The envelope contained very little, just an old black and white photograph. The photo was slightly yellowed, showing four people standing under a large locust tree, their expressions varied as they looked ahead. One of them was smiling somewhat shyly, as if reluctant to be photographed, or perhaps as if something very happy had just happened.
Looking at the person smiling the widest in the photo, my eyes welled up, almost shedding tears instantly, because that person was none other than my father, who had been in a coma for ten years.
"How do you have this photo? Were you the one who organized the trip here ten years ago?"
Facing my questioning, Li Zuoquan did not answer. Instead, he pointed at Zhang Dabiao, signaling me to hand him the photo.
Zhang Dabiao was clearly curious about my excited reaction after looking at the photo. Before I could hand it to him, he snatched it away.
Zhang Dabiao, who was usually unfazed by anything, also widened his mouth in disbelief upon seeing the photo, making sounds of "uh uh" and pointing at the photo, then at himself.
Although he didn't speak, I understood what he meant. One of the people in the photo should be his father.
After a while, Zhang Dabiao also came back to his senses, looking at Li Zuoquan with great excitement. "Old man, do you know what happened ten years ago? Were you the planner of that incident?"
As soon as Zhang Dabiao finished speaking, Li Rui, who was standing beside them, became agitated.
"Big guy, how dare you speak to my second uncle like that? Don't you want to live?"
Facing Li Rui's threat, Zhang Dabiao didn't even blink. He just stared intently at Li Zuoquan, his expression conveying that he wouldn't back down without an answer.
I patted Zhang Dabiao's shoulder. "Brother Zhang, calm down."
Although I was also very excited, I was calmer than Zhang Dabiao. My father, though in a coma for ten years, was not dead. Perhaps this time, upon my return, I might see my father's smiling face.
Li Zuoquan nodded, then shook his head. "I was not the organizer. The organizer was someone else. I was merely a participant."
"A participant?"
I frowned, looking at him with suspicion.
What kind of event could have caused Li Zuoquan to lie in wait at the Five Kings' Mansion for ten years? Not only was my father still in a coma, but Zhang Dabiao's father had also passed away less than a year after returning.
"This matter is a bit complicated. If you wish to continue listening to me, or if you want to pursue the real truth, then we have an opportunity to cooperate. Otherwise, you can leave now. The money is my gift to you."
As soon as he finished speaking, Li Rui interrupted again. "Second Uncle, you can't do this! They are..."
"Slap him!"
*Slap—*
Before Li Rui could finish his sentence, Li Jian, standing beside Li Zuoquan, slapped him. Li Rui spun around, looking at Li Zuoquan in confusion, not understanding why he was hit.
"You have no right to speak here. If it weren't for the fact that you are the last bloodline of our Li family, I would have killed you with a single palm. You are useless and only cause trouble. Get out of my sight immediately. If I ever catch you doing something so unreliable again, I'll break your legs."
Facing Li Zuoquan's scolding, Li Rui dared not utter a sound. He could only slink away, glaring at me as he left, as if to say, "Kid, we'll settle this!"
I returned his glare with a cold smile. "Little punk, if it weren't for this unprovokable old monster Li Zuoquan, you? I'd play with you until you beg for mercy."
As if oblivious to the exchange of glares between us, Li Zuoquan directly instructed Li Jian to have someone bring tea, acting as if he were in his own home. This made me frown. This was clearly Fang Huixin's home, yet Li Zuoquan seemed more at ease than if he were in his own house. Furthermore, Fang Huixin had yet to appear. Had she met with foul play? Su Dan Novel Network.
Li Zuoquan, being the old monster he was, knew what I was thinking from my slight frown.
"Don't be nervous. The relationship between our Li family and the Fang family is not what it appears on the surface. Miss Fang has gone to the county town for some special reason, which is why my incompetent grandson had an opportunity. I hope this will not affect our conversation."
I nodded without speaking, finally about to learn why my father had come to Molu Village ten years ago, and why he had remained in a coma ever since.
Zhang Dabiao, like me, had an excited expression. I guessed he was still unable to come to terms with his father's death.
After taking a sip of tea, Li Zuoquan slowly said, "How much do you know about Molu Village?"
I shook my head, indicating that I didn't know much. I had never even heard the name before. If Sun Chuang hadn't brought me here, I wouldn't have known a village called this existed. Molu Village, didn't that imply that the villagers had no way out, only leading to their doom?
Zhang Dabiao also frowned. "I've heard a little before. They say a disaster occurred in this village, making it impossible for the villagers to continue living there, which is why the village was renamed Molu Village. As for what kind of disaster, I'm not sure."
Disaster?
I suddenly thought of something. Old Mrs. Wang had mentioned that over ten years ago, a flood had occurred in the village, washing out a coffin. Following that, the Five King appeared. Could it be that things started to go awry from that time?
But that didn't make sense either!
The Five King had said that he had been sleeping in the deep mountains until someone disturbed his coffin, at which point he awoke. Combining this with Li Zuoquan's words, it meant that someone had deliberately gone to rob the tomb and then lured the Five King out?
According to the Five King, his tomb had always been buried deep in the mountains. Even if a flood ten times more violent than the one over ten years ago had occurred, it wouldn't have destroyed his tomb. Unless someone deliberately damaged the tomb and then caused the flood to wash it away, there was no other explanation for the appearance of Molu Village.
My slightly changed expression did not escape Li Zuoquan's notice. "Did you think of something?"
"I have heard a little about this. I heard that over ten years ago, a flood broke out here, washing out a coffin. Afterwards, the Lord of the Half-Underworld, the Five King, appeared, saying he was looking for his lost concubine. I don't know what happened after that."
I didn't reveal everything I knew because I didn't understand Li Zuoquan's intentions. He, a living person, had been lurking in the Half-Underworld for ten years, and only my appearance had unexpectedly drawn him out. It was impossible to determine whether this person was friend or foe.
Moreover, I had previously disrupted Fang Yuan's fate of being a jinx to the Wang family and interfered with Li Jian's plans. Who knew what they wanted to know through me?
My words caused Li Zuoquan to frown slightly. He said with a sigh, "It seems the young man is still wary of me."
I didn't respond, thinking to myself, "Of course. Chatting with an old immortal whose age is unknown, if I don't keep my guard up, who knows if you'll stab me in the back? If I get tricked to death, where will I go to seek justice?"
"Fifteen years ago, a group of tomb robbers somehow got wind of news that there was a true dragon's tomb on Qingfeng Mountain. They gathered a large number of people and began a massive excavation. To their surprise, these tomb robbers actually unearthed a Tang Dynasty tomb. However, the rightful owner of the tomb, though long dead, had transformed into a Jiangshi due to a surge of resentment. As a result, not a single one of these tomb robbers survived.
Once this news spread, it naturally attracted all sorts of powerful figures from the Feng Shui world to suppress it, but all were defeated by that rightful owner. It was even rumored that the rightful owner intended to reopen heaven and earth, establishing a new world..."