Wang Guan scratched his head, a distinct possibility dawning on him. At the same moment, he noticed another book lying on the table, identical in placement to the Biography of Li Zicheng: it was the Zhang Xianzhong, the Great Western King.

In that instant, a realization washed over Wang Guan: this treasure map might be connected to Zhang Xianzhong.

After all, in recent years, the mystery of Zhang Xianzhong's buried treasure—the tale of a thousand sunken silver ships—had become a major topic of public fascination. Wang Guan had even seen similar programs on television, leaving a deep impression.

Wang Guan picked up Zhang Xianzhong, the Great Western King, and discovered numerous pages within it had been folded down.

He began to leaf through it slowly, and suddenly, on one of the folded pages, he spotted a few lines of text that had been sketched out.

“In the third year of Shunzhi of the Qing Dynasty, the situation grew increasingly tense. When the troops arrived at Phoenix Hill Slope, located at the border between Xichong County and Yanting County in Northern Sichuan, Zhang Xianzhong, the Emperor of the Great Western Kingdom, met with Prince Hooge of the Qing Dynasty. In the ensuing fierce battle between the two armies, Zhang Xianzhong was struck by an arrow and died.”

Silently reciting this passage, Wang Guan suddenly felt as if a cloud had lifted, revealing the sun.

Just as Wang Guan was about to delve deeper into his research, he heard Lei Yunchang call out, "Wang Guan, hurry up, we're getting ready to go."

"So soon..."

Wang Guan turned around to see Lei Yunchang, Boss Lü, and Boss Tan each carrying several antiques, preparing to head downstairs to negotiate prices with Mr. Song.

Time was tight, and Wang Guan’s mind sharpened remarkably. He suddenly grabbed seven or eight antique reference books from the shelf, flipping through them casually. He was delighted to find reading notes scribbled in all of them.

He then tucked the Biography of Li Zicheng and Zhang Xianzhong, the Great Western King in among this stack of art and antique volumes. Just as he was about to carry them away, Wang Guan suddenly thought of something else, rushing to the bottom shelf of another rack to pick up several volumes of local gazettes and geographical atlases pertaining to Yanting.

Seeing Wang Guan carrying a large stack of seemingly worthless books instead of antiques, Lei Yunchang looked puzzled and frowned. "Wang Guan, why are you taking so many books?"

"These local histories were published in the seventies; they should be worth something by now," Wang Guan replied with a slow smile. "As for these antique anthologies, I glanced through them just now. They contain Mr. Song’s reading notes and his insights on studying antiques. While this accumulation of experience might hold little value for Uncle Lei, for a beginner like myself, it offers immense reference material."

Lei Yunchang instantly relaxed upon hearing this explanation.

Meanwhile, Boss Lü, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly. "Little brother, you truly are sharp. Old Master Song's lifetime of experience is probably contained within these books. If you can fully absorb them, they will benefit you endlessly for the greater part of your life."

"Exactly, exactly," Boss Tan agreed.

Afterward, there was nothing left to say. The four men descended to the living room.

"Gentlemen, have you chosen your items?"

The young man surnamed Song was watching television and greeted them with a smile as they came down.

"Mr. Song, we've made our selections, but sifting through sand doesn't yield gold; at best, we find a few pretty pebbles," Boss Lü sighed, sounding as if he were complaining. "We arrived too late; truly too late."

However, everyone understood that this genuine-sounding complaint was actually a tactic for driving down the price.

The young man was fully aware of this and didn't engage in banter, merely smiling. "Gentlemen, the television in the hall is a bit noisy. Perhaps we should discuss things in my room? It would be quieter if you came in one by one."

As he spoke, the young man led the way into a room connected to the living room. The others exchanged glances, slightly understanding the young man’s intention: he planned to divide and conquer, preventing them from collectively applying pressure.

But then again, negotiating individually did offer a higher degree of security, and it was easier to maintain secrecy.

The group shook their heads, politely yielding to each other. Lei Yunchang, carrying the chosen items, entered the room first. After about ten minutes, he emerged, his expression unchanged, revealing neither joy nor anger.

Next was Boss Lü. After entering the room, he came out twenty minutes later, smiling amiably.

Then came Boss Tan. He had selected the most items, and his consultation took the longest—a full half hour—before he finally pushed the door open, shaking his head and sighing.

As for whether their expressions truly matched their inner feelings, that was a matter for interpretation—what one man sees as an optimist, another sees as a pessimist.

Finally, Wang Guan entered the room last, clutching his pile of books, feeling a touch of nervousness but confident that he wouldn't arouse the young man Song's suspicion.

After all, if the young man knew what Old Master Song had been researching, he wouldn't have left his desk and effects untouched for several months after the old man's passing. Or perhaps, neither the Song family nor the treasure hunters who visited had bothered to look past the valuable antiques, never giving the books on the desk a second glance. Or even if someone had noticed, at most, they would have found it curious, not bothering to examine the texts closely, certainly not connecting them to a treasure map.

So, when the young man Song saw Wang Guan walk in carrying a massive stack of books, he looked genuinely surprised and asked, "Why did you choose these things?"

Wang Guan quickly repeated the explanation he had given to appease Lei Yunchang and the others.

Indeed, the young man showed no suspicion, merely frowning slightly before generously stating, "These books aren't worth much. If you want them, just take them."

"How could I do that? They are Old Master Song's belongings, and the reading notes count as manuscripts; if they were to be published, they’d be paid for by the word," Wang Guan protested, eager to avoid any further complications. He quickly pulled out seven or eight red banknotes and pressed them into the young man's hand before carrying his stack of books out the door.

Having accepted the money, the young man said no more.

Subsequently, the entire group left the residence, satisfied with their acquisitions.

After getting into the car, Lei Yunchang looked up at the sky and frowned at Wang Guan. "It looks like we'll have to stay at the county guesthouse tonight. Of course, if you're in a rush, I can drive you to the city; they should have an overnight bus back to Shudu."

"No rush," Wang Guan laughed. "I don't have anything pressing in Shudu anyway. Perhaps I'll stay in Yanting for a few more days to admire the local scenery and sights."

"That’s good then," Lei Yunchang replied with a smile. After exchanging brief words with Boss Lü and Boss Tan, he started the engine and drove off.

Not long after, the vehicle stopped at a moderately sized hotel in the county seat, where the two men secured separate rooms for the night. After eating dinner and taking a hot shower, Wang Guan returned to his room, pulled out two of the books, and began to study them intently.

..................... Thanks to the book friend "Yoyou Baidu" for the tip. The ratio of recommendations to clicks is disproportionate; please vote with recommendation tickets and offer more support. C