Yanzi opened her mouth as if to speak, but after a moment’s thought, she said, "This is just my guess, of course the reality might be different, but a dead man shouldn't be able to manage it."

It was a transparent evasion, yet she had forgotten to explain why she was opposing the other group and insisting on bringing Tang Mingsheng's body back. I pondered it for a long time but couldn't figure it out, so I asked her again. She stammered, looking everywhere but at me. I wanted to press further, but since even Tang Minghao hadn't said anything, I felt awkward and had to drop it.

After a bit more idle chat, Yanzi prepared to take her leave, saying she had to report back. "Report back?" I was greatly surprised. "Do you have superiors?"

Yanzi nodded. "Of course. Otherwise, how would a frail woman like me dare to openly oppose Aunt Ma and her crew?" As she spoke, she looked at Tang Minghao and Geng Wei. "You two might have some trouble when you return. Aunt Ma will likely send people to question you. Don't be afraid. Just deny everything and say you know nothing. If they push too hard, tell them to come find me."

Tang Minghao asked, "Then—your address is?"

Just as Yanzi was about to reply, an old man, well past sixty, appeared silently by the lakeside and walked toward us unsteadily, calling out excitedly, "Yanzi, Yanzi, you've finally shown yourself! Were you trying to worry your old father to death?"

Seeing him, Yanzi quickly went to support him, saying sweetly, "How could I, Dad? I was just a little busy and forgot to tell you." As she spoke, the old man had arrived before us. He stopped, sizing us up one by one, his gaze lingering particularly long on me and Old Li.

After looking us over, he turned to Yanzi and asked, "Who are these people?"

Yanzi introduced us to him one by one, then told us that this was her father. We exchanged a few pleasantries. The old man repeated his question, asking again if Old Li, Xu Zhiwu, and I had come from Tibet. We answered one by one, but he still seemed unsatisfied. He actually walked right up to me and scrutinized me from head to toe one more time before nodding, looking somewhat pleased. "Ah, since you are guests from Tibet, please join us for a simple meal. Also, there are some things you should probably know."

Before we could say anything, Xu Zhiwu eagerly chimed in, "Yes, yes."

After changing clothes, Yanzi's father had Geng Wei drive us to a fish restaurant. On the way, he kept glancing at me and Old Li, which made us both rather uncomfortable. Fortunately, the restaurant wasn't far, and Geng Wei was a regular, so a waiter immediately led us to a private room.

"Stone Dragon faces Stone Tiger, five times ten thousand in gold, whoever solves this riddle shall possess half of Chengjiang Prefecture." As soon as we were seated, Yanzi's father suddenly recited this line. This was a widely circulated folk rhyme in Chengjiang County, but we had no idea what he meant by quoting it now.

Xu Zhiwu, being a folklore expert, naturally handled the response. "This rhyme is rather interesting," he said with a smile.

Yanzi's father smiled mysteriously. "Not just interesting, it should be valuable."

"You mean?" I asked. "Does this line actually refer to something specific?"

Yanzi's father instead gave an inexplicable answer. "I have a Tibetan name, Tashi. You can call me by my name directly." With that, he looked at us, and especially at Old Li, with deep meaning.

"Tashi?" I muttered the name to myself, but it brought no recollection to mind. However, there were many Tibetans in Yunnan, so I figured it shouldn't be anything unusual. After finally settling down, I shouldn't let my imagination run wild and frighten myself. I glanced at Old Li; his expression had shifted slightly, but he said nothing, merely giving a slight nod to show he understood.

No one could pick up the conversation, and the atmosphere became somewhat awkward. Yanzi suddenly broke the silence. "Dad, when did you... come to look for me? Why not sooner?"

Tashi snorted. "I haven't even settled the score with you for running off without permission, and you ask why I didn't come sooner! Hmph! See? Someone will always set you straight when you get back!"

Yanzi pouted pitifully, "I just wanted to give you a surprise!"

Tashi grunted from his nose, "A surprise! Everyone thought you had been taken by those people..." Before he finished speaking, Yanzi suddenly flashed a mischievous smile and pointed at Old Li, "He saved my life several times!"

Tashi quickly expressed his thanks, while Old Li looked a bit embarrassed, mumbling, "Not at all, not at all."

Seeing that Yanzi had successfully changed the subject, Geng Wei suddenly interjected, "Tashi, did you mean to say you know about the 'five times ten thousand in gold'?"

Tashi answered without hesitation, "Of course. That is also why I invited you all to dinner today." Seeing that we were still confused, he added, "I have a favor to ask." His tone was exceptionally sincere. "You see, I am old, and I'm not capable anymore. My good-for-nothing daughter, apart from being mischievous, troublesome, and overly competitive, has no real skills. But right now, my daughter and I urgently need a sum of money to save our lives. So... so..."

Yanzi’s expression also dimmed, and she looked at us with a pitiful expression.

"That might be difficult to arrange," Geng Wei said. "I don't mind, but look at these young brothers, it's impossible for them to..." Before he finished, Tashi quickly interjected, "Of course, of course! I don't need much, just a tiny fraction of it. You can decide what to do with the rest."

Isn't this old man a bit too naive? I asked, "Aren't you afraid we'll keep it all and give you nothing?"

Tashi was confident. "I won't. With so many jewels and treasures, just a small portion of it would be enough for me. I trust you wouldn't do anything against your conscience."

Before I could reply, Geng Wei said, "We need to consider this matter. Nothing falls from the sky for free."

Tashi grew a little anxious. "So many people have tried every way to get what I know, and I haven't given even the slightest hint. Now that I'm offering to tell you, you still don't trust me?"

Xu Zhiwu said, "It’s not that we don’t believe you, but you must have a reason why you are suddenly so generous as to tell me such a huge secret."

Tashi confessed, "To tell you the truth, I know your backgrounds, and I know the matter concerning Tang Mingsheng perfectly well. That's why I took the liberty of making this presumptuous request. I believe, if things go smoothly, each of you could walk away with something, and at worst, you'll be millionaires."

Millionaires? I was slightly moved. Considering my current meager salary, it would take until the cows come home to save a million. So I asked, "Do you have any proof you can show us that the gold and jewels you speak of truly exist somewhere?"

Tashi smiled confidently. "No need for proof. Geng Wei just needs to take a look underwater somewhere in Fuxian Lake, and he’ll know if it’s true or not." He spoke convincingly, and his words were extremely sincere, without the slightest hint of deceit. I couldn't help but believe what he said. The thought of immediately becoming a relatively wealthy person made me somewhat excited. However, I quickly calmed down; something about this was strange, and I decided to wait and see what the veterans, Geng Wei and Xu Zhiwu, had to say.

"Let us consider it further," Xu Zhiwu suggested. Geng Wei echoed that they needed time to think. Tashi seemed to make a final gamble. "How about this... I know none of you fully believe my words. My health isn't good, and Yanzi isn't strong in the water either. We'll have to trouble the 'water ghost' [Geng Wei]. I'll have Yanzi point out the location for you, Geng Wei, and you dive down to retrieve something from a certain spot to see if you can bring up anything of value. If you can, it will prove my words are not false."

This suggestion seemed somewhat feasible, and Geng Wei agreed. Tashi didn't linger. The food arrived, and he asked Yanzi to invite everyone to eat and drink. When it was time to pay the bill, I expected the waiter to say someone had already covered it, but this time they didn't—Tashi paid the bill quite readily. I muttered to myself, didn't Zhuoma Yangjin say she would cover all my expenses? This counts as my expense too. Though I thought this, I didn't show it on my face. Afterward, we walked back together, laughing and joking. On the way, Geng Wei kept his head down, constantly fiddling with his phone, I couldn't tell if he was texting or what.

Yanzi naturally returned with her father, but Geng Wei strongly insisted that we all go to his place. Before parting, Tashi repeatedly urged us to seriously consider his proposal. Geng Wei vaguely replied with a string of "Yes, yes," to send them off. Once at his house, he calmly went out to the balcony to make a phone call before returning to talk with us.

"What do you all think about this?" Geng Wei asked.

I thought about it and still found it strange. "Why is he suddenly offering us a chance to get rich? And saying he only wants a tiny piece for himself? It feels kind of eerie."

Old Li said, "We should deliberate carefully."

Xu Zhiwu chimed in, "If this rhyme truly circulates in Chengjiang County, then it’s very possible there's a large treasure in the area. Often, folk legends have some basis in fact. It's just that through transmission, misstatements occur, leading later generations to think it's a distortion."

Tang Minghao, still downcast due to his cousin's recent death, managed to interject, "You can't say it's a distortion. We only recited it casually as a jingle. We never thought it held any deep meaning."

Suddenly, I remembered something, and a thought sparked in my mind. "Could it be... what if Tashi waits until we're not looking and throws some things into a certain spot in the lake? Then, when he asks Yanzi to guide Uncle Geng to look, they are guaranteed to find treasure. If that's the case..."

Geng Wei laughed and cut me off. "Don't worry, I've already made arrangements. I sent a text message in the car to have my apprentice follow the father and daughter pair. If they try any tricks to fool us, they'll have to get past my smart apprentices first." No wonder he was playing with his phone in the car on the way back—that was why! I couldn't help but admire his meticulous planning.