Chapter 90

【Whoa whoa whoa I also saw it!】

【Hahaha the grassland is too beautiful!】

【I wanted to go out and travel, but unfortunately I still have to work, lowly office worker QAQ】

Comments flashed across the screen, the tall man's smile was a bit shy, he rubbed his head, speaking in not-so-fluent Mandarin: "Host, can we start the consultation?"

He seemed a bit urgent, Ling Yue nodded upon hearing: "Of course, what do you want to consult?"

"My sheep!" Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua said without hesitation, his camera suddenly began to shake, the next moment it unexpectedly rose considerably, the view had already switched to the opposite——

On the lush green grassland, patches of soft white clouds were scattered, some densely packed together, resembling a large piece of soft cream cloud.

The wind blew past, like a richly colored oil painting.

The netizens in the live broadcast room felt refreshed and delighted.

【Waa waa waa what a beautiful place, the little sheep is really cute!】

【Could it be that only I notice something wrong?】

【I also——whoa whoa whoa estimate, there are over a thousand sheep……slurp slurp】

【Ah ah ah ah does the wealthy big shot still need a little assistant? Having attended college, I have better self-management skills!】

【I'm coming, I'm coming, so many sheep, so many sheep!】

【Turns out what my classmate said was true, the sheep on the grassland are all in flocks, today I've opened my eyes!】

The man walked into the flock, the gentle sheep were not too afraid, leisurely chewing grass; such a beautiful scene, yet he kept his brows furrowed: "Our family makes a living from herding; these sheep are everything to us, but not long ago, a strange matter suddenly appeared."

"My sheep have gone missing."

The netizens in the live broadcast room were shocked upon hearing.

【The sheep are lost, did they run away?】

【Or maybe they were stolen by someone?】

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua kept an eye on the comments, seeing this couldn't help but shake his head: "Impossible!"

He said firmly: "Every flock has a lead sheep; they follow the lead sheep, so they couldn't get lost; as for theft, that's even more impossible!"

"Our Mongol men would never do such a thing! Moreover, each pasture is tens of kilometers apart; our yurts move constantly with the migrating flock."

"Moreover, the loss of sheep is not accidental; we lose several sheep every day. I've followed them out before; these sheep are perfectly normal, have no natural predators, yet they keep decreasing.

"So host, can you help me consult a bit?"

Obviously, he was very worried, his face full of worry; Ling Yue naturally nodded, then looked toward the flock, these grassland-raised sheep were very leisurely, grazing and chatting.

She first approached the lead sheep, the largest and strongest in the flock; upon hearing her words, the lead sheep startled, then immediately bleated: "Lost sheep? I can't manage them!"

By common sense, the lead sheep is like the elder of the flock, supposed to be obeyed, but the one she encountered seemed completely given up on itself.

"I can't manage those sheep! They ran into the wild and I can't control them, they're not my clan's sheep!!"

Hearing this, the other sheep shrank their heads in fear, the rustling sound reached Ling Yue's ears: "Good heavens, the leader must be angry!"

"Those sheep have gone wild, they don't even listen to the leader's words, they deserve to be expelled!"

At this moment, after the lead sheep finished speaking, it turned around, its butt and tail aimed at the screen, a blatant refusal. Ling Yue: "……"

The netizens in the live broadcast room: "!!!"

【Host, what's going on? What's wrong with the sheep?】

【Hahahaha the sheep seems angry, big butt aimed at us, I'm dying of laughter!】

【What a fat and delicious roast……ah no, what a beautiful sheep! slurp slurp】

【Host, did you ask clearly?】

Ling Yue shook her head: "It says it can't manage them."

Upon hearing, Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua immediately became urgent: "Is there a sheep that disobeys the lead sheep's discipline?"

His face immediately darkened; for a herdsman, this is practically terrible news.

The flock is like a small society, the lead sheep is the greatest leader; once a sheep disobeys discipline, it's a challenge to the lead sheep's status. And such sheep also become destabilizing factors in the flock.

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua's expression grew grave; Ling Yue then averted her gaze, knowing she wouldn't get any answers from the lead sheep, she had Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua move the camera around the flock, his ears twitching, various sounds then reached Ling Yue's ears.

"The grass smells so good, so tender."

"I like it chewy, good texture."

"Pfft, that's all you amount to? Eating grass every day, I'm getting sick of it!"

"Little Yellow? You dare come back? The lead sheep is already angry, going to drive you out of the flock!"

"Eh? I see you really ran wild, aren't you panicking?"

"Burp~~" that sheep let out a long burp, its red eyes looking at friends: "What's there to panic about? Today we have wine, today we get drunk; tomorrow's worries come tomorrow."

Having heard that poem from somewhere, Ling Yue tightly pressed her lips, almost unable to hold back laughter.

Ling Yue's gaze fell on the sheep; she noticed this different sheep, there was a small yellow patch on its head, still continually dropping dirt, compared to other sheep, its whole body was even dirtier, as if it had just crawled out of a dirt pit.

It was also a bit tipsy.

Ling Yue guessed, uncertain, but this is the grassland—how could there be wine?

The next moment, she saw the dirty sheep step on the grass beneath its feet, proudly raising its head: "I have food, I have drink; have you tried wine? It's fragrant and a bit spicy on the mouth? Especially potent!"

The little sheep shook their heads, some also looked at it curiously; that sheep then chattered on about its introduction, Ling Yue was at a loss for words, the scene somehow resembled——a multi-level marketing pitch？！

More and more sheep joined, listening to its vivid descriptions, as if drinking wine would make them feel blissfully intoxicated.

These sheep's curiosity is no less than a cat's; hearing its words, they instantly filled their eyes with curiosity and longing, all coming to ask it: where can we drink the wine?

The dirty sheep proudly bleated: "That place is far away; only I know it, but if you beg me, I'll take you there."

"You little Yellow, you still want us to beg? We're good buddies!" The two other sheep that obviously knew it glanced at each other, then bumped into it; the fluffy round dirty sheep was startled and retreated backward, like a lively jumping big dough ball.

Dirty sheep: "Hey hey, don't butt me!"

It knew its friends were just playing with it; the dirty sheep swayed backward, continuously burping: "Burp~ I'm saying, burp~ I'm saying, isn't that enough~"

The dirty sheep enjoyed the envy of its flock, and even its owner didn't mind—humans couldn't understand its bleating anyway.

Its tsundere look made the livestream viewers burst out laughing.

【Little Biejie is quite a thing… oh wait, the little thing is quite unique!】

【Where did this little dirty sheep come from? It looks so tsundere, bleating nonstop—must be a little chatterbox!】

【It's so lively, greeting the other lambs like it's holding a meeting—hehehe~】

【Host, host, translate please—what did the little dirty sheep actually say?】

Ling Yue listened, a bit entranced; the dirty sheep was quite eloquent. She caught a glimpse of the comments out of the corner of her eye, then realized, and softly coughed: "The dirty sheep—"

【Dirty sheep? Wow, so cute—host, you're not just here to gossip with us, are you?】

【Hahaha, definitely not—I believe in you, protagonist 【smirk】【smirk】】

Ling Yue's ears felt hot, she almost couldn't keep her composure, and she continued: "I might know where those lost sheep are."

As soon as she said that, the chuckling viewers in the livestream froze.

【So fast!】

【Can't just say fast—gotta say impressive! Host, you're awesome!】

【I think I understood something, my face turned yellow. JPG】

【Ahem, back to the topic—I think the host has been here all along; could it be related to the dirty sheep?】 This viewer's guess was pretty spot-on.

【Me too!】 This viewer had completely given up.

Ling Yue was almost dying of laughter from the goofy viewers, she struggled to keep a straight face, and turned to the inquirer in front of the camera.

The most beautiful flower on the grassland looked solemn, gazing excitedly at Ling Yue: "Host, do you know where those lost sheep are?"

Don't think that having nearly a thousand sheep means losing a few is no big deal—but know that these sheep are the herders' sole income; each one is money, the fruit of their year's hard work.

The most beautiful flower on the grassland was very excited, his hopeful gaze falling on Ling Yue.

Ling Yue was about to say something when she suddenly heard a bleat; she immediately changed her wording: "Most beautiful flower on the grassland, point the camera at the dirty sheep!"

On the screen, everyone saw: "Those who want to leave, follow me—we'll go around the side, wait till the owner can't see, then you'll follow my command and run together!"

Ling Yue raised her eyebrows at the sound—what a pro, that practiced tone suggests she's done this countless times.

The dirty sheep wobbled along, leading a few companions slowly out of a fluffy white "cloud."

The camera focused here, and in an instant the viewers realized something was off.

Those sneaky little sheep really make it hard not to suspect them.

【What are they up to?】

【Holy crap, lead sheep, hurry—some sheep are trying to steal the place!】

【Whoa, there's an insider—halt the transaction!】

At the crucial moment, the livestream viewers displayed unmatched goofy talent, spouting one divine line after another.

Following Ling Yue's instructions, the most beautiful flower on the grassland acted oblivious, and the dirty sheep, thinking its plan succeeded, trotted to the edge of the flock and flicked its hooves, running off gleefully.

A few little sheep made a quick getaway.

The owner, seeing this scene: "……"

He stared in shock at the sheep's round, rolling back, as if a herd of hundreds of alpacas were whooshing over his head, knocking him dizzy and making the world spin.

Ling Yue's indifferent voice rang out: "Most beautiful flower on the grassland, hurry up and chase after them."

"Huh? Oh, okay!" He reacted quickly, seeing the distance, he immediately hopped on his own motorcycle, and with a roar of the imperial engine, the motorcycle sped past.

【Whoa! A motorcycle!】

The livestream viewers' eyes were opened wide—turns out what the documentaries said were all true.

【Is this the grassland's mode of transport?】

The most beautiful flower on the grassland hopped onto the motorcycle, phone clamped in a bendable stand facing himself; seeing the comments, he smiled and said: "Yes, this is our Mongolian grassland's transport—motorcycles are fast and convenient, perfect for getting around."

Think about it: on the endless grassland, population is sparse. Because of herding, each household is at least dozens of kilometers apart; aside from motorcycles, the only other option is cars—but how much does a car cost, and how much does a motorcycle cost?

Amid the rumbling engine, the sheep ran farther and farther, he trailed far behind in the dust; seeing the landscape grow more desolate, the most beautiful flower on the grassland's face flushed with a hint of panic.

They have a sacred mountain they worship, and also a forbidden zone no one may tread. The direction those few sheep ran toward is this mysterious forbidden zone; it's said that decades ago, a group of outsiders, disbelieving the taboo, entered the zone, while the guide herder refused to go in and waited outside—but months later, no one returned.

The elders in the village all say it's a forbidden zone, the lair where an evil deity lurks!

The most beautiful flower on the grassland isn't much of a storyteller, but the legend is just too mysterious to resist; the livestream listeners ate it up, finding it incredibly thrilling.

Meanwhile, the camera pointed ahead at the vast, boundless grassland; some tall blades of grass swept past the lens, as if they too were on the motorcycle, enjoying a 360‑degree travel thrill.

【Whoa, looks so comfy!】

【After seeing so many cities' steel jungles, suddenly spotting blue skies, white clouds, and an endless grassland—our eyes lit up!】

【I'm not cultured, but I've got one line: Damn, this is gorgeous! Gorgeous to death!】

Some even sensed the leisure of travel; Ling Yue narrowed her eyes slightly, thinking maybe she should go on a trip—always cooped up in Jing Shi, this life is getting too dull, right?

Just then, the barrage filled with shock.

【Holy crap, the sheep are gone!】

【I didn't even blink, and in that instant those few sheep vanished!】

【Good heavens, what just happened?】

Not only the livestream viewers, but the most beautiful flower on the grassland, who had seen it with his own eyes, was even more shocked; he gripped the motorcycle's handlebars and asked: "Host, what's going on?"

He kept talking while driving forward, not waiting for Ling Yue's reply, he gritted his teeth and said: "I'll keep going—I've already lost a dozen or so sheep front and back; I can't lose any more."

【Isn't the grassland big brother raising over a thousand sheep? Just a dozen lost—what if something happens ahead?】

【Even if there were a thousand sheep up front, losing a dozen would still break anyone's heart!】

【Someone in my village raises sheep—dozens of them. Do you know how much one sheep costs? Lambs go for nearly a thousand each, adult big sheep several thousand, and besides, big brother here is in Inner Mongolia, all naturally grazed, so prices are higher than elsewhere—losing a dozen sheep would mean a loss of nearly six figures! Countless people's year‑long hard work would go to waste, and you say it's just a dozen sheep?!】

【I've dealt with this before—I know a dozen or so is already a huge loss. Herders aren't having it easy; the flocks need fresh grass and must move regularly, so Mongolian herders have no fixed abode, often today they're here, tomorrow they're tens or even a hundred miles away.】

【We all felt like backing off in our hearts, but Caoyuan Dage wouldn't— he still wanted to keep going forward to look.】

【Caoyuan Dage, how about we head back?】

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua shook his head: "There are many legends about the grassland, and besides, that sheep has come back, so it should be fine."

In the midst of the discussion, the motorcycle was already nearing its destination when suddenly Ling Yue's gaze hardened, falling upon that fertile grassland; a gust of wind blew over, and the half‑person‑tall straw stalks swayed gently.

Ling Yue spoke: "Stop, go over and take a look, bring the tools."

"Okay."

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua didn't dare to be careless, walking over cautiously; wool was hanging on those tall grasses, clearly he had found the right place.

He closely followed the sheep's trail, when suddenly his foot found nothing beneath him— he hadn't stepped on soft ground but instead stepped into empty air!

The camera jolted violently, a few small stones clattered down, and a hollow echo came from below.

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua immediately fell backward, but thanks to his strong core strength he landed steadily on the grass.

A layer of cold sweat seeped out of his back.

The viewers in the live‑stream were startled, thrown into chaos.

【Holy shit, I was scared to death—I thought I was going to fall!】

【I think—I saw a big hole, or is it a especially big pit?】

【What? This isn't the grassland—how could there be a pit?】

"Whoosh—"

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua bent over and gently parted the grass; the sight that emerged made all the viewers' hearts pound like drums, cold sweat breaking out.

Beneath those lush thickets lay a huge pit; at its far end was a canyon, like a narrow gap, with sunlight slanting in, a good ten‑plus meters deep.

In the frame, one could still see the sheep flicking their little tails and buttocks, heading toward a place, seemingly a hole.

【This is totally a trap!】

This statement leaves no room for disagreement—those seemingly lush weeds actually grow on the edge of a sinkhole; they look dense, but if anyone is careless, they will surely step into empty air and fall in!

A fall of ten‑plus meters would be hard to save even if a celestial deity arrived.

But what's most astonishing is, how could there be a sinkhole here?

"I want to go down."

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua saw his lost sheep; they were doing fine, because the sinkhole's bottom was covered in clumps of lush, sweet wild grass, which someone had already recognized.

【It's purple alfalfa, the sheep's favorite grass—a huge patch, even more tender than the earlier meadow grass, no wonder they came here.】

【Hold on, I've got a question—how do we get down?】

Ling Yue observed for a moment, then suddenly said: "Go down from that side."

The sinkhole isn't a straight vertical drop; it has some slope, and directly opposite Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua is a small incline.

As he walked over, woolly sheep fleece still clung to the grass stalks beside the slope, followed by some narrow, sloping paths.

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua spent some time, finally reaching the valley floor, stepping on the purple alfalfa; suddenly his motion halted, he lowered his head, and the camera focused on what he had captured.

In an instant, countless viewers before their screens screamed outright, some so frightened they flung their phones away.

【Fuck ahhhhh!!!】

【Damn, a high‑energy crit!】

A death‑white skull fell onto the grass, the lush purple alfalfa covering the bone; only when brushed aside could one see that the ground was littered with scattered human bones.

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua wiped his face, which was drenched in sweat.

"Everyone wait a moment, I'll call the police first."

Ling Yue's eyes grew grave as he suddenly recalled the earlier legend, the people who had gone missing decades ago.

At the same time, as the grassland's most beautiful flower, he arrived at a half‑person‑high small cave; seeing it, the viewers on the other side of the screen hesitated a bit—the inside was pitch black, truly like an invisible giant mouth—should they really go in,

The most beautiful flower of the grassland stood before the cave, suddenly sniffed, and with an expression of disbelief said: "How come there's a smell of alcohol?"

【There's also the bleating of sheep!】

【I can swear! Those sheep just disappeared here!】

"So fragrant, so fragrant—is this alcohol?"

"Burp~ I'm full, I'm full!"

"You're really useless—you said your stomach was uncomfortable, yet you drink more; this is my mother's secret remedy: a distended belly and a few sips of baijiu. What's baijiu? It's this kind of fiery liquor!"

"Eat, eat, drink..."

A sudden bang came from inside the cave; the most beautiful flower of the grassland could no longer hold back, and he heard Ling Yue's voice: "Go in; the little sheep inside should be fine."

Suddenly, she said again: "Raise your phone so I can take a look."

"What are we looking at? Countless people are baffled."

Ling Yue remained silent, her gaze locked on the screen; she had thought it was just a passage from a collapsed earth, but in fact it seemed not to be so.

Faintly visible patterns emerged, simple yet extraordinarily distinctive.

【Holy crap, what did I just see?!】

【??? Fellow netizen, you cut off your sentence—I curse you to eat instant noodles without seasoning!】

This little interlude didn't affect Ling Yue; the deeper she went, the calmer her heart became, and her suspicions seemed more credible.

At that moment, a rough shout rang out: "My sheep!"

The most beautiful flower of the grassland switched on his flashlight, delighted, and followed the beam; in the view, a dozen sheep lay sprawled on the ground, some snoring loudly, others eyes wide, startled by him, letting out a long bleat.

"Master, master!"

"My mother, my eyes must be blind—how could he be here?!"

The drunken, filthy sheep smacked its lips, sleeping deeply; in the cave, what drew the most attention wasn't the flock but the crooked large wine jars on the ground.

A strong wine scent emanated from here; above, the carvings were somewhat exquisite, and more so were the richly colored large gems, large agates!

At this moment, the pot lid had been separated by the gluttonous flock of sheep.

These were like a heavy hammer, heavily striking a group of people's heads.

【This is, what is this?】

【We're doomed, grassland big brother, we've found treasure, the sheep have committed a great crime!】

【Is that brother from earlier still here? What's going on?】 Someone still called out to the previous online friend, but after a while, there was no response at all.

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua also began to hesitate; he had already found the sheep, but what are these?

He took two steps, suddenly felt something off underfoot, the camera moved down following the light source, and upon seeing clearly, he immediately sighed in relief: "It's a floor tile."

【Holy shit, are we going down into a tomb?】

【Big brother, give it another tap, I've never seen a live-streamed tomb descent before—I never imagined Mongolia would have tombs either—whose could it be?】

I don't know what comment that online friend posted, followed by a string of ellipses.

【What do you think?】

【Yuan… yuan, yuan, yuan——I can't catch my breath, is it really the Yuan?】

【……I swear, it's the Yuan Dynasty, the pattern on that jar—I saw it in class, I'm a history department student QWQ】

【Ahhhhhhh!!】

The screen was filled with ahhhhs, completely unable to vent the online friends' excitement; that Yuan Dynasty, the dynasty with the least historical records, to this day not a single imperial tomb has been discovered.

What's more, letting the imagination run wild is that one of history's most important great figures is buried within Inner Mongolia; even if it's not him, it's enough to make people excited and elated.

Ling Yue had no chance to speak, the whole live stream descended into chaos, the broadcast went from looking for sheep to descending into a tomb—something even a movie wouldn't be this outrageous, yet that's exactly how it happened.

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua immediately called the police, tiptoeing to retreat, anyway those sheep couldn't run away, but the more nervous they got, the more whatever came.

He staggered in his step, almost falling flat on his face.

Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua lowered his head to look; it was a pried-up floor tile, palm-sized, a few centimeters thick—just this little stone-like thing, and it actually almost tripped him?

He picked it up, but his motion suddenly stalled.

The image seemed to freeze, arousing the curiosity of only the live stream's online friends.

【What's wrong with the grassland big brother? Won't he have picked up a treasure?】

【Hahaha, maybe it is—rumor has it Yuan people loved gold the most; could it be a gold brick?】

【What are you thinking? There are hundreds or thousands of floor tiles here—pave the ground with gold bricks? What daydream are you having?】

After a moment, Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua said dumbly: "Seems like it is."

A silence fell.

Gold is extremely dense, so as soon as the gold brick entered his hand he sensed something off; his prepared flashlight swept over the flat ground, Caoyuan Zuimei De Hua's heart pounded, he took out the small knife he carried and scraped it—the dusty brick immediately exuded a hint of gold yellow.

The frenzy of online friends flooding into the live stream instantly went mad, their eyes turned red——:,,.