After seeing Bai Hanyan and Song Bing off in the car, Bai Hanyan waved goodbye to me incessantly.
I told her I had some things to take care of and would return to Guangling once they were done, asking Song Bing to take her home first.
After all, the current situation was frankly beyond my control.
When Fatty and An Ying and I returned to Shizi Ridge, unexpected events threw me into even greater disarray.
On the very day we left, the underground fortress suddenly exploded, causing the entire fortress to collapse. The original ancient tomb and underground temple also sank.
When the rescue team arrived, Xiaoqingguan was completely blocked. After several days of searching, Guan Zhenwan was found, but Yang Hanxue had disappeared without a trace.
Before I could even ask Guan Zhenwan what had happened, she was sent to Yan Jing Hospital for treatment.
Professor Zhang and his team took over the excavation of Xiaoqingguan. The influx of government staff meant that our continued presence there was no longer significant.
Ultimately, Fatty, An Ying, and I returned to Yan Jing.
While waiting for Guan Zhenwan to recover, we settled down in Yan Jing.
"Xiaofei, you said you used to be my boss?" An Ying asked, placing a cup of hot tea in front of me.
I nodded. "Mmm… when I first arrived in Guangling, I was working under you."
I recounted the entire story, including her involvement in counterfeiting and selling fake goods, her departure from Guangling, and my subsequent takeover of An Yuan Tang.
As for her time in Guangbei and her later name change to Chen Zhengshuxuan, I omitted it entirely.
My reason was that I didn't know where she had gone during that period.
I knew that keeping this from her wouldn't be a long-term solution, and I was trying to find a way to gradually tell her about what had happened to her.
Regarding her past, I genuinely didn't know where to begin.
Should I tell her that she would live forever, that she had lived for many years, and that there were many "Suozhe" by her side?
Even I found these things difficult to accept. Even if I told her, could she accept it?
And even if she accepted it, what would happen next?
The mere thought of it gave me a splitting headache.
Fatty walked in through the main door carrying a hen and grinned when he saw An Ying and me. "Brother Xiang, how about we have braised hen tonight?"
I replied wearily, "You decide."
"This isn't just any hen; I paid a pretty penny for it," Fatty said, peering at the closed door nearby. "Is my master still sleeping?"
I nodded. "He's taking a nap."
"At his age, why is he so sleepy all the time?" Fatty shrugged and took the hen to the kitchen.
During this time, we were all staying at Fatty's cheap master's place. Although the location was a bit out of the way, it was fine for lodging.
Old Man Kong was happy to have us stay, as he was usually alone and bored, so our presence provided good company.
After Fatty put the hen in the pot to stew, he came out to the courtyard to chat with us for a bit. It was then that I received a call from the hospital.
The caller was Guan Zhenwan. She informed me that she had been discharged and asked me to meet her.
I had visited her frequently at the hospital during this period, but we could barely exchange a few words each time. On several occasions, I wanted to ask her what had happened in the underground fortress, but before I could, she would say, "Once I'm discharged, I'll tell you everything."
Since she had said that, I couldn't press the issue.
Now that she was finally discharged, I naturally rushed to meet her.
Following the address she provided, I arrived at a hotel. I found Guan Zhenwan in the hotel's business center.
She was wearing a black suit and sunglasses, sitting by the window, drinking coffee.
As I approached, she took off her sunglasses and gestured for me to sit.
"Boss Guan, your injuries…"
"They're mostly healed. I'll recover with some rest," Guan Zhenwan said with a smile. "Thank you for your concern, Mr. Xiang."
When the rescue team pulled Guan Zhenwan out, I honestly didn't think she would survive. She was covered in wounds and had lost a lot of blood by the time she was sent to the hospital.
Seeing her recover to this extent was quite remarkable.
"Can you tell me now what exactly happened below the Kanto Army fortress? And Yang Hanxue, is he still alive?"
Seeing my insistent questioning, Guan Zhenwan asked, "Mr. Xiang, aren't you interested in the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'?"
"Why would I care about that?"
She smiled. "I mentioned to Tingxiu before that the Kanto Army treasure contained clues about the Su Hou Pearl…"
She paused. "Initially, I thought you were working for her, and that finding the Su Hou Pearl was a task she assigned you. But now it seems you also want to find the Su Hou Pearl?"
"What do you mean?" I asked.
"Mr. Xiang, I've met many people who abandon their principles for money, but I haven't seen many who would risk their lives for it." She smiled and took a sip of her coffee. "If you were just doing this for Wu Tingxiu, there'd be no need to go to such lengths… So, if I'm not mistaken, your objective is also to find the Su Hou Pearl, isn't it?"
I stared at her for a long time before smiling. "Boss Guan, what exactly are you trying to say?"
"Actually, our goals are the same," she said, putting down her coffee cup. "I also want to find the Su Hou Pearl."
I was slightly taken aback. She held up five fingers and continued, "The Wu family, myself, you, and then that Yang Hanxue and Zheng Shuxuan – our goal is all the Su Hou Pearl."
"You're also looking for the Su Hou Pearl?" I asked.
She smiled. "Do you remember the story I told you about my family last time? The story wasn't quite finished."
"Mmm?"
"There's a secret hidden within the 'Qing Yuan Ben' version of 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'… and that secret is the Su Hou Pearl."
I was stunned.
Didn't the map I found earlier state, after being deciphered, that there were six more maps scattered elsewhere?
As long as I found the remaining maps, I would know the location of the Su Hou Pearl.
Now, how could the secret of the Su Hou Pearl be hidden within the 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'?
Could the clues on the earlier maps be wrong?
My mind was in a jumble. Guan Zhenwan said, "Are you confused? Wu Tingxiu's encrypted map clearly states that the clue to the Su Hou Pearl is hidden within six maps, so how is it now in 'Along the River During the Qingming Festival'?"
I remained silent. She smiled slightly. "Are you still interested in hearing the rest of the story I told you last time?"