After Liu Zaixi and I got into a taxi, she asked the driver to take us to her home.
Arriving at her place, I knew she had something to tell me, so I lit a cigarette and sat leisurely in a chair, waiting for her to speak.
"Thank you for what happened tonight," she handed me a bottle of mineral water.
I took it, unscrewed it, and took a sip. "No need for thanks, but I'm curious, what do you need that appraisal plate for?"
Actually, I had been thinking just now, even though she said the appraisal plate was left by her father, she was willing to spend so much money to buy it, clearly that reason wasn't enough.
Liu Zaixi said, "Besides appraising treasures, our Liu family has a secret that is not widely known..."
Hearing this, my heart stirred, and I didn't interrupt her.
"That appraisal plate is a tool for deciphering ancient texts, and it is also the foundation upon which our Liu family has survived for generations. To others, the appraisal plate is worthless, but to us Liu family members, it is more important than our lives," Liu Zaixi said.
My heart rejoiced!
There's a saying, isn't there? All your efforts in seeking something may be in vain, but you might find it unexpectedly!
Before, I had asked the Yan family to help me find someone to decipher the map, but I never expected that before the Yan family could find anyone, I would stumble upon it myself!
"You mean your ancestors were actually cryptographers?" I asked, trying to suppress my excitement.
Liu Zaixi nodded, forcing a bitter smile. "It's a pity that the things passed down from our ancestors have lost their meaning in this era..."
"Then do you know how to decipher ancient text encryption?" I asked.
"It depends on the type of encryption."
I quickly took out the copy of the map I had with me and handed it over.
Liu Zaixi took it and examined it carefully, exclaiming, "Is this Yinshu Qiyan?!"
"Yinshu Qiyan?"
She nodded and looked at me, asking, "Mr. Xiang, where did you get this?"
"From a friend of mine. I came to Guangbei this time specifically to find someone to help decipher its meaning," I said. "What is this Yinshu Qiyan you speak of?"
Liu Zaixi said, "Yinshu, Mr. Xiang should know, right?"
I asked uncertainly, "Are you referring to the Yinshu invented by Jiang Ziya?"
She nodded. "Exactly."
I naturally knew about Yinshu, it was a method of encryption invented by Jiang Shang, also known as Jiang Ziya. Before Yinshu, there was also Yin Fu.
Yin Fu and Yinshu were the earliest encryption methods. The encryption of Yin Fu used the lengths of bamboo slips to represent different signals.
For example, a nine-inch bamboo slip represented capturing an enemy general, eight inches represented occupying enemy territory. As the length decreased, so did the meaning, with the shortest being only three inches, signifying defeat and loss of territory.
Because Yin Fu's information transmission was too singular, Jiang Ziya later invented Yinshu.
Yinshu involved dividing a complete letter into three parts, with each part delivered by a different messenger. Only when all three parts were obtained would they be merged into a complete intelligence report.
By doing this, even if one of the messengers was captured, the intelligence would not be leaked.
And the way the information was divided was very particular. Once separated, no one could understand the meaning; only by merging them could all the meanings be clearly presented.
In other words, if one of the messengers had a problem, no one, except the person who wrote the intelligence, could understand its meaning.
This encryption method was extremely secure.
"What is the relationship between the Yinshu Qiyan you just mentioned and Yinshu?" I asked.
Liu Zaixi said, "Yinshu Qiyan is another encryption method improved from Yinshu, upgrading the original three-part encryption method to seven parts..."
I was taken aback. "You mean this map has seven parts?"
Liu Zaixi said, "I'm not sure, but judging by the encryption method, it should be."
It took me a long time to realize that this hard-won map was actually only one of seven parts. This meant that to decipher its meaning, I would have to find the other six parts?
Suddenly, a sense of loss washed over me.
It had been so difficult, and just as I was about to find out the whereabouts of the Suhou Pearl, it turned out I had only touched the tip of the iceberg.
"Are there any clues about the other six parts on this map?" I couldn't help but ask.
Liu Zaixi took the map and looked at it carefully. After a moment, she shook her head. "Even if I look at it now, I can't tell."
"You can't tell at all?" I asked.
Liu Zaixi hesitated for a moment, spread the map on the table, and brought over the appraisal plate, placing it on top. Somehow, she manipulated the appraisal plate, and it began to rotate.
Soon, a small hole appeared on the appraisal plate. She aligned this hole with the text on the map and began to compare them one by one. After a while, she said, "The encryption of the text here is very complex. I will need some time to slowly decipher it."
"Can it be deciphered?"
Liu Zaixi nodded. "With the appraisal plate, the meaning can be deciphered, but without the complete map, even if the meaning is known, it cannot be fully decrypted."
"How long will it take you to decipher the information on it?" I asked.
Liu Zaixi pondered for a while. "About a week."
"Then can you help me decipher the information on it? Money is not an issue..."
She smiled and looked at me. "No need for money. Mr. Xiang, you helped me retrieve the appraisal plate, and I'm grateful enough. How could I possibly ask for your money?"
"And don't keep calling me Mr. Xiang. You can call me by my name." I said.
"Then I'll call you Brother Xiang," Liu Zaixi said with a smile. "If you don't mind, you can leave this map with me for now. I'll take some time these few days to decipher the content on it. However, it's possible that it might not have any value by then."
"Then I'll have to trouble you. As long as you can help me decipher the content, I'll be very grateful," I said.
Liu Zaixi smiled. "Brother Xiang, you really don't need to be so polite. I'm the one who should be thanking you."
After leaving Liu Zaixi's home and returning to my lodging, I really wanted to call Wu Tingxiu, but I hesitated.
After thinking about it, I decided to wait for news from Liu Zaixi before figuring out how to tell Wu Tingxiu.
After all, the Suhou Pearl was also very important to me. As long as I found that item, I should be able to find out some things about my father's past.
Of course, besides that, I always felt that Sister Ying seemed to know something about the Suhou Pearl as well.
After the appraisal conference ended, I would meet Sister Ying alone and definitely have a good talk with her. Perhaps there would be more gains.
Thinking of Sister Ying, I had an indescribable feeling, both real and unreal.
It was real because she had indeed appeared before me, and unreal because of the things that had happened to her and her secrets.
The night passed without incident. The next morning, I packed up and waited for Yan Yuhe to pick me up.
Around eight o'clock, my phone rang. She said she had arrived downstairs.
Fatty and I tidied up and went downstairs, getting into her car.