While poring over the books, Wang Guan felt he owed a debt of gratitude to the unknown Elder Song. For it was this gentleman who had underlined and marked the crucial clues in both volumes. Thus, after flipping through for an hour or two, Wang Guan managed to form a tentative hypothesis about the entire affair.

The battered, damaged Seven-Star Precious Saber in the hidden room might very well have belonged to Luo Rucai, the leader of the bandit hordes at the close of the Ming Dynasty.

After all, historical records suggest that Luo Rucai did not mind, and was even rather pleased by, the sobriquet of Cao Cao. Given his origins as a rebel leader and his admiration for Cao Cao, crafting a Seven-Star Precious Saber would not have been surprising.

Luo Rucai’s fame did not shine as brightly as Li Zicheng or Zhang Xianzhong. However, some modern researchers now posit that Luo Rucai was, in fact, the true core figure among the late Ming rebel leaders.

He was highly strategic, adept at mediating relations between various factions, which is why everyone was willing to cooperate with him. Once a city was captured, the gold, silver, and treasures were divided equally; even thieves had their own code. They refused to touch honest officials; their target was solely the corrupt—that was Luo Rucai’s code of chivalry.

Following the death of the first 'Chuang Wang' (Invading King), Gao Yingxiang, Luo Rucai began cooperating with Li Zicheng, Zhang Xianzhong, and other leaders. Luo Rucai excelled at strategy, while the other two were skilled in attack. Working together, they frequently defeated the Ming government forces.

When Li Zicheng’s army was routed, he fled to Zhang Xianzhong and nearly lost his life, only to be saved by Luo Rucai. When Zhang Xianzhong was defeated, he sought refuge with Li Zicheng and was nearly killed, but Luo Rucai secretly provided him with five hundred men, allowing Zhang Xianzhong to escape.

In this manner, Luo Rucai expertly navigated between factions, winning people over with virtue and adhering to chivalric principles, living quite contentedly.

Alas, rebels remained rebels, and Luo Rucai, rising from the ranks of the vagrants, never shook off his thuggish habits. Once he became a rebel leader, he kept no fewer than a hundred beautiful women by his side, each one lovely as a flower—this was Luo Rucai’s true reason for enjoying the life of a bandit. 'Robbing the rich to aid the poor' and 'acting on Heaven's behalf' were merely slogans.

In the fourteenth year of Chongzhen’s reign, due to disagreements with Zhang Xianzhong, Luo Rucai defected to Li Zicheng. Later, instigated by others, he secretly colluded with the Ming general Zuo Liangyu, an act that Li Zicheng used as a pretext to have him executed.

As for why Li Zicheng killed Luo Rucai, who had shown him great kindness, the simple answer was a power struggle for dominance. After all, for the ambitious Li Zicheng, the vast army of a million rebels needed only one supreme leader.

After Luo Rucai's death, his loyal subordinates naturally refused to follow Li Zicheng and would likely have rejoined Zhang Xianzhong. At that time, only Zhang Xianzhong could truly stand against Li Zicheng. Luo Rucai’s saber would then naturally have become part of Zhang Xianzhong’s collection, or perhaps been bestowed upon a trusted general.

Subsequently, Zhang Xianzhong proclaimed himself the 'Great Western King' and established the Daxi regime, conquering city after city, seizing control of most of the southern regions, and finally capturing the Shu lands, where he formally declared himself Emperor.

Upon becoming emperor, Zhang Xianzhong immediately found himself cornered, facing a pincer movement from Li Zicheng’s forces, the Ming generals, and the rising Qing court. Ultimately, during a sweeping campaign by the Qing, Zhang Xianzhong was unfortunately struck by an arrow and died. After his death, his followers wrapped his body in a brocade quilt and buried him secretly in a secluded spot, then dispersed...

Perhaps, to avoid forgetting the location, someone drew a map of the burial site and concealed it within the pearl settings of the Seven-Star Precious Saber. Alternatively, this location might mark where Zhang Xianzhong interred his treasure hoard.

One must remember that legend holds that when the Qing army invaded the Shu region, Zhang Xianzhong sensed the danger and swiftly sailed south downriver from the Shu capital with thousands of boats laden with gold and jewels plundered from his raids. However, along the way, they were ambushed by Ming government troops, and the vast majority of the treasure boats sank into the river.

Of course, some people claim the thousand boats laden with silver did not fall into the river but were instead buried by men dispatched by Zhang Xianzhong. Even today, folk rhymes persist in some areas, such as, "Stone Ox faces Stone Drum, five times ten thousand in silver."

It is said that whoever deciphers this rhyme can locate Zhang Xianzhong’s treasure.

With conflicting tales everywhere, discerning truth from fiction is nearly impossible!

Wang Guan fell into deep contemplation. These conclusions were not his own deductions but the achievement of Elder Song. This elder, perhaps through some stroke of fate, had obtained that very Seven-Star Precious Saber and discovered the secret slips of paper hidden within the saber sheath’s beads. Then, he must have spent countless years painstakingly weaving together all the clues with the historical backdrop of the time, deciphering everything bit by bit.

He wondered whether this treasure map indicated the place where Zhang Xianzhong hid his wealth, or merely where his body was interred.

However, Wang Guan leaned towards the possibility of a treasure cache, because the book Daxi King Zhang Xianzhong mentioned that after being killed by the Qing army, Zhang Xianzhong's head was displayed in the marketplace of the Shu capital as a warning.

Yet, the book also presented an alternate account, suggesting that the head displayed was not Zhang Xianzhong’s but that of one of his subordinates.

The Qing army’s action was purely to intimidate the populace. After all, historical documents from the Qing court offered no verifiable record regarding the recovery of Zhang Xianzhong’s corpse.

Reading this, Wang Guan felt dizzy again, truly experiencing firsthand how history is nothing but a confusing mess. No wonder some say history is like a young girl, ready to be dressed up however the victor desires.

Wang Guan sighed. He barely slept that night, burying himself in the clues compiled by Elder Song. It was not until past eight in the morning, when he heard Lei Yunzhang knocking, that he hastily washed his face and brushed his teeth before opening the door.

While eating breakfast at the small shop downstairs from the hotel, Lei Yunzhang noticed the faint dark circles beneath Wang Guan’s eyes and asked with surprise, “What’s wrong? Couldn't sleep well last night?”

“Stayed up too late reading, and I’m not used to the bed,” Wang Guan offered as an excuse. Then, a sudden thought struck him, and he tested the waters, asking, “Uncle Lei, did you manage to secure anything valuable at the Song residence yesterday?”

“Just scraps and leftovers,” Lei Yunzhang shook his head. “The truly good things were all taken by the group that arrived earlier.”

“Can’t be helped, who told Mr. Song not to call you sooner?” Wang Guan frowned. “But looking at Mr. Song’s demeanor, he didn’t seem like a man short of money. I wonder why he hurried to sell off all of Elder Song’s collection.”

“It’s not just selling the collection; that mansion we visited yesterday is likely going up for sale too,” Lei Yunzhang lamented. “Truth be told, Elder Song was quite pathetic. Both his son and daughter passed away early. The only remaining descendant was the Mr. Song we met yesterday. After graduating, he worked in a big city, and the relationship between the grandfather and grandson was quite distant.”

Here, Lei Yunzhang sighed deeply, “Just a few months ago, Elder Song suffered a sudden heart attack and passed away. His grandson only rushed back for the funeral a few days later... As soon as the mourning period ended, he returned to the big city. This current visit is solely to deal with the antiques and the residence. Once these matters are settled, he probably won't ever come back here.”

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