I joked, "Could it be that legendary Black Gold Mystic Iron mentioned in Wuxia novels?" Everyone burst into laughter except for Tang Minghao.

Geng Wei remarked, "You educated folks certainly have an interesting way with words." Then he turned to Xu Zhiwu. "Expert Xu, what are your thoughts?"

Xu Zhiwu shook his head. "I truly don't know, perhaps in a couple of days we'll have an answer. If it is indeed as Zaxi claimed, I have friends who will clue me in." He then deliberately became mysterious again, refusing to elaborate, saying only that they should wait and see how things developed. As he spoke, he nervously glanced toward the balcony and the area surrounding the room, likely suffering from lingering paranoia after encounters with so many people of unknown origins. I felt the same way, constantly sensing I was being monitored, yet unable to find any proof. I suspected the arrangements made by Zhuoma Yangjin in Lhasa, coupled with the actions of Zaxi and his crew, had left me with psychological aftereffects.

Around three or four days later, one midday while everyone was eating, Xu Zhiwu suddenly took a phone call. After only a few words, his face broke into a broad grin, and he began showering the person on the other end with enthusiastic flattery, calling them "Big Brother" and "Venerable Sir" with great fervor. He promised to treat them lavishly—swiftlets' nests and shark fins, whatever they desired—upon returning to Beijing. After a lengthy exchange, he reluctantly hung up, then turned to us, unable to contain his delight. "Good news, good news!"

Saying this, he shoveled a large mouthful of food into his mouth, savoring it with loud smacks, completely ignoring us as we stared at him expectantly, waiting to hear what the good news was.

My patience was wearing thin. Seeing him reach for another helping of food, I quickly pressed down on his hand. "What's the good news? Tell us first before you eat!"

Xu Zhiwu, seeing my insistence, placed his chopsticks on the table, coughed twice to clear his throat, adjusted his collar, and then deliberately began, "A good friend of mine in Beijing just called to tell me that his damned self has struck it rich these last couple of days."

I cursed the annoying man internally. What did his friend getting rich have to do with us? Still playing mysterious! Honestly…

Before my internal monologue finished, Xu Zhiwu changed tack and asked, "Guess what business my friend is in?" He clearly intended to hook everyone's curiosity before revealing anything. However, Old Li and I, sharing an unspoken understanding, remained impassive. Tang Minghao and Geng Wei had already gone home due to the lack of activity, leaving the three of us bored stiff in the hotel.

Seeing our blank faces, Xu Zhiwu sighed in defeat. "You two aren't even pretending to be curious. Such a failure."

I retorted, "Stop with the mystery. What does your friend do? Rob banks and set fires?"

Xu Zhiwu looked at me with disdain, though an undeniable, broad smile still tugged at his lips. "He's a collector, a master collector!" He then named a person. I was startled. This individual was known for being incredibly discreet in both work and life, never flaunting his wealth, yet whenever a true treasure appeared in the collecting world, he would invariably go to extreme lengths, sparing no expense, to acquire it. I wasn't very knowledgeable in these matters myself, but I had once served as a liaison for a certain high-ranking official who was deeply interested in antique collecting and often rambled on to me during downtime, which is how I remembered the name. To think he was also a good friend of Xu Zhiwu's—the world truly was small.

"You mean?" I asked, puzzled. "Your friend acquired an unparalleled treasure?"

Xu Zhiwu beamed proudly. "Not only peerless, but it's also connected to us." A thought flashed through my mind, but unsure, I asked cautiously, "Are you referring to… that string of prayer beads?"

At this, Old Li's expression changed drastically. "It can't be that fast, can it?"

Xu Zhiwu finally felt he had sufficiently stretched our anticipation, and feeling satisfied, he rapidly recounted the whole story: Apparently, two days prior, a Tibetan man had tracked down Xu Zhiwu’s collector friend, saying he possessed a string of Eastern Pearls prayer beads and asking if he was interested. The collector’s heart leaped at the mention of prayer beads, especially ones made of Eastern Pearls. But he hesitated, thinking it impossible for such a valuable object to fall into common hands, particularly into the possession of a Tibetan person. However, as he hesitated, the seller grew anxious, claiming an urgent need for money, and offered to let him bring in authoritative experts for authentication if he doubted the authenticity.

So, the great collector arranged for verification, and sure enough, they confirmed it was genuine Yongzheng Dynasty prayer beads. He immediately paid the man a substantial sum and sent him away, then spent every day admiring the string of beads, unable to put them down.

Concluding his tale, Xu Zhiwu chirped happily, "Now do you understand? The string of beads he received is the one Zaxi took. Clear?"

I couldn't help but suck in a sharp breath, exchanging a look with Old Li. "Your sources are too well-connected."

Xu Zhiwu countered, "Naturally. I guessed he would try to offload it around Beijing or Hong Kong, so I alerted buyers in both places to notify me instantly if anything matching the description appeared. I didn't expect this fellow to be quite capable—he didn't go to the usual artifact smugglers but headed straight for the person willing to pay the most..."

This put us all at ease. It seemed Zaxi’s claims about jewelry weren't lies. Which meant… we stood a very good chance of getting rich. The thought sent a surge of excitement through me.

We spent a while in high spirits, daydreaming about what we’d do after we struck it rich. Then, preparations for the endeavor began. Xu Zhiwu preferred not to involve Geng Wei, whom he considered overly greedy. But among the few people we knew in Chengjiang, Geng Wei was undeniably the best free diver; excluding him was not feasible. Old Li, whose bond with Tang Minghao was iron-clad, felt it was dishonorable to keep a brother out of wealth.

Thus, our core team remained unchanged: myself, Old Li, Xu Zhiwu, Geng Wei, and Tang Minghao. From Zaxi’s side, only Yanzi came. His explanation was, "I already have money; I don't need to share in another piece of the pie. Just have Yanzi guide you. She's just a girl, and not a great swimmer; you all need to look after her."

Zaxi truly kept his word. I had expected him to conjure endless excuses to join us, demanding a huge share of the treasure, but he was so straightforward and generous that it was almost unsettling.

Before diving, Yanzi advised us to bring items like daggers, suggesting there might be unknown creatures underwater that we might need something to defend ourselves against.

Upon hearing this, Geng Wei, for reasons known only to him, managed to procure exquisite miniature handguns for each of us from the black market—obviously single-use, modified pieces, each with two rounds of ammunition. Geng Wei repeatedly warned us, "I risked my neck to get these; only two bullets per person. Don't act like they do on TV, firing off shots constantly as if you had tens of thousands rounds."

Old Li and I feigned ignorance about the guns' dubious origins and echoed his sentiments. Everyone knew the truth, but given our respective positions, these pleasantries had to be maintained. Old Li and I strapped military-grade daggers to our calves just in case.

Once everything was packed, Yanzi, worried that Ma Niang's people might be tailing us, had her own people conduct counter-surveillance to ensure no one was paying attention before she led us toward Fuxian Lake. Along the way, she spoke little, simply instructing us to follow her orders. She also cautioned us repeatedly not to be too greedy. But most of us were too blinded by the prospect of wealth to pay much mind to her superfluous warnings.

The weather that day was exceptionally fine, the sun bathing us in a comfortably warm glow. I tested the lake water with my hand; it, too, felt warm. It had been some time since Tang Mingsheng’s death, and only a few scattered fishing boats dotted the lake surface. It was an absolutely perfect day. Everyone was excitedly anticipating hauling up a fortune in treasures from the depths.

Yanzi seemed less interested in the treasure itself, reiterating safety precautions before we entered the water. Geng Wei boasted, "I've messed around in Fuxian Lake for decades; there’s nothing strange I haven’t seen, no fierce fish spirits or monsters I haven’t encountered." Hearing this, Tang Minghao quickly told him to mind his words; since we were entering the water for fortune, it was best to show respect. Geng Wei immediately sobered up and apologized to the lake surface.

After this minor interlude, we slipped into the water one after another, Yanzi leading and Geng Wei bringing up the rear.

The water this time was exceptionally clear. Looking down through the diving masks, it resembled a sheet of shimmering emerald. Being submerged in such water naturally calmed the mood. Yanzi, leading the way, occasionally turned back to check if we were keeping up, and Geng Wei used hand signals to remind us to be careful.

After everything we had been through, I figured that no matter how formidable Fuxian Lake was, it couldn't compare to the monsters I had seen before. Even if an ancient city lay at the bottom, so what? How much lethal power could a city sunk beneath the water for an unidentifiable amount of time possess? At most, a few decaying things carrying strange pathogens.

After swimming toward the center of the lake for a while, Yanzi began leading us downward. Just like last time, schools of nameless small fish and shrimp boldly swam right in front of our faces.

The descent continued peacefully, without any unexpected incidents. Yet, Yanzi, at the front, acted as if facing a mortal enemy, repeatedly signaling us to stay alert.

Slowly, I began to understand why Yanzi urged caution. Beneath us, the layers of corpses were becoming clearly visible, each positioned in a seemingly orderly manner—some leaning forward, others tilted back, as if looking up at the four of us. A chill ran down my spine. But the moment I thought of that string of prayer beads and the near certainty of countless treasures, the fear vanished completely. What was there to fear? I had already fought faceless demons and animated corpses head-on. Could there possibly be anything more terrifying here?

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