Yanzi was momentarily stunned; Geng Wei’s rapid-fire questions left her unable to parry. She stammered, “This… this… our people, they… I… I snuck out.”

My intuition told me there were likely many more stories lurking beneath the surface. So, I remained silent, joining the others in coldly observing her, waiting for her to continue. Even an idiot could sense the tension was as sharp as drawn swords; Yanzi was no fool. She cast a timid glance at us, then looked down at the crowd below, her face showing disappointment. “I’ve just arrived in Yunnan and wanted to achieve something significant on my own, so they wouldn't dare look down on me. That’s why I said I was alone and outnumbered.”

Xu Zhiwu asked, “You have a lot of people?”

Yanzi managed a soft “En,” serving as her reply. Neither Old Li nor I spoke, deciding to observe the situation first.

Geng Wei interjected, “You still haven’t answered my question from before!”

Just then, a loud scolding voice suddenly cut through the air: “Whose child are you! Don’t you know the rules! Get back quickly, you’re disturbing the departed. Be careful your elders don't skin you alive!” Looking down, we saw a boy of about eight or nine standing by Tang Mingsheng’s coffin, clutching a small knife and incessantly scraping it against the side of the casket. It seemed only a careless moment before he’d scratch the wood. The man cursed at the boy a few times, but the boy talked back, unafraid, not even sparing him a glance, continuing his scraping. The man reached out, intending to pull him aside, but as soon as his hand moved, the boy brandished the knife menacingly toward him. The man gave up, seeing the coffin remained unscratched, and turned to other matters.

The little boy wore a cunning smile. Once the man walked away, he began circling the coffin again. Honestly, at nine years old, didn’t he have any fear of the dead? I myself didn’t possess that much nerve!

Yanzi noticed the scene as well. After a moment, she said, “You’d best guard that coffin and the body tonight, don't even blink, or tomorrow you might only have an empty casket for the burial.” She then let out a small, contemptuous scoff. “Sending out even a child; it seems you’re truly desperate.”

No one understood what she meant, so naturally, no one replied. Of course, a mere child wasn't enough to distract everyone from their suspicions about Yanzi, so Geng Wei soon pressed her again to answer his original questions. Yanzi, who had been staring intently at the boy downstairs, suddenly changed color. “Not good. Hurry and follow me.” Saying this, she grabbed Old Li, who was standing beside her, and they sprinted downstairs, making straight for the spot where the little boy stood by the coffin.

She approached the boy with a sweet smile, reaching out as if to touch his cheek. The child jerked his head away, watching her suspiciously, holding his small knife high, poised to stab. Yanzi had brought Old Li along for backup, so how could she be afraid of a mere child’s knife? She kept smiling and reached out to snatch the weapon. However, before she could really act, the little boy suddenly burst into loud sobs, crying out, “Mom… Mommy… someone’s bullying me… Wuwu… wuwu…”

Immediately, a stout woman appeared from somewhere, charging straight at Yanzi, shouting, “My precious son, who dares bully you!” As she spoke, she rolled up her sleeves, clearly ready for a fight. Yanzi, seeing this, immediately ducked behind Old Li and glared defiantly at the woman. The woman paused slightly upon seeing Old Li. Yanzi subtly nudged her chin, gesturing for her to look at us. The woman looked up, and her aggressive posture immediately deflated. She grabbed her son by the collar and dragged him aside, loudly berating him, “You little ill-fated wretch, who told you to run over here and cause trouble for me!”

The boy argued back tearfully, “You told me to come! And now you’re scolding me! You guys don't have the ability, so you send me, and then you scold me… I’m going to tell Grandma Ma.” Hearing this, the woman’s face changed drastically. She glanced around to see if anyone was paying attention, then swiftly clutched the child and fled like the wind.

Old Li gave Yanzi a knowing look, tilting his head toward the stairs. Her expression dimmed, and she obediently returned upstairs.

As soon as Yanzi was back up, I quickly asked her about the child downstairs. Yanzi replied, “He was sent by them. Probably casing the joint. Didn't you hear him say he was going back to tell Grandma Ma?”

This time, we truly believed the situation was far from simple. Yanzi then informed us that the small knife the child carried was quite significant; if everyone got busy, the boy could sneak under the coffin and make a few cuts, and Tang Mingsheng’s corpse would be ruined.

I felt a pang of curiosity. “Why are you all going to such lengths over a corpse? I still don't understand. Even if they managed to snatch the body back, what could they possibly do with it?”

Yanzi shot me and Old Li a suspicious glance. “The two of you—logically, you should know that a corpse can be used for many things.” She paused, then added, “Never mind, you probably wouldn't understand anyway. Once the Tang family affairs are settled, I’ll take you to the lake, and then you’ll understand what this is all about.”

Geng Wei was an old hand and wouldn't be so easily dismissed by Yanzi’s vague comments; he insisted she explain the situation and her background. Yanzi became agitated. “I can’t explain it clearly right now. How about this: I won't run away. You can tie me up. After Tang family’s funeral is complete, I will take you to the bottom of the lake. After you see certain things, I’ll explain everything, okay? Please, I’m begging you, Master Geng. I am alone right now, with only one pair of eyes and one brain focused on the coffin downstairs. You saw what happened just now; if you’re not careful, someone might spirit the body away. Can you bear that responsibility?”

Geng Wei fell silent. Yanzi ignored us then, standing by the balcony railing, constantly looking around.

That night, following Yanzi’s instructions, Geng Wei arranged for shifts of men to guard Tang Mingsheng’s coffin without a break. Despite this vigilance, the night was not entirely peaceful. Some scoundrel actually tried to set fire to the Tang residence, but was spotted by the cooks preparing for the next day’s wake. The crowd descended and gave the arsonist a good beating. They initially intended to turn him over to the police, but Yanzi came out and said there was no need to cause such a commotion, as there were bigger matters awaiting resolution. As the man left, he gave Yanzi a look thick with complicated emotions and mumbled something cryptic: “You need to watch yourself too.” Then he limped away.

That incident passed. The next day, Tang Mingsheng was buried. Although we were nominally guests, thanks to Old Li’s connection with Tang Minghao, we pitched in with whatever small tasks we could manage.

After a day of exertion, the funeral concluded. Yanzi kept her word and stayed put. Before the final nailing of the coffin, she even specifically checked to ensure the body inside was indeed Tang Mingsheng. Because of this, our impression of her improved somewhat. I even teased Old Li, saying that since Yanzi used him as a shield several times, she must have feelings for him. Old Li scornfully dismissed me, claiming I was simply horny and twisting everything into a matter of romance.

Tang Mingsheng was safely interred, offering the Tang family at least some solace, which was far better than the previous situation of having no corpse and no burial ground. Tang Mingjie’s health also improved slightly, so Tang Minghao made a few arrangements for Yanzi to take us to see the things that she claimed would explain the whole affair.

She had already made the promise, so she couldn't refuse us now. She asked Geng Wei to prepare diving gear for everyone and then led us to Fuxian Lake.

This time, compared to our previous visit, Yanzi and Tang Minghao were with us. We entered the water on a different side of Fuxian Lake, directly opposite the embankment where we had searched for Tang Mingsheng’s body last time. Yanzi took the lead, instructing Geng Wei to keep us close to her, displaying the air of a true commander.

For some reason, when diving here, we could see the underwater scenery with remarkable clarity through the masks; we could even spot a tiny shrimp swimming past. Looking down—the water wasn't too murky either.

Yanzi kept making hand signals, urging us not to fall behind, while we continued our descent. My ears slowly began to register a slight pressure; I must have reached a certain depth underwater. It was a pity we couldn’t speak, or I could have taken the chance to ask Geng Wei some professional diving questions.

As I was lost in thought, Yanzi suddenly stopped, signaling everyone to look ahead.

A wave of turquoise water passed, and the area ahead suddenly became bright and transparent, showing nothing unusual. Yanzi pointed down, urging us to look. I looked down and involuntarily gasped—beneath us, standing diagonally, were countless dense figures! As the water shifted, they swayed uniformly. Even more terrifyingly, they were stacked layer upon layer, leaning forward and backward, truly resembling an army of thousands. Looking closer, they were all covered in white shells, and even their hair, stark white strands, swayed with the current!

In just a few minutes, the clear lake water suddenly grew somewhat turbid, and the figures below became indistinct, only showing massed silhouettes drifting back and forth. Yanzi immediately waved for us to ascend.

Once ashore, Yanzi asked, “Now you’ve seen it, do you understand what’s going on?”

I was still confused, still frightened by the sight of those figures with white shells. Tang Minghao spoke first, “Those people? I grew up by Fuxian Lake; how have I never seen them?” He looked toward Geng Wei as he spoke. Geng Wei stammered, “I… I… for decades, I’ve never seen anything like that. Can you explain it a bit more clearly for us?”

Yanzi said, “Isn't that clear enough? Everyone in the world knows there is a sunken ancient city beneath your Fuxian Lake. But, as locals, didn't you know there are guardians there as well?”

Everyone shook their heads.

Yanzi continued, “Let me put it this way: If Tang Mingsheng’s body hadn’t been found by our people, he would have become one of those people we just saw. Of course, he might also have become a key to open a door, perhaps.”