I called Wu Tingxiu to tell her that I had found Yang Hanxue, and she sounded very happy on the phone.
"It was the right decision to ask you to look for him!" Wu Tingxiu said.
I gave a wry smile, thinking that I had just gotten lucky.
"When are you returning to Guangling?" Wu Tingxiu asked.
I replied, "We can't go back yet, Yang Hanxue has some things to take care of..."
I paused and then said, "This is what I'm thinking: I want to go with him and help him sort out his affairs, and then bring him back to Guangling."
"What is it?"
I didn't hide anything and told her everything.
After all, this was something that couldn't be hidden, especially with Song Bing by my side.
After listening, Wu Tingxiu found it a bit unbelievable. "Shen Wansan's tomb? Are you sure you can find it?"
"I'm not sure yet, but Yang Hanxue is insistent on going, and I can't do anything about it."
"Alright then, I'll have to trouble you to accompany him on this trip," Wu Tingxiu said. "It's good that you're with him, it will also prevent my second uncle's people from finding him."
"Okay, once Yang Hanxue's matters are settled, I'll bring him back to Guangling immediately."
"Good! I'll inform Song Bing later to follow your lead in everything. If you encounter any tricky situations, call me immediately."
"Understood."
After hanging up, I called Bai Hanyan and asked her to meet me at the hotel.
When I told her that I wanted her to accompany me to find Shen Wansan's tomb, I expected her to refuse, but to my surprise, she was even more excited than I was.
"Shen Wansan? The legendary wealthy merchant? Do you really know where his tomb is?"
"Not yet, we'll only know once we get there," I said with a raised eyebrow. "Are you willing to come with me?"
"Of course!" Bai Hanyan exclaimed. "If we really find Shen Wansan's tomb, it would be incredible! It would be a feat that shakes history!"
"Whether we find it or not, it's still uncertain," I said, feeling amused.
"When do we leave?"
"Tomorrow, I guess. Someone else will be joining us..."
I briefly explained Yang Hanxue's situation. After listening, Bai Hanyan asked, "Is he from the Mechanism Sect?"
"Mechanism Sect?"
"One of the Eight Outer Sects of the martial world, you don't know?"
I was a bit speechless. "What are you talking about? What 'Eight Outer Sects' in this day and age?"
"Why not? I've met several people from the Thieves' Sect."
Bai Hanyan spoke of a few people her father had interacted with, and hearing her talk made me a little surprised.
I hadn't expected the Eight Outer Sects of the martial world to still exist.
The so-called Eight Outer Sects of the martial world are: the Thieves' Sect, the Gu Sect, the Mechanism Sect, the Illusion Sect, the Orchid Sect, the Mystic Command Sect, the Red Silk Sect, and the Life-Locking Sect.
There are countless legends about the Eight Outer Sects, such as famous figures from these sects: Shen Da the God of Wealth, Er the Master Craftsman, Li San the Swallow, Xue Si of the Gu Sect, Wang Wu the Great Saber, Shi Liu the Mystic Command, and Liu Qi the Life-Loser...
My father had also mentioned some things about the Eight Outer Sects to me back then, but due to my family's limited involvement in martial world affairs, I hadn't paid much attention to many of them.
"Yang Hanxue's father is a big name in archaeology, how could he be from the Mechanism Sect?" I argued.
Bai Hanyan retorted, "How is it impossible? You can just ask him then!"
I found myself chuckling, thinking that this girl must have read too many miscellaneous books.
I told her to pack her things, and we set off the next day.
That evening, while I was still at the hotel, Fatty rushed in, saying he had found what I was looking for.
I asked him what it was, and he replied, "Qin Jing!"
My eyebrows shot up. "You're not talking about the Lily Mirror, are you?"
Fatty nodded. "That's right! The Lily Mirror!"
The Qin Jing had countless aliases, at least a dozen, such as Xianyang Jing Fang Jing, Zhao Dan, Zhao Dan Jing, Qin Tai Jing, Qin Jia Jing, and so on.
This mirror was also of great origin, belonging to a legendary artifact.
It was recorded in the "Youyang Zazu" that Qin Shi Huang discovered this mirror in a stone cave. The mirror was over a foot in diameter and could show a person's internal organs.
Ge Hong's "Xi Jing Zha Ji" also contained related records, stating that the mirror could not only reveal a person's internal organs but also their innermost thoughts, which was truly miraculous.
The reputation of the Qin Jing was no less than that of the You Xian Pillow and the Ju Bao Pen, and there were many historical records related to it.
After the experience of Fatty selling me the You Xian Pillow last time, I couldn't help but become interested in such legendary artifacts.
"Is it really the Qin Jing?" I asked.
Fatty replied, "I don't know for sure, but I've inquired with many people, and they say the mirror is indeed somewhat miraculous... but it might be difficult to see the actual object."
Although I really wanted to see what the mirror looked like, I had to leave Yan Jing the next day and didn't want to cause any further complications.
So, I took out five thousand yuan and handed it to Fatty. "You've worked hard these past few days, but I have something to attend to tomorrow and will be leaving Yan Jing for a while."
"You're leaving?" Fatty was taken aback.
I nodded. "I should be back after some time."
"Then our transactions are over?" Fatty said with a reluctant look.
I had previously asked Fatty to find me strange and peculiar objects, mainly to find Yang Hanxue. Now that I had found him, I no longer needed him to inquire for me.
It seemed that this fat man regarded me as the God of Wealth, and his business would be over once I left.
"Alright then, when you come to Yan Jing next time, feel free to ask me for anything you need."
Fatty said absentmindedly while counting the bills in his hand.
This damn fatty only had eyes for money.
After Fatty left, I packed my things, informed Song Bing about the departure the next day, and went to bed early.
The next morning, our group boarded a train to Bian Hai.
Speaking of Bian Hai reminded me of Wang Yang; his hometown was this place.
I wondered where that guy was now, and if he had found Sister Ying.
I had a vague feeling that I would see Sister Ying before he did.
I had initially thought that going out to sea would be very troublesome and that we might have to rent a boat upon arrival.
However, Yang Hanxue had already arranged everything. Upon arrival, we boarded a ship. According to Yang Hanxue, it belonged to a friend's company, and his friend's company specialized in shipwreck salvage.
Shipwreck salvage was something I had never heard of before, but the ship looked quite large. After boarding, Yang Hanxue left with someone, while Bai Hanyan, Song Bing, and I were arranged in the ship's cabin.
There were several rooms in the cabin, seemingly prepared for us in advance, and we each took one and settled in.