Liang Qian replied, "Before I met you all, I had already visited numerous ancient ruins and tombs. Many of them contained records of the Wei Kingdom, mentioning only that the royal family bore the surname Liang; the Nie clan was never mentioned at all. Furthermore, my elders all told me that I am indeed a descendant of the Wei people, and my family genealogy lists a person named Liang Yebai."

Hearing her words, I found no further reason to doubt her. Perhaps, being fellow descendants of Wei, my ancestors came to China and engaged in entirely different pursuits than Liang Qian's ancestors, which is why they weren't mentioned in the historical records.

With that thought, both Liang Qian and I fell silent. This matter could only be resolved through deeper investigation; wild speculation now would only plunge us into a deeper mystery.

After a long period of thought, Da Xiong finally spoke, saying, "I'm sorry, Xiao Chuan, but * and I lied to you. In truth, we've known for a long time that the Old Master was doing all this to avenge the Wei Kingdom. At the time, we thought that because your relationship with your grandfather was so strong, telling you the truth would be too much for you to bear."

nodded in agreement and added, "Indeed. The first time I saw you, seeing that scholarly look on your face, I immediately thought that if I told such an innocent and sheltered boy the truth, you wouldn't be able to handle it."

I managed a wry smile, touched the strange right hand hidden beneath my leather glove, and then said, "You are right. If it were the former me, I truly couldn't accept this. But I am no longer the person I was. Even knowing all this now still brings me immense sorrow and anger, yet I have made up my mind: I must stand against my grandfather! Although I am also a descendant of the Wei people, and what the Han people did to the Wei people was undeniably cruel, that is the past. Seeking revenge now will only lead to needless sacrifice."

sighed and stated, "Since you know this much, I feel I can no longer hide anything else from you. Your grandfather's goal in all this wasn't just retaliation against the Han people. I suspect that his ordering Huo Shengmu to steal time was also aimed at revitalizing the Wei Kingdom, because Huo Shengmu can allow the Wei people to be reborn. The entire purpose of the plan is to exchange Han lives for Wei lives."

Da Xiong also nodded and said, "I apologize, Xiao Chuan. When the Old Master found me, I had no choice but to help him, as this is my own affair as well. What the Han people did to the Wei people is just the tip of the iceberg that you've witnessed. The Old Master and I explored various ruins and know the details intimately. For a time, I was jolted awake by nightmares every single night."

I looked at Da Xiong with a surge of anger and asked, "Are you saying you still stand by Grandfather's side, then?"

Da Xiong shook his head, then gave a bitter laugh, saying, "Actually, ever since the incident at Heilizugou, I had already decided not to help him anymore. But the situation in Lop Nur was too perfect; both * and I were caught in your grandfather's trap, and by then, it was too late to turn back. Do you know, if things hadn't unfolded that way, if we had taken one wrong step, or accidentally glanced back one extra time, we all would have died? I simply couldn't bear to watch you die, which is why I decided to keep lying to you until the end."

beside him sighed and interjected, "Da Xiong, stop explaining so much. I think it’s better to let Xiao Chuan judge."

Then, he looked at me with genuine eyes and said, "Xiao Chuan, if you can still trust us, let us join you in stopping Professor Nie. But if you no longer choose to believe us, then * and I will find a boat and leave here immediately, guaranteeing we never appear before you again."

I had only suspected that Da Xiong and * were deceiving me, but now that I knew it was true, a wave of anger involuntarily rose in me.

Looking at Da Xiong’s pitiful eyes, what they were saying now was likely not false. These two brothers, with whom I had faced life and death, would still be who I relied on in the future, yet I couldn't forgive them so easily. So, I said, "You should go..."

Hearing me say that, Da Xiong instantly threw a childish tantrum, grabbing my jacket and shouting, "I'm not leaving!"

The few Russians nearby turned around when they saw him so agitated, watching us.

I smiled awkwardly, pushed Da Xiong's hand away, and said, "You go. I don't want to see you right now."

beside him sighed when he heard this, pulling Da Xiong along. "Since we were wrong, and Xiao Chuan refuses to forgive us, we have no face to stay here any longer. Let's go..."

Da Xiong’s expression shifted instantly from being on the verge of tears to anger. He lunged forward, grabbed my collar, and snapped, "You brat, fine! You think you're tough, huh? From now on, even if the zongzi tries to tear you apart, I won't help you. Just wait until you're crying for your mom and dad."

His action drew the attention of everyone present, and Andrei even paused his lecture.

Then Da Xiong turned around and walked away without looking back.

glanced back at me and murmured, "Well... take care, brother..." before also heading toward the main door.

Once the two had left, the crowd fell silent again.

At this point, Liang Qian, who had been quiet, seemed anxious. After hesitating for a moment, she said to me, "You just let them go like that? I think you could have trusted them."

I glanced at Liang Qian, smiled slightly, and replied, "Don't worry. That kid will definitely be back."

Just as I finished speaking, Da Xiong poked his head around the doorway and called out, "Hey! I really left!"

I smiled faintly, took the 100 rubles from my pocket, and said, "What I meant by not wanting to see you now is that you can go buy groceries first."

Da Xiong’s face instantly broke into a broad grin. He rushed over, snatched the 100 rubles from my hand, and ran out.

Liang Qian watched from the side, shaking her head with a helpless, wry smile.

Next, Andrei resumed his lecture. I saw him drawing diagrams of Western-style mansions and roads on the makeshift blackboard, realizing he was discussing infrastructure development for the small village. It was indeed a sound idea: only when transportation is convenient will people's thinking become open, allowing them to embrace new science and new ideas.

If Andrei could truly help the village develop to that level, it would indeed be a magnificent undertaking.

Ten minutes later, Andrei’s speech concluded, and the people began to disperse.

He then walked toward us from the podium with a smile.

As he approached, Andrei extended his hand to Liang Qian and asked, "May I ask who this beautiful young lady is?"

I stood up and told Andrei, "This is my friend, Liang Qian, who was also kidnapped by Xie Yuting."

Liang Qian stood up as well, placing her hand in Andrei’s.

Andrei kissed the back of Liang Qian's hand lightly, then motioned for us to sit down, taking a seat himself. He asked, "What happened? Tell me the details."

So, I relayed Liang Qian's entire experience to Andrei, including the fact that she was a descendant of the Wei people.