As the ancient city was about to be swallowed by darkness, we arrived at the entrance of the tall building.
One had to admit, the king's residence was indeed different. The entire palace was constructed from stones, and the stones on the walls had all been artificially polished, appearing remarkably smooth.
At the palace entrance, there was a neat set of steps, and the wooden door on the steps was severely decayed, hanging ajar.
We could still vaguely see some things inside.
Jin Qiaoyue had finished her IV drip and her condition had improved significantly. Although she hadn't woken up, her complexion had softened considerably, and her body temperature had returned to normal.
"Master Xiang, I really can't carry her anymore..." the fatty wheezed.
Seeing this, I could only take Jin Qiaoyue and carry her on my back.
Just as A Yuan took out the lighting equipment, the dim evening sunlight had already made its exit, replaced by pitch blackness.
Once the powerful lighting equipment was switched on, the ancient structure quickly reappeared in view.
Stepping inside the palace, we were immediately hit by an unpleasant smell of decay, with dust motes dancing in the air.
The stone slabs on the ground were covered in dust, each step quickly leaving an imprint.
Some of the stones on the walls had fallen off, but faint traces of murals could still be seen.
To the sides of the palace were scattered, toppled items, including tables, chairs, and various vessels.
The fatty asked me, "Master Xiang, couldn't any of these items from the ancient city be sold for a good price if taken out?"
"That's not necessarily true," I replied. "It's not always about age for antiques. It primarily depends on what the item is. Between a stone from the Stone Age and the Imperial Seal of Qianlong, which do you think is more valuable?"
I said this mainly to discourage the fatty's greed.
After all, we hadn't figured out the situation of this place yet. If this fellow got greedy and caused trouble, it would be more trouble than it was worth.
I continued, "Stop hatching your schemes. How much money do you think these things can fetch?"
The fatty said, "I just think it's a shame for these things to be left here... What if..."
"There are no 'what ifs.' The items here are worth less than those at our Anyuantang. You don't look that tired."
Upon hearing this, the fatty, fearing I would make him carry Jin Qiaoyue again, immediately quickened his pace forward.
I shook my head helplessly, looking around at everything, and speculated that this place was likely used for gatherings by the ancient city in the past.
Judging by the scattered tables and chairs, the number of people who came here each time was probably not small.
At the very back, there was a low platform with a stone chair on it.
It seemed this was where the king of Taohuai Kingdom would sit.
From its structural layout, it bore some resemblance to a place for morning court or meetings.
After looking around, I discovered that the place was only a single story high and had no other rooms; it was just a large open space.
"Come here and see what this is!" Fu Kui's voice rang out.
He was standing by the stone chair, and we quickly went over.
We thought he had discovered some secret passage, but when we got there, we saw a rotten mummy lying in the corner.
A mummy itself wasn't particularly special, but the clothes on it made us freeze.
The mummy was wearing a blazer and cloth pants. This attire was clearly out of place in this location!
Without a doubt, this person was an outsider like us!
Judging by the attire, it belonged to a style from several decades ago.
Beside the mummy was a canvas backpack and a flashlight covered in dust.
I finally understood why Fu Kui had called us over.
It turned out we weren't the first group to arrive at this place!
Fu Kui picked up the canvas backpack and rummaged through it, finding a notebook and some rusty tools, including a compass and several small iron rods of unknown purpose.
He dusted off the notebook. As he opened it, something fell out. The fatty, quick as a flash, picked it up, and I saw it was a yellowed black-and-white photograph.
The fatty brushed off the dust and examined it closely. "Huh?"
He looked at the photo, then at me. I asked, "What is it?"
"Master Xiang, this person in the photo looks a bit like you?"
I was taken aback and leaned in, finding it was a group photo with at least a dozen people. The two people standing in the center were particularly prominent, clearly the leaders of these individuals.
When I saw one of the people, my heart sank!
That person was none other than someone I knew extremely well – my father!
It was as if my brain had been electrocuted, and countless thoughts flooded my mind.
I asked the fatty to take Jin Qiaoyue off my back, took the photo, and examined it.
The first row consisted of my father and someone I didn't recognize. The second row was entirely filled with people in Zhongshan suits. As for the third row, people were wearing all sorts of clothes.
At the very end of the left side of the third row, there was a long-haired woman wearing a sun hat. I leaned in to get a closer look and was somewhat dumbfounded.
Isn't that An Ying?!
Could it be that my father had already been here with An Ying and them back then?
This would mean the mummy before us was one of the people who had come with them back then!
Thinking of this possibility, I took a deep breath.
"Little Brother Xiang, what's wrong?" Fu Kui asked, seeing my shocked silence.
From my expression just now to the present, I knew it was impossible to hide anything. So, I said, "The person in this photo is my father."
Upon hearing my answer, Fu Kui and Fu Honglang were also surprised and crowded closer.
"This one wearing the white shirt?" Fu Honglang asked.
I nodded.
"He does look quite like you... Why would your father come here?"
I shook my head and gave a wry smile, "I'm not sure myself. Honestly, I want to know more than you do."
My father's situation was clearly documented in my files long ago. I believed Fu Kui had already seen them.
As for Fu Honglang, I had also mentioned it to him before; my father was a treasure appraiser and had passed away.
"It truly is as if fate had already willed it," Fu Kui said. "It's just that your father arrived a step ahead of us. I wonder if they managed to obtain the Suihou Pearl..."
I knew what he was trying to say; he was essentially probing me.
"Third Master, let's be straightforward. I have no idea where my father went or what he did back then. As for the Suihou Pearl, I believe it's definitely not in my father's possession. If he had obtained it, he wouldn't have died without telling me."
I paused here. "If the Suihou Pearl were in my possession, I wouldn't be here with you all."