The kind of situation I’d always assumed only existed in novels was actually happening to us. I was so thrilled that I forgot to question its plausibility, thinking only that if Geng Wei managed to retrieve some treasure from that place, I’d get rich too. If nothing else, I could certainly afford a house, couldn't I? With this kind of haul, after saving a bit, I could go do other things.

The more I thought about it, the happier I became. Looking over at Geng Wei and the others, I could see faint expressions of joy on all their faces too. After a brief discussion, Geng Wei suggested that everyone had been tired these past few days and that it would be best to rest early, waiting for word back from his apprentice before doing anything else.

...

Two days passed like this. Geng Wei’s apprentice finally reported back that there was nothing unusual by the lake, and neither Zaxi nor his daughter had made any movements. Xu Zhiwu remarked, "That confirms it then. It seems Zaxi wasn't lying."

His words made everyone eager to act, and they pressed Geng Wei to go into Fuxian Lake immediately to see for themselves. Geng Wei considered for a moment before calling Zaxi, asking if Yanzi wasn't too busy, could she take us for a trip underwater. The people on the other end were clearly surprised by how quickly we agreed; after a moment of stunned silence, Yanzi cheerfully replied, "Of course! We'll be right there. See you by Fuxian Lake."

When we arrived at the lakeshore, Yanzi was already putting on her diving suit. Zaxi and she spotted us from a distance and waved enthusiastically. Our group consisted of five people, but only Geng Wei had diving gear; the other four of us were just there to watch the spectacle.

Without much preamble, Yanzi and Geng Wei circled around to the opposite bank to enter the water. Zaxi told us to wait where we were and not follow them. We watched Yanzi say a few words to Geng Wei, who nodded repeatedly. Immediately after, the two of them slipped beneath the surface one after the other.

From our vantage point, we only saw Yanzi cause a huge splash, and then the lake surface became still again. Because of the strange circumstances surrounding Tang Mingsheng’s death, local fishermen were still deeply unsettled and hadn't dared to venture out fishing these past few days, leaving the lake exceptionally calm.

Zaxi struck up a conversation with us. "Your accents suggest you're from the North," he noted. Xu Zhiwu laughed, "Only I am from the North; the rest are from the South."

Zaxi, clearly trying to flatter us, exclaimed, "Oh! I really couldn't tell; your Mandarin is so good." His Mandarin carried a slight echo of the Tibetan pronunciation—very deep, flat in tone, lacking our usual modulations. Yanzi’s accent was quite similar to his.

The three of us smiled modestly without saying much. Xu Zhiwu, who was always the best at smooth talk, returned the compliment, "Not at all, you speak it very well; there isn't a trace of regional accent." Zaxi quickly demurred politely, and after a brief exchange of courtesies, Xu Zhiwu suddenly changed tack, "How did you know there was something down at the bottom of this lake?"

Zaxi kept a straight face. "Oh. Didn't Yanzi tell you?"

I was momentarily confused. "Tell us what?" Xu Zhiwu echoed my question.

Zaxi said, "She didn't tell you that we have been treasure hunting in Chengjiang County for a long time?" We shook our heads. "And what about that Old Aunt Ma? She's always been after the treasure at the bottom of this lake; did she mention anything?" We continued to shake our heads.

"She only mentioned that Old Aunt Ma has some background and has been focused on Tang Mingsheng's corpse," Old Li interjected.

"What use is a corpse? He’s dead. If he weren't dead, though…" Zaxi trailed off, then abruptly shifted his tone, "It's strange that Old Aunt Ma hasn't made any moves today. But I suppose she must have sent people nearby to monitor us."

I looked around and indeed saw some furtive figures in the distance glancing repeatedly in our direction. Remembering Old Aunt Ma’s attempt to set a fire the night before Tang Mingsheng’s funeral, I felt a pang of unease and asked, "They won't follow Uncle Geng and Yanzi down there to harm them, will they?"

Zaxi gave a disdainful chuckle. "With me here, she wouldn't dare cause trouble! Let them come if they aren't afraid of death." He made it sound as if he were some great power. I smiled faintly, not quite believing it, and said nothing.

Xu Zhiwu, still enjoying the conversation, asked Zaxi again, "Listening to your tone, you must have quite a background too? Geng Wei mentioned that Old Aunt Ma is quite well-regarded among the local Tibetans." His implication was: You, Zaxi, seem rootless, so on what basis are you so confident?

Zaxi got carried away. "She—rebellious…" As soon as he uttered the word "rebellious," he abruptly stopped, quickly and skillfully changing the subject, "Afraid of you, a woman? Is that it?" I thought I must have misheard; the "rebellious" must have been part of what he meant by "afraid of you."

Xu Zhiwu readily agreed, "That’s right, that’s right."

Although Xu Zhiwu was happy to chat with Zaxi, Zaxi seemed more interested in me and Old Li. Upon hearing we came from Lhasa, he kept asking about the Potala Palace and the Jokhang Temple. I generally dislike talking to strangers, so I gave simple answers. But Xu Zhiwu, for some reason, started bragging to Zaxi about our ordeal on Mount Qiangbake, spinning yarns of the fantastic. Hearing this, Zaxi’s eyes lit up, and he immediately became animated, urging us to recount the details.

As for Mount Qiangbake and the underground tunnels of the Guge Ruins, I wished I could avoid the subject entirely, wishing it had all been nothing more than a nightmare that never happened; I certainly had no heart to elaborate for him. So, I passed the task to Old Li, telling him to explain, but Old Li was also out of the mood and instead directed Xu Zhiwu to tell the story himself.

Zaxi looked at the three of us with a complex expression, seemingly deep in thought. "It seems…" he only managed two words before stopping.

I shot Xu Zhiwu a fierce glare, telling him not to stir up trouble by saying careless things. He spread his hands, looking innocently at me and Old Li. "I was just trying to find something to talk about, to make others admire you two." As he spoke, he turned to Tang Minghao, who had been silent the whole time, and added, "Right, Brother Tang?"

Tang Minghao was lost in thought and startled when Xu Zhiwu addressed him. "Ah? Oh… Yes… yes…"

It was obvious to anyone that we weren't keen on talking, yet Zaxi was still tactlessly trying to start conversations with us. I felt annoyed, sensing he was trying to pry information out of us but was too hesitant to be direct. I hate that kind of person, so I simply stared out at the lake and ignored him.

That infuriating Xu Zhiwu ignored my clear displeasure and eagerly jumped back into the conversation with Zaxi, looking determined to chat with him until the sky fell.

Old Li was also growing weary, and noticing that Tang Minghao looked listless, he suggested they take a walk along the lake shore. Left alone, I was bored, glancing around everywhere. Suddenly, I spotted Zhang Yuanda. He was holding some long, dark object and slowly sauntering in our direction.

He was probably here to scout the situation again. They really were bold, daring to impersonate acquaintances to try and take the body from Tang Mingjie’s house, and then openly starting a fire in the middle of the night to cause chaos and take advantage of the confusion. I wondered what this old man intended to do now.

I didn't raise an alarm, watching quietly to see what his slow approach was about.

Xu Zhiwu and Zaxi were chatting animatedly, thoroughly enjoying themselves. Zhang Yuanda stopped at a distance, glanced at the pair, hesitated, and paused, as if weighing whether to approach further.

Zaxi glanced casually toward where Zhang Yuanda stood, I couldn't tell if he noticed him or not, as he showed no reaction, just calmly continued talking to Xu Zhiwu after the quick look.

Zhang Yuanda, seeing Zaxi look his way, seemed even more hesitant. He stood there motionless for a long time, then abruptly turned and hurried back the way he came.

"This is quite amusing," I chuckled silently.

There were quite a few people walking around—likely Geng Wei’s apprentice, people from Zhang Yuanda’s group, and perhaps others whose origins I didn't know. They kept glancing our way from time to time but tried not to be too obvious. Truthfully, even if they had come openly to fish or paddle in the lake, there wasn't much we could do. The lake wasn't ours, and there were no rules against fishing.

As I was thinking this, a group of fishermen actually appeared—three or four of them—carrying hats, fishing rods, small stools, and baskets. They strolled over toward us, laughing, not sparing us a glance, and immediately settled down by the water's edge, busily setting up their fishing gear.

Zaxi glanced at these people again, seemingly noticing nothing unusual, and continued his conversation with Xu Zhiwu. I felt these individuals were likely just ordinary people enjoying leisure time, not harboring any ill intent.

Once set up, they started fishing. Xu Zhiwu and Zaxi lowered their voices, careful not to disturb them.

A while later, Old Li and Tang Minghao returned from their walk. "Still no sign of them?" Old Li asked me. The sun was already high, glaring brightly, and I squinted as I shook my head. They didn't say anything more, sitting down on the ground beside me and listlessly watching the opposite bank.

Not long after, there was a splash on the lake surface. Geng Wei’s head soon popped up; he waved vigorously at us from the water, full of cheer, and then Yanzi appeared too. The two of them climbed ashore together. We quickly went to meet them. The group of fishermen continued to fish calmly, without looking at us once.

As we approached, Geng Wei’s face was bright with joy, almost unable to contain himself. "Look… look…" he stammered, pulling a handful of crystal-clear, lustrous beads from his sleeve. With a shake of his hand, a large string of pearl necklaces cascaded out—each bead nearly the size of a thumb, utterly flawless. Xu Zhiwu gasped, "Prayer beads!"

Before the words were fully out, Yanzi opened her left hand toward us, revealing a palm-sized, oval object, slightly covered in moss, glowing a brilliant, rich yellow. "Could it be… gold?" I felt my heart pound violently. Yanzi smiled charmingly, grabbed Zaxi's clothing, and vigorously wiped the object in her hand a few times. Upon closer inspection, it didn't look entirely like gold anymore; faint patterns were visible on its surface, and it seemed to shimmer with an inner brilliance, exquisitely beautiful.