What would I do if I were Shen Wansan?
This question really stumped me.
Think about it, in that era, without diving equipment, let alone working underwater, even diving was extremely dangerous.
Even if Shen Wansan, with his vast wealth, found a group of fearless, strong swimmers to dive into the sea to build a tomb, how long would it take? Ten years? Twenty years, or even thirty years?
I doubt it could be completed in thirty years. Water has buoyancy, and a person's strength cannot be fully exerted underwater. To build a tomb, the water would have to be drained.
Like a swimming pool, drain the water first, build the tomb, and then let the water back in.
But the problem is that Shen Wansan was building his tomb in the East Sea. Could he drain the seawater?
It's impossible!
Even if the tide receded and he went to build it, how could he guarantee that the sea would cover the tomb chamber later?
There's another issue: if you're buried at sea, your tomb chamber cannot let water in…
The more I thought about it, the more impossible it seemed. I sighed and said, "If I were to build a tomb at sea, the only way would be to drain the water, but achieving that is simply impossible."
Yang Hanxue smiled and asked, "Brother Xiang, have you heard of the Water Repelling Pearl?"
I felt both amused and helpless.
It was a shame Yang Hanxue wasn't a storyteller.
The Wandering Immortal Pillow and the Treasure Gathering Basin were legendary items. Now, he had brought up an even more mythical artifact: the Water Repelling Pearl!
Speaking of the Water Repelling Pearl, one must mention the Fire Repelling Pearl. Legend has it that Lu Ban built a wooden pagoda, and the Jade Emperor, to protect it, sent the God of Fire and the Dragon King to each send a Fire Repelling Pearl and a Water Repelling Pearl, to prevent the wooden pagoda from being damaged by water and fire.
With the Water Repelling Pearl and the Fire Repelling Pearl, floods would part before the wooden pagoda, lightning strikes would naturally detour around it, and even setting it ablaze would not ignite it.
Following up on Yang Hanxue's words, I said, "If such a Water Repelling Pearl truly existed in this world, then building a tomb at sea might not be impossible."
Yang Hanxue said, "It's very likely that Shen Wansan obtained the Water Repelling Pearl back then, which is why he had his tomb built in the East Sea."
"Brother Yang, forgive my presumption," I said, "We are living in modern times now, and our technology is so advanced…"
"I know what you're trying to say, Brother Xiang, but there's an old saying, 'It's better to believe it exists than not to believe it doesn't.' There are many things in this world that science cannot explain. For example, Einstein's theory of relativity, whether it's pseudoscience or not, we still cannot give a definitive answer."
For a moment, I was at a loss for words. After a moment of thought, I said, "Alright! Then let's assume those legendary things truly exist. Where did they come from? Did some immortals from Tianshan descend to the mortal world? If that's the case, does it mean there are really immortals on Tianshan?"
Yang Hanxue replied, "Immortals are outside the scope of our discussion. Even if there are immortals, we won't see them. I want to discuss with you things that we can see and touch."
"What can be seen and touched?"
As I asked this question, Yang Hanxue's gaze fell upon the jade box on the table.
I couldn't help but say, "Are you implying that this jade box contains the Water Repelling Pearl?"
Yang Hanxue shook his head. "This contains something more important than the Water Repelling Pearl."
"What is it?"
"Jade Seeker."
"What is that?"
"A type of jade stone that can find paths."
I immediately thought of something. "Are you perhaps trying to use that Jade Seeker to find Shen Wansan's tomb?"
Yang Hanxue grinned, but said nothing, clearly admitting it.
As this idea popped into my mind, I found it unbelievable!
What a joke. The things before were already bizarre enough, and now he was trying to find something even more bizarre!
Shen Wansan's tomb?
This Yang Hanxue must be crazy.
I suddenly remembered something I had read in a book somewhere: geniuses are always mad, but madmen are not necessarily geniuses.
Could this Yang Hanxue be too smart for his own good?
As I was lost in thought, I saw him fetch needle and thread. It was a needle I had never seen before, and the thread didn't look like ordinary cotton thread.
He inserted the needle and thread into the lock of the jade box, clearly intending to unlock it. I was a bit surprised and couldn't help but ask, "Didn't you already open it?"
Yang Hanxue ignored me, focusing intently on unlocking it. Seeing this, I could only swallow my doubts.
After about ten minutes, he inserted all the needles into the keyhole, wrapped the thread around his thumb and index finger, and with a gentle hook and twist, the lock of the jade box also turned.
Then came a series of dripping sounds. Just as I was wondering about the water droplets, Yang Hanxue, from somewhere, produced a syringe and inserted the needle. With the rhythm of his right hand, he gently pulled the syringe with his left.
Soon, some green liquid was drawn out.
After finishing this, Yang Hanxue breathed a sigh of relief and smiled at me, saying, "This jade box has two locks and two mechanisms, so you have to be extremely careful when opening it."
Looking at the green liquid, I asked, "What is this?"
"It should be a specially formulated poison."
As he said this, he gestured for me to stand up. "Brother Xiang, you should stand further away from the table."
I didn't understand what he wanted to do, but I complied.
I retreated about three meters away. He picked up a bamboo stick from the corner and said to me, "Brother Xiang, you should go into the room."
Upon hearing this, I opened the door to the adjacent room, leaving only a crack.
The moment Yang Hanxue pried open the jade box with the bamboo stick, I heard a series of "swish" sounds, and I couldn't see anything.
He put down the bamboo stick, put on a pair of rubber gloves, and pulled out three needles from the wall.
I didn't expect such a small jade box to be so heavily fortified with mechanisms!
This further proved Yang Hanxue's mastery of mechanisms and locks!
I was truly astonished. It seemed that specialized tasks were indeed best left to specialized individuals.
I finally understood why Wu Tingxiu insisted that I find him.
If even Yang Hanxue couldn't open this lock, I figured very few people in the world could.
"You can come out now," Yang Hanxue said.
I quickly came out of the room and curiously leaned over the table, eager to see what was inside the box.
Inside the jade box lay a piece of jade about the size of a coin. The patterns on it were extremely exquisite, and when natural light shone upon it, iridescent colors could be seen.
I dared say it was the most beautiful piece of jade I had ever seen. Both its material and its carving were so flawless. I couldn't even determine its era or who its creator was.
It seemed that the history known to us modern people was merely the tip of the iceberg left by the ancients…