminals. Those people valued nothing but money in their eyes.
It was no exaggeration to call them cold-blooded creatures.
Yet, even in such an environment, Ye Fan could still live life to the fullest. It was understandable that he was long accustomed to life and death, and paid them no mind. Moreover, ever since he became a tomb keeper, he had already put his life and death aside. For the sake of righteousness in his heart, what did it matter if he died?
"You rest well and refrain from any strenuous activity for now. I'll go and check on the situation in South and North Village again in the next few days and try to rescue the other individuals."
The "other individuals" Ye Fan mentioned were naturally the people from the antique association who had come with Elder Lei.
After all, they had come together. Ye Fan couldn't abandon them and live with a clear conscience.
Shen Bao nodded, then closed his eyes to continue resting.
Elder Lei slowly stepped forward, looking at Ye Fan with a deep gaze. "The lives of those people are now in your hands."
After all, they were the people he had brought. If they died outside, he would likely never be at peace. As the team leader, their fate was directly related to him.
Only Elder Ji and Shen Tianyin looked at Ye Fan with worry. The events of the night had instilled a sense of fear in their hearts towards the people of South and North Village.
Even with the combined abilities of Ye Fan and Shen Bao, they had barely managed to escape. Now, with only Ye Fan left, how could they not worry?
He offered Shen Tianyin a comforting smile. "I'll be fine. I'm just going to scout for information; it's not like we'll be fighting like tonight. Besides, I'm quite confident in my escape abilities."
Although he said this to comfort Shen Tianyin, if they encountered the same situation as tonight, Ye Fan would likely be unable to resist retaliating with fury. This had nothing to do with life and death, but with the beliefs in his heart and the persistence of his life.
"I can't stop you, but I hope that when you make decisions, you'll think more about the people who care about you and worry about you, and don't make me live in torment."
She lifted her head with determination, fixing her gaze on Ye Fan. These words moved him even more than her previous concern.
"I promise you, I won't make you worry again."
After saying this, he seemed to realize it wasn't quite right and turned to Elder Ji. "When I leave, you must conceal your tracks well. You absolutely cannot be discovered. After tonight's events, the North and South Villages will likely increase their search for Thousand Buddha Mountain, and this place is their top priority. We absolutely cannot fail to find the treasure and have all our people lost here."
He had caused a commotion in South Village tonight and nearly captured Kong Weiren. He definitely wouldn't let it go. Therefore, the following days would be their most difficult.
Just then, Qiao Ping walked over, her face cold, her eyes filled with chilling hostility.
"You just said you came here to find a treasure?"
Ye Fan paused, then remembered Qiao Ping's identity and immediately understood, but he still nodded.
"Sister Qiao, to be frank, the reason we came here is because we received a clue that there is a great treasure here. If I'm not mistaken, that treasure should be in the tomb you are guarding."
Although he knew these words would likely infuriate Qiao Ping, since they were already friends, Ye Fan didn't want to hide anything.
As expected, upon hearing his words, Qiao Ping took a few steps back, creating distance between herself and Ye Fan.
"You want to rob a tomb? I must have been blind to have misjudged you. My family has guarded that tomb for over a hundred years, and I will not allow anyone to lay a hand on it. If you want to rob the tomb, you'll have to step over my dead body."
Her icy words caused the atmosphere to instantly freeze. Shen Tianyin and the others exchanged glances, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes. After all, Qiao Ping had just helped them, and now they were seeking to take what she guarded. In any case, they were in the wrong.
Only Ye Fan sighed helplessly.
"Sister Qiao, I know that tomb is the belief your family holds dear, just as it is for me. To be honest, I was also a tomb keeper, and the tomb I guarded was far more precious than the one in Thousand Buddha Mountain."
"What? You're also a tomb keeper?"