I found Da Kui and offered him a deal: if I didn't come back up, he was to let Pang Zi and Jiang Lingxi go.
At first, he refused outright, saying Old Man Qu would surely trouble him if he let them escape.
However, when I offered him a million, he hesitated.
“Do you really have that much money?” Da Kui asked, looking unconvinced.
I smiled. “Haven’t you already investigated my background? An Yuan Tang in Guangling is worth far more than a million. Just turn a blind eye and let them leave. Once Pang Zi returns to Guangling, he’ll give you the money.”
After much deliberation, he said, “No, you have to give me the money first.”
I found it amusing. “How do you expect me to give you money when I’m here?”
Da Kui sneered. “You can call someone to transfer the money to my account. Once I receive it, I’ll do as you say.”
I hadn’t expected him to be so thorough.
“Alright, but I can only give you two hundred thousand upfront. I’ll pay the rest once they’re out,” I said.
Da Kui hesitated. I added, “This way, we all have some security.”
“Fine! But let’s be clear, if they get out and decide to call the police, don’t blame me for what happens next! I’ll find them no matter where they run to!” Da Kui said chillingly.
After striking a deal with Da Kui, I used his satellite phone to call Hong Yunpeng and asked him to transfer two hundred thousand to the designated account.
I didn’t tell Hong Yunpeng about anything else.
After all, adding to his worries at a time like this would be pointless.
The next morning, Jiang Feng and I began our preparations. Old Man Qu provided us with some equipment.
I didn’t know where he got it, but it even included a handgun.
In addition to necessities, I also asked him for glow sticks and a signal flare.
I had relied on the signal flare before in Yuncheng, and I had witnessed its usefulness firsthand, so I made sure to bring it.
Jiang Feng seemed uneasy, constantly in a state of mental tension.
He was distracted even when I spoke to him.
With everything ready, I couldn’t help but feel nervous. Looking down the dark passage, it felt like a gaping maw.
“Brother Xiang, I’ll be waiting for your good news!” Old Man Qu said to me with a smile.
I nodded, saying nothing more.
At this point, words were superfluous.
Tying the rope around myself, we began our descent.
For some reason, a memory suddenly surfaced.
When I was thirteen, a Taoist priest passed through our village. He came to our house asking for food. My father not only treated him well but they also became friends.
The priest then made an exception and cast my fortune. He said his sect didn’t casually tell fortunes or read faces, but as a way to repay my father’s hospitality, he would make this one exception.
He said I had "Tian She Ru Ming" – Tian She being an auspicious deity that averts disaster.
People with this destiny, put simply, were blessed with great fortune and resilience, unlikely to meet an early end.
However, my life would likely not be smooth sailing, and I would face several major trials.
I didn’t believe in such things before, but ever since I left home, met Sister Ying, and experienced some of the things that have happened to me, I’ve come to believe in them somewhat.
After all, I’ve met people who are immortal; what else can I not believe?
Soon, the entrance above us became a tiny speck of light. Although Jiang Feng and I both wore helmets with miner’s lamps, we still couldn’t see our surroundings clearly.
It seemed the space below must be vast.
With the experience from our previous tomb raids, I wasn't panicked. As for Jiang Feng, I saw him constantly wiping sweat, extremely nervous.
“Uncle Jiang, don’t worry, I’m here,” I said to comfort him.
He forced a smile at me, looking guilty.
After descending for an unknown duration, we soon touched the ground.
Looking around, I found myself in a very spacious area. The ground was remarkably level, appearing to be artificially constructed.
Scanning the surroundings, it was empty, like a massive, vacant room.
Just as I was about to take out a glow stick to illuminate the area, Jiang Feng seemed to have discovered something and called out to me.
When I went to his side, I saw several packages on the ground, clearly items brought by previous visitors.
I rummaged through them and found many of the tools.
Knowing this place wasn’t simple, I remained vigilant and didn’t let my guard down.
I gripped the handgun, thinking that if anything happened, I could react immediately.
Honestly, I had never used the thing before and felt uncertain.
“Little Xiang, what do we do now?” Jiang Feng asked.
I thought for a moment. “Let’s assess our surroundings first.”
I took out a glow stick, twisted open its igniter, and struck it on the head, much like striking a match. Soon, the glow stick emitted a red light.
The light from this glow stick was many times brighter than the miner’s lamp, instantly illuminating the surroundings clearly.
We were in a massive passage. I couldn’t estimate its width.
As for where it led, I had no idea.
After a moment’s thought, I suddenly threw the glow stick towards a nearby spot. It flew some distance before landing on the ground, and I could vaguely make out what looked like a wall over there.
To be honest, this place didn’t resemble a treasure vault at all; it looked more like a military base.
With such a large space, a normal truck could probably drive in.
Thinking it over, I felt we shouldn’t act rashly. I asked Jiang Feng to take off his backpack, sit down, and I offered him a cigarette to help him relax.
“Uncle Jiang, we’ll stay here for two hours, then scout the area a bit before heading up,” I said. “When we get back, I’ll say we went down to look, but there was nothing, just that the place was too large, and we couldn’t find anything.”
He nodded. “I’ll do whatever you say.”
I said, “Actually, you shouldn’t be so nervous. This is just a cave…”
As soon as I finished speaking, the glow stick I had thrown earlier, not far away, suddenly moved!
I saw it very clearly!
It looked like something had nudged it!
Jiang Feng had clearly seen it too. His face turned pale, and he tightly gripped a steel pipe.
When we descended, Old Man Qu had given us a gun.
So I had a gun, but Jiang Feng didn’t; his only weapon for self-defense was a steel pipe.
I quickly drew my gun, released the safety, and scanned the surroundings warily.
“Uncle Jiang, let’s back to back!” I said.
Jiang Feng immediately did as I instructed.