"Clang... clang..."
Three crisp knocks, then a pause, followed by three more knocks, identical to the first.
This made me frown deeply. What the hell was going on? Why were people knocking in such a peculiar manner, repeatedly?
If it were night, I wouldn't be surprised. But it was daytime. Who would seek me out for fortune-telling during the day? The previous instance could have been a coincidence, but now it seemed someone was specifically coming for us.
Zhang Dabiao also furrowed his brow. This time, however, he didn't draw his Cleaving Mountain Saber. Instead, his gaze fell upon me. He didn't speak, but I knew what he meant: what should we do now?
I thought for a moment and gritted my teeth, "One cannot escape fate. Since they've come to our door, they must be confident. I don't believe they can do much to us."
Zhang Dabiao nodded, but we first switched positions. I would open the door, while he, holding the Cleaving Mountain Saber, would hide behind, ready to act at any moment.
I held the Yin Ironwood ruler in my right hand, concealed behind me. With my left hand, I opened the door. As soon as the door opened a crack, I felt a tremendous force from outside, almost knocking me flying.
Zhang Dabiao steadied me, his Cleaving Mountain Saber pointed directly at the intruder. Su Dan Novel Network.
The intruder had a veil covering their head and was covered in yellow mud from head to toe, emitting a pungent, foul odor, as if they had just crawled out of a cesspool.
After entering, before we could speak, they 'plop' onto the ground and began kowtowing repeatedly, the thuds echoing. This action completely baffled me.
Zhang Dabiao was also taken aback. He seized this opportunity to sheathe his Cleaving Mountain Saber, preventing any further misunderstanding.
"Who are you? It's not a festival or holiday, I can't accept such a grand gesture from you."
I dodged the kowtow and retreated a few steps, covering my nose. Accepting favors without earning them, especially such a prostrate bow, would shorten one's lifespan.
After a few more kowtows, the person finally looked up at me. As I clearly saw the face of the person under the veil, I couldn't help but tremble.
What had they gone through? What kind of face was this?
The face was covered in crisscrossing lines, resembling tattoos. But upon closer inspection, it wasn't a divine mark, but rather the traces of animal scratches. Especially a scar that ran from the eye to the corner of the mouth, the flesh pulled outwards. Perhaps due to excessive emotion, a hint of blood seeped out.
"Mr. Song, please save my elder brother. I beg you." The voice was hoarse. As they spoke, they turned and began kowtowing to me again.
Seeing that he meant no harm, Zhang Dabiao frowned, closed the door, and helped him up.
"Let's talk properly. Don't kowtow as soon as you enter."
After sitting down, the newcomer appeared somewhat cautious. Although there were only three of us in the room, he still glanced around.
Once he seemed a little more at ease, I asked, "Who are you? How did you know where we live?"
This question was important. While we weren't major figures, our current situation was rather unfavorable.
We didn't know the outcome of Li Zuoquan's affairs. We only remembered entering Qingfeng Mountain, and all other events were completely forgotten. If it weren't for the money in my bank card proving I had contact with Li Zuoquan, I would have suspected it was all a dream.
The newcomer took the water Zhang Dabiao handed him, opened the bottle, and drank it all in one go. He then took a second bottle and drank half of it before replying, "I am one of Zhao Defu's subordinates. It's not difficult to find information about you in the county town."
Zhao Defu?
Wasn't that the tomb robber who had been plotting behind the scenes? He had tried to silence me when I overheard his secrets. Why would he send someone to find me now?
My initial impression of Zhao Defu was quite good. Although he had used his son's name to trick me into going to the old house west of the village, it was precisely because of that that I was able to save Zhang Dabiao's life.
Hearing his name now only brought a slight sense of surprise.
"What happened to Zhao Defu?"
The newcomer finished the remaining half bottle of water and then said, "He was forced into Qingfeng Mountain. Before he entered the mountain, he left us a verbal message: if anything happened to him, we were to find Song Qingyun. Only by finding you could there be a chance of survival..."
"This..."
I felt a surge of speechlessness. Why was Qingfeng Mountain involved again?
To this day, I only remembered how I entered, but had no recollection of how I got out. It was as if that part of my memory had vanished into thin air. But I knew it hadn't disappeared; someone must have erased it using some method.
It wasn't just me; Zhang Dabiao was the same. So, hearing about Qingfeng Mountain gave me a headache. Yet, a voice within me urged, 'No matter what, you must enter the mountain. All the secrets you know are buried within.' Although I wanted to refuse his proposal, the urge in my heart grew stronger.
"When did this happen? Does Zhao Defu have the ability to predict the future?"
Seeing that I was softening, the newcomer's expression became more agitated. He trembled as he reached into his pocket. Zhang Dabiao thought he was going to attack me and immediately stepped in front of me.
The newcomer didn't get angry. Instead, he shakily pulled out a yellow, crumpled envelope from his pocket and handed it to Zhang Dabiao.
The envelope looked old, and it felt strangely familiar, as if I had seen it somewhere before.
It was Zhang Dabiao who had a better memory. He said with surprise, "This envelope looks so much like the one we saw at Li Zuoquan's place?"
Their reminder suddenly made me recall. Wasn't this the same type of envelope that contained my father's photos when Li Zuoquan tricked me into Qingfeng Mountain? Why did Zhao Defu give me something similar?
With a mix of curiosity and a hint of doubt, I took the envelope. The moment I touched it, a sticky sensation spread through my hand. As the newcomer released it, I felt a sudden heaviness in my wrist.
I couldn't help but wonder what this was. It looked like a thin envelope, but it felt as heavy as a brick.
"This is something he specifically instructed us to give you when he left. He said it contains what you want to know."
Although I was somewhat skeptical, I opened the brown envelope. A pungent foot odor wafted out. Upon taking out the contents, I discovered it was a bronze mirror.
Huh?
Judging by its age, it was at least from the Tang Dynasty, worth at least tens of millions. But if that were all, I wouldn't be so surprised. The main thing was that beneath the bronze mirror lay a photograph.