When Sister Ying mentioned she needed the Lily Flower Mirror, the first person who came to mind was Fatty.
Not long ago, when I left Yan Jing, he enthusiastically sought me out to tell me someone was planning to sell a Qin Mirror.
And that Qin Mirror was none other than the Lily Flower Mirror!
Although I didn't know why Sister Ying wanted this mirror, I naturally wouldn't refuse if I could help her.
The next day, Wang Yang still hadn't shown up, and I was too lazy to wait for him any longer.
I said hello to the hotel receptionist, telling her that if Wang Yang returned, she should inform him that I had gone back to Guang Ling.
Bian Hai was his hometown, so I wasn't too worried about him. Besides, he was a grown man; how could he not take care of himself?
Lingering here any longer wasn't an option, as Wu Ting Xiu was still waiting for me to bring Yang Han Xue back.
After leaving the hotel, we first went to the pier.
We came to the pier to pick up Bai Han Yan.
Yang Han Xue and Old Yuan had already gotten in touch, and they were due to return today.
After lunch, the ship docked. Old Yuan and the others didn't disembark, only exchanging a brief greeting with me. When Bai Han Yan saw me, she was so excited that she gave me a huge hug without a word.
Not only that, she even cried.
"I thought you were dead!" she exclaimed, her voice choked with tears.
"You're the one who's dead!" I retorted irritably. "Let go quickly. What's with hugging me like this? Aren't you afraid of people laughing?"
"Who dares to laugh at me? I'll tear their mouths apart!" Bai Han Yan said as she let go of me indignantly.
Looking at Bai Han Yan's slightly gaunt cheeks, I felt a pang of guilt. After all, I was the one who had called her over, and yet she had endured so much suffering. I felt a bit uneasy about it.
"Why are you staring at me?" Bai Han Yan furrowed her brows. "Is there something on my face? Or have I gotten tanned?"
"No, you're still as fair as before, rosy-cheeked," I replied with a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"Really? That's good then. I didn't go out at all during the days at sea. I stayed in my cabin all the time. The sun outside was too strong; I couldn't stand it..."
She began to chatter incessantly, talking about her life at sea and what she had done after we went underwater that day.
After we went underwater that day, she waited for us on the small island for a whole day. By nightfall, when Old Yuan saw that we hadn't returned, he sailed over to look for us.
It was then that Bai Han Yan met Old Yuan and his crew.
After waiting for two more days and seeing no sign of us, Old Yuan suggested sending people into the water to search, but they found nothing.
So they circled the island for several days, and with no news at all, they were also at a loss.
It wasn't until later, when they received a radio message from Yang Han Xue, sent from shore, that they sailed back.
After picking up Bai Han Yan, we headed straight to the train station and left Bian Hai by train.
We had arrived with four people, and we were returning with exactly four people; not one less.
Upon returning to Yan Jing, Bai Han Yan went home. Yang Han Xue, Song Bing, and I found a hotel to stay in, and then I contacted Fatty.
"Yo! Master Xiang, you're back from the seaside?"
Fatty sized me up, winking and grinning. "How was it? Did you manage to get any good stuff this time?"
"What are you talking about?"
"Are you being formal with me?" Fatty smiled, glancing at Song Bing who was not far away, and whispered, "That guy you brought with you, the first time I saw him, I knew he was definitely in this line of work..."
As he spoke, he made a "digging" gesture.
"That earthy smell on him; you wouldn't get it without digging dozens of tombs."
I hadn't expected Fatty to have such sharp eyes.
"Last time, I didn't ask too much mainly because I was afraid of leaking information and affecting your plan," Fatty said with a smile. "Now that you're back, I naturally don't have so many reservations... How about it? Did you get anything good? I have connections that can help you sell it."
I replied, "I didn't get anything, but we almost didn't make it back."
"Oh? What do you mean?" Fatty asked, looking interested. "Why don't you tell me about your trip?"
I took a sip of tea and said, "It's not impossible to tell you, but not right now."
"Then when?"
I returned to the main topic. "Is that Qin Mirror you inquired about last time still available?"
"You came to me just to ask about that thing?" Fatty asked.
"What else?"
Fatty shrugged. "Then you've come at an inopportune time. That mirror was bought by someone, and they paid a hefty price for it."
"How much?"
He held up two fingers. "Two hundred thousand, not a penny more, not a penny less."
"Do you know who bought it?"
"How could I know that? But I heard that the person who bought the mirror has quite a background; they are a wealthy patron from your Jiang Nan region," Fatty said.
"Can you help me get in touch with that person?"
Fatty rubbed his hands together. I shot him a look. "Don't worry, if you help me, you won't be shortchanged."
"Master Xiang, what are you saying? We're practically family. I'll inquire about it for you right away, and I'll have news by tomorrow at the latest... I won't charge you for this, but you have to tell me one truth."
"What truth?"
"Did you go tomb raiding in Bian Hai this time?"
Seeing Fatty's keen interest in tomb raiding, I nodded with feigned profundity.
"You really went? Whose tomb?"
"Shen Wan San."
"Shen Wan San?!" Fatty exclaimed, jumping up from his chair.
"Can you stop being so jumpy?"
Fatty licked his lips. "You found Shen Wan San's tomb?"
"We didn't find the tomb, but that secret chamber was likely created by Shen Wan San himself..."
I vividly recounted the experience of going underwater, naturally omitting anything about Sister Ying.
Fatty listened with great relish, his expressions a mix of wonder and excitement.
Especially when I described the "water tigers," he was quite startled.
"You have no idea, those monsters were covered in scales, with fangs and claws... That's not even the half of it; the main thing is they were impervious to blades and spears..."
"That powerful? Then how did you get out?"
"What do you think? Of course, we fought them to the death," I boasted.
"You won?"
"As for who won or lost, it's hard to say. At least we came out alive."
"Impressive!" Fatty gave me a thumbs-up. "Master Xiang is indeed extraordinary! May I ask who your master is? Are you from the Northern Sect or the Southern Sect?"
"Central Plains Sect," I bluffed.
"Central Plains Sect? Which sect is that? I've never heard of it."
"You wouldn't know even if I told you. Why are you asking so many questions?"
"I'm just curious. Since childhood, I've most admired heroes like you, Master Xiang."