Wang Zhicai gave Young Master Liu a brief explanation. Young Master Liu didn't fully grasp it, but he understood that the foreign joint venture company was also involved in this expedition, and they were the principal partner—he was merely the secondary.

This left Young Master Liu even more perplexed. Why would foreign capital, which usually avoids ventures of little value, bother with the Taklamakan Desert?

Young Master Liu asked Wang Zhicai, "Old Brother, you aren't exactly scraping by, so why risk the misery of the desert?"

Wang Zhicai smiled and replied, "Actually, I once organized an expedition to the Taklamakan with a team. But we ran into a sandstorm mid-journey; some died, some were injured, and some went missing. I was lucky to escape unscathed. My biggest regret in life is never having reached that place. This time, I’m going to fulfill that dream."

Hearing Wang Zhicai finish, Young Master Liu nodded. He deeply understood this yearning. A person who hasn't achieved something they deeply aspire to will never be truly content, no matter how much power or wealth they possess.

Wang Zhicai led Young Master Liu directly to the living room, saying they would hold a meeting once the joint venture team arrived and then depart soon after.

Upon entering the living room, he found four people already seated: three men and one woman, all quite young. Young Master Liu rubbed the back of his head, walked over to the group, and introduced himself. After all, they would be working together for a while; it was best to start building rapport.

The four people took turns introducing themselves to Young Master Liu. The woman was named Lin Miaoke, from the South. She looked quite young, barely twenty, possibly having started primary school early. Wearing glasses, she appeared quite cute. Seeing her petite frame, Young Master Liu worried she would suffer terribly in the desert.

The three men were slightly older, having spent two or three years in archaeology. One, a tall man from the Northeast named Wu Bai, had graduated from the same school as Lin Miaoke. Having been down South for a long time, he sounded a bit affectedly delicate. The other two were from the same school and had met when they first joined the expedition team; their names were Sun Li and Tiao Zai.

After everyone introduced themselves, they briefly shared details about their respective schools and their prior experience on expeditions.

Feeling restless, Young Master Liu leaned toward Wang Zhicai and asked, "Brother Wang, why haven't those French comrades arrived yet?"

Wang Zhicai replied, "I’m not entirely sure, but I heard that the desert environment changes unpredictably. Even with an accurate map, pinpointing the exact location of the Golden Sand Ancient City might be impossible. So, they brought in an advisor—someone who knows how to read Feng Shui and observe the celestial phenomena."

Young Master Liu felt a bit deflated upon hearing this. It was rare for foreigners to actually believe in the principles of Chinese Feng Shui. Still, having an advisor wasn't necessarily a bad thing; Feng Shui originates from the I Ching and the Eight Trigrams, possessing a certain scientific basis, and might prove useful when needed.

As Young Master Liu was pondering this, a booming voice suddenly carried in from outside the living room: "Damn it, don't even mention it! These past few years, my life has been nothing but pure, goddamn bad luck."

As the voice faded, the living room door slowly swung open, and three people walked in, one after the other. Young Master Liu’s jaw dropped again, and he blurted out, "Holy crap, it’s you?"

One of the three newcomers was none other than Captain Fan Debiao. Remember his catchphrase, ‘He’s so rigid; this life is unlivable’? Yes, that very same stout fellow. At that moment, Young Master Liu recalled the big job Fan Debiao had mentioned taking on. It now seemed Fan Debiao was the Feng Shui consultant hired by the French devils. Young Master Liu had shouted out before he could stop himself.

Fan Debiao was equally surprised to see Young Master Liu. "Crap, Young Master, you're going to Xinjiang too?"

Young Master Liu nodded, thinking what terrible judgment the French possessed, to be impressed by a lowlife like Fan Debiao.

The other two were a man and a woman. The man was a Frenchman with a small mustache; the woman, however, was Chinese, possessing a stunning, curvaceous figure paired with an exquisitely innocent face.

The little-mustached Frenchman greeted Young Master Liu with a cheerful grin, speaking fluent Mandarin: "Daoist Master Liu, long time no see."

Hearing this, Young Master Liu frowned slightly. When had he ever called this man anything? Did this Frenchman assume he knew every Chinese person he met?

Young Master Liu offered an awkward smile and asked, "Sir, have we met before?"

As Young Master Liu spoke, the Frenchman hesitated, about to reply, when Fan Debiao cut in quickly, "Ah, this is Jackson."

Young Master Liu was stunned. Looking closely, he realized that without the mustache, the man did indeed look exactly like Jackson. Young Master Liu immediately stood up and embraced Jackson, tears of emotion welling up in his eyes.

Seeing this display, Fan Debiao interjected, "Alright, stop acting like you’re parting for life and death. If strangers saw this, they’d think you two were... you know."

The woman stepped forward and asked, "Jackson, is this someone you met during your expedition in China five years ago?"

Jackson replied enthusiastically, "Yes, yes, this guy is even better than Fan Debiao."

Fan Debiao looked slightly miffed and fidgeted nervously on the side.

Young Master Liu glanced at the woman; his heart pounded. He leaned toward Jackson and whispered conspiratorially, "Kid, not bad. After a few years, you’ve managed to land such a delicate little girlfriend."

Jackson mimicked Young Master Liu’s tone, saying, "What girlfriend? She’s my superior."

Young Master Liu nearly cried out. This woman, who looked barely twenty, was Jackson’s boss? At this thought, Young Master Liu began to seriously doubt Jackson’s capabilities.

The woman approached Young Master Liu, extended her right hand, and said, "Hello, Mr. Liu. My name is Wang Feifei. I am originally from Jiangsu, China. I am Jackson's superior and the leader of this entire operation. Jackson often talks about your glorious achievements."

Young Master Liu was caught off guard. He quickly extended his left hand and shook hers politely, laughing, "Not at all, you flatter me."

As he released her hand, Young Master Liu thought to himself, This woman looks refined and captivating, but her conversation reveals she is absolutely a powerhouse. If Jackson recounted everything that happened at the Yinshan Ghost Tomb, she'll know all about my past. My image in her eyes is probably ruined. He felt a pang of regret.

Wang Zhicai was quite surprised that everyone already knew each other and quickly asked Young Master Liu how they had met.

Young Master Liu, unsure how to explain, simply evaded the question by saying, "This is a long story that can't be summarized in a few words."

Since everyone present was meeting for the first time, introductions and rapport-building were unavoidable.

The male members of the expedition team chatted animatedly with Wang Feifei; even Wang Zhicai chimed in occasionally, demonstrating just how charming she was.

Meanwhile, Fan Debiao and Jackson were teasing Lin Miaoke, making the young girl alternate between laughing heartily and blushing furiously.

Watching from the side, Young Master Liu felt a surge of irritation. Damn it, this isn't an exchange of expedition experience; it looks more like a matchmaking session.

Young Master Liu leaned close to Wang Zhicai and whispered, "Boss Wang, when are we starting the meeting?"

Wang Zhicai was jolted by the reminder and then turned to Wang Feifei, saying, "Leader, perhaps we should discuss the arrangements for the Taklamakan expedition first."

Wang Feifei nodded. "Alright." She then gestured for everyone to return to their seats.

Wang Feifei stood at the lectern and announced, "The only people going to the Golden Sand Ancient City are those present here. All expenses for this trip will be covered by our company. The equipment and gear are world-class; everyone can relax." She then pointed at Fan Debiao. "Because the desert changes constantly, for insurance purposes, we have also specifically hired a Feng Shui expert."

As soon as Wang Feifei finished her introduction, Fan Debiao quickly stood up and bowed deeply to everyone, looking immensely pleased with himself.

Frankly, Fan Debiao was not a reliable person. The fact that he understood even the superficial aspects of Feng Shui was impressive enough. Young Master Liu couldn't fathom what Wang Feifei was thinking to call him a Feng Shui expert. He suspected Jackson must have recommended him. If the maps proved useless, relying on Fan Debiao would be impossible.

Wang Feifei outlined the departure time and the itinerary, then asked if anyone had objections.

At this point, Young Master Liu recalled a question and asked her, "Miss Wang, to my knowledge, the Golden Sand Ancient City holds little archaeological value. Why go through such elaborate trouble to get there?"

Wang Feifei replied, "How could it have no archaeological value? A few years ago, someone from our Tour Expedition Team entered the Golden Sand Ancient City, but had to terminate the mission due to numerous restrictions. There is still much unknown within."

Young Master Liu was puzzled. Since the discovery of the Golden Sand Ancient City, countless teams had gone in and out. He truly couldn't understand what unknown elements remained to be excavated.

Noticing Young Master Liu’s confusion, Fan Debiao quietly whispered to him, "Old Xuan, when we were coming over, I heard the lady mention that there’s a powerful Queen in that Sand City, and her tomb has never been found. I reckon these people are mostly after that tomb. We can pocket a couple of things when the time comes."

Young Master Liu shot Fan Debiao a look of disdain. "Damn it, are you treating this archaeological endeavor like tomb raiding? Besides, with so many eyes watching, do you honestly think you dare take anything?"

Fan Debiao smirked slyly, "Well, a wise man has his own clever ways."

Hearing Fan Debiao say that, Young Master Liu found it amusing. This fellow usually didn't even check his surroundings when stealing an apple, yet now he claimed to have a clever plan. In Young Master Liu's view, it was probably just another instance of wishful thinking.

Seeing that Young Master Liu had no further objections, Wang Feifei announced, "This operation is decided then. We fly tonight and should reach the border of the Taklamakan tomorrow morning. Everyone prepare."

As soon as she finished, everyone rose to leave, but Wang Feifei suddenly stopped them. "Oh, I forgot one thing."

She then pulled a piece of paper from her bag and unfolded it before them. "Our primary archaeological target is this."

Everyone’s eyes fixed on the paper. It was a photocopy displaying only a single sarcophagus, seemingly carved from stone.

The image lacked any context or reference point, making it utterly baffling. Searching for one specific item in a vast ancient city without any directional guide would be incredibly difficult.

Young Master Liu asked Wang Feifei, "Miss Wang, we are here for an expedition, why are we specifically tasked to find one item? That seems logically inconsistent."

Wang Feifei smiled slightly and explained, "Mr. Liu, you might not know this. Our expedition team previously organized a group to enter the Golden Sand Ancient City, but nearly the entire force was wiped out halfway through, with three members going missing. Not long ago, another expedition team found the body of one of those missing members in the desert, and this drawing was recovered from that body. That is why our team is placing such high importance on this activity."

Wang Zhicai interjected from the side, "Young Master, stop fussing. The situation is critical right now, and discovering this sarcophagus falls within our responsibilities."

Hearing Wang Zhicai say that, Young Master Liu immediately felt a touch of shame. His previous remarks were likely colored by his personal reluctance to go to the Golden Sand Ancient City. He realized he needed to reflect seriously.

Wang Feifei surveyed everyone to ensure there were no further objections, then folded the paper away. "The meeting is adjourned. Everyone assemble downstairs at eight o'clock tonight."