In an instant, Yu Feibai was furious, venting, "What, are you planning to burn the bridge after crossing it? Believe it or not, I'll just dump you here, let the sea swallow you whole..."

Even as he spoke, Yu Feibai nonetheless pulled Wang Guan onto the small boat.

At the same time, Wang Guan rubbed his wet hair, chuckling lightly, "I was doing this for your own good, to save you some trouble."

"Get lost," Yu Feibai retorted sharply, "I think you just want to keep it all for yourself."

"I wish I could swallow it all, but unfortunately, I don't have the appetite for that." Wang Guan sighed, then pulled out a piece of shimmering yellow material, turning it over in his hand before smiling, "If you think that's not enough, I can give you another piece..."

"Stop talking nonsense; it was mine to begin with." Yu Feibai instantly snatched the gold over, weighing it in his palm a few times before beaming, lowering his voice to ask, "Did you find the wreck? Where is it?"

"We'll talk when we get back," Wang Guan sighed. "I wasn't joking. If we can't handle a certain crucial element, we'll have to return empty-handed. That’s why I kindly offered you travel money, so you wouldn't lose everything."

"You think little of me. Is there anything I can't handle?" Yu Feibai's eyes were full of suspicion. "I bet you're just trying to be mysterious, planning to fool everyone..."

"This is serious business; I never joke about important matters," Wang Guan said with a grave expression.

Seeing this, Yu Feibai believed him somewhat and immediately waved for the crew to turn back. A dozen minutes later, they were back on the yacht. Seeing Wang Guan return safely, Bei Ye and the others breathed a collective sigh of relief, followed by a torrent of complaints.

"Yes, yes, it was my fault. I almost died chasing wealth," Wang Guan said with a cheerful smile, begging forgiveness. He then went to his room to change into dry clothes and emerged to find the bundle containing the diving suit he brought back had been opened. Everyone stared at the contents of the bundle with wide eyes, completely ignoring his return.

The bundle, in truth, contained nothing extraordinary—merely malachite, emeralds, cat's eyes, obsidian, turquoise, along with pearls, agate, fine jade, and other treasures.

"Just a little something?" Yu Feibai exclaimed excitedly, picking up an emerald larger than his fist. "Do you have any idea how much this thing is worth?"

"How much?" Wang Guan asked with a smile.

"I'm not sure," Yu Feibai shook his head, estimating, "but certainly enough to drive many people mad..."

Especially women, Yu Feibai silently added to himself. In reality, he wasn't exaggerating; judging by Qiao Yu's shining gaze, he could see the immense allure of these glittering objects.

"Xiao Ye!"

At that moment, Qiao Yu tightly clutched Bei Ye's hand, her eyes hazy. "Am I dreaming? So many, many gems."

"Yes, you are dreaming. Wake up quickly," Bei Ye laughed. Having been with Wang Guan for a long time, she had seen many rare and exotic treasures and thus possessed a certain immunity, not so easily mesmerized.

"Brother Wang..."

At the same time, Gao Zhuang was beaming with excitement. "Did you find the wreck?"

"No," Wang Guan shook his head bluntly.

Thinking that he was entitled to a share of these gems made Gao Zhuang exceptionally thrilled, his blood surging. Unfortunately, Wang Guan's reply was like a bucket of ice water poured from the heavens, instantly chilling him and making him feel Wang Guan was about to abandon him.

However, in the very next second, Gao Zhuang realized he had misunderstood. Wang Guan smiled gently, "This isn't a sunken ship; it's a pirate vessel."

"What?"

Everyone was momentarily stunned, a mixture of shock and suspicion in their expressions.

"A pirate ship, mostly intact, not sunk to the seabed," Wang Guan explained. "It feels like with a little repair, it could still sail the seas, cutting through wind and waves..."

"Really?" Yu Feibai asked eagerly. "Where is the ship? Take us there quickly."

"Don't rush. Didn't I already tell you?" Wang Guan sighed. "That place... it's complicated."

"How complicated?" Yu Feibai declared proudly, "Stop being alarmist. Tell me quickly; I don't believe I can't handle it. Even if I can't, just call the Old Man. He owes you a huge favor and is probably eager for a chance to repay it. He'd certainly be happy to help you sort it out."

"There’s no need to involve General Yu in this," Wang Guan waved his hand dismissively, then smiled. "As for what the trouble is, you're smart enough; you should be able to guess."

"Being cryptic again... Damn it!" Yu Feibai scoffed, then began to ponder seriously. Suddenly, he slapped the coffee table and immediately frowned, "It really is troublesome."

"Now you understand?" Wang Guan chuckled. "That's why I said, if all else fails, we might as well head back."

"I say, you two," Tang Qinghua interjected, his brow lightly furrowed, voicing the collective dissatisfaction. "Why the theatrics? If there’s a difficulty, just say it so we can all help figure out a solution."

The others heartily agreed, nodding in affirmation.

"Talking about it won't help in this situation," Yu Feibai rubbed his chin with a slight sigh. "Why is it that when other people dig for treasures, it’s so easy—they just turn over their backyard and find gold—but when it comes to us, it’s fraught with obstacles?"

"Be grateful," Wang Guan laughed. "At least we know where the treasure is. Some people search their entire lives and never find a thing. Compare that, and you should be laughing."

"That's true!" Yu Feibai sighed, weighing the pros and cons, and immediately waved his hand. "Qinghua, tell your men to turn back."

"Where to?" Tang Qinghua looked somewhat confused.

"Su Family Island," Yu Feibai said with a hint of helplessness.

Hearing this, some were bewildered, while others seemed thoughtful. But regardless, Tang Qinghua did not refuse Yu Feibai's request and immediately instructed the crew to change course, returning to Su Family Island.

For this second visit, Old Master Su was somewhat perplexed but still received them courteously.

Upon entering the living room, Yu Feibai skipped the pleasantries and got straight to the point. "Old Master, we've run into some difficulties we can't solve ourselves, so we've come to ask for your help."

"Oh?" Old Master Su seemed surprised. "What kind of trouble have you encountered?"

One might say, what does it mean to be old and wise, calculating, or utterly cunning... In short, at Old Master Su’s age, he never made promises lightly. Otherwise, if it were someone else who knew Yu Feibai's background and heard he was seeking assistance, they might have heartily slapped their chest and declared, 'Just tell me what you need; I'll definitely help.'

"Old fox!" Yu Feibai muttered inwardly, but his smile grew even brighter. "Old Master, you must know what we've been busy with at sea these past few days."

"I know; weren't you salvaging fossils?" Old Master Su smiled. "If I had known there was a treasure like a mermaid pearl hidden inside the fossils, I probably would have sent people to salvage them too."

"Old Master is certainly joking," Yu Feibai, thick-skinned as he was, felt no embarrassment and replied calmly, "The fossils were just an excuse. Our real goal was to salvage a shipwreck."

"Is that so?" Old Master Su smiled, still betraying no emotion. "I see..."

After waiting for a while and seeing that Old Master Su remained quiet, Yu Feibai felt quite helpless. Although he understood the consequence of losing the initiative, the other party naturally held the advantage. Unless he was prepared to break off ties completely, when under someone else's roof, one must bow one's head.

Thinking this, Yu Feibai cast aside any lingering hope and spoke plainly. "Old Master, I won't hide anything from you. We've found clues to a treasure, but salvaging it is difficult. Therefore, we seek your assistance to lend us a helping hand."

"Hmm?"

Old Master Su was astonished and very surprised. In his estimation, Yu Feibai and his group were merely in need of borrowing some equipment for their ship, not an invitation for him to participate.

Borrowing equipment and participating were entirely different matters. Everyone understood the distinction between the two: the former was a small favor, whereas the latter meant sharing in the spoils, definitely not an obligation to help.

"I see," Old Master Su paused slightly, then said with a smile, "How should I put this? I am old now and perhaps lack the energy for treasure hunting games..."

Yu Feibai frowned instantly. Just then, Old Master Su continued, "These kinds of matters are best left to the younger generation to handle."

As he spoke, Old Master Su gestured subtly to a servant nearby, and soon Su Yu entered the hall. She glanced curiously at the people assembled, looking somewhat puzzled. "Grandfather, did you need me?"

"Feibai and the others have encountered some difficulties. You can assist them in resolving these," Old Master Su said with a faint smile. To him, this matter was trivial and held no interest. If it weren't for the sake of the Yu family, he might have politely declined, unwilling to get involved.

Seeing Old Master Su preparing to leave the living room, Yu Feibai was secretly delighted but quickly seized the moment to ask, "Old Master, everything else is secondary. The crucial point is, after finding the treasure, what percentage will you take?"

"You and Xiao Yu can discuss that matter," Old Master Su smiled faintly, found a convenient excuse, and left the living room, supported by a servant.

Seeing this, Yu Feibai shook his head with some regret, then his expression turned serious, and he began a war of words with Su Yu. The process of their negotiation need not be detailed; it was a contest of wits and intellect. Wang Guan and the others watched with keen interest, and just as they were starting to feel drowsy, the two finally reached a distribution agreement.

"Wang Guan..."

At that instant, Yu Feibai tore off his disguise, jumped up, and roared with laughter. "Stop sipping tea! It's time for you to step up and show your skills."

"OK!"

Wang Guan calmly stood up. Under Su Yu's perplexed gaze, he led everyone out of the villa and slowly arrived before the pile of jumbled rocks connecting the large and small islands. He stated with absolute certainty, "This is the exit. Blast it open, and you'll see the pirate ship."

"What pirate ship?" Su Yu was taken aback.

"The treasure—the pirate's treasure," Yu Feibai said, beaming, carrying a hint of having gotten the better of someone while feigning innocence. "To tell you the truth, you are sitting on a mountain of wealth and don't even know it. If we hadn't found the clues, you probably would never have known this fortune was right under your noses..."

(To be continued)q No Pop-up Novel Network www.RT