The Qinling Relics Saga Chapter Four: The Hidden Conspiracy

Before I could even react, I was dragged away by Old Zhang. When I regained consciousness, I found myself lying in a mountain cave next to an ancient well, with Old Zhang sitting by its edge, his back turned to me.

A cold wind blew intermittently from the cave entrance, and a campfire flickered before us. I wasn't sure where Old Zhang had managed to scavenge a military overcoat to wrap around himself. Just as I was about to wake him, his body began to twist and turn in a bizarre, unnatural manner. Then, he stood up and approached me. As I struggled to crawl to my feet and looked up, I was instantly stunned: this was not Old Zhang, though it looked exactly like him.

His muscles were severely atrophied, appearing as shriveled and desiccated as the mummified pharaohs described on television. His tongue was unusual, longer than that of a normal person—clearly, he was a soldier who had starved to death during the warlord era following Yuan Shikai's demise.

Yet, his eyes remained piercingly sharp. His modern army uniform on his left arm had been torn away by something, leaving only half intact with the epaulets still visible. His body bore over a dozen wounds; he had evidently encountered great danger before his death, fought a fierce battle, and finally perished here, exhausted and out of ammunition.

Even in death, he stubbornly believed he was still alive. What shocked me even more was that his face had lost every trace of blood, and there was no heartbeat to be found.

I had heard my brother-in-law mention such things before. An old hunter who was mauled to death by a black bear deep in the mountains had, in his post-mortem state, remained convinced he was alive. He had followed the bear for a day and a night, eventually finding his way out of the mountains and even carrying the carcass of the giant black bear back with him.

In truth, he had no signs of life, yet he had functioned for quite some time before people realized he had no pulse. Once the story broke, the whole village knew of it. There were even those bold enough—or foolish enough—to shout at the dead hunter, "Aren't you already dead?"

The old hunter had tilted his head, wearing a half-smile as he muttered, "Dead? I suppose I am." With that, he vanished into a wisp of black smoke.

The crowd was stunned by the sudden turn of events and retreated to their homes, sealing their doors and windows tight. They eventually hired a high-ranking Taoist priest to perform rituals for several days before the matter was put to rest. I had always dismissed it as a legend, never expecting such a thing to unfold right before my eyes.

Sweat poured down my back. Habitually, I retreated to the side, maintaining a distance of at least a meter, my hand gripping the military knife at my thigh, ready to respond to any situation. Yet, the entity moved with such startling speed that it was beside me in less than a minute. It did not display the aggression of a *zongzi* (undead creature), nor did it show any intent to harm me. Its mouth was slightly agape.

At first, I feared it might spew toxic smoke or trigger some hidden trap, but after a while, noting nothing unusual, I calmed down. Looking closely, I realized it seemed to be trying to speak.

And speak it did. It revealed a monumental secret, leaving me feeling as though a massive, suffocating riddle had descended upon me.

Following the guidance of a point of light, I ventured deeper into the cave. It was not dark, but rather quite clear, filled with stalactites and mineral deposits. Suddenly, the light dimmed, and I saw a person who looked exactly like me, save for the difference in our attire.

It took me a long time to regain my senses. Seeing him motionless, I plucked up the courage to walk over, only to be so infuriated I nearly spat blood: the figure was merely a statue. I thought to myself, "How true it is that poverty shortens one's ambition—I’ve scared myself."

After figuring out the situation, I groped around for an exit, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't find a way out. I remembered my brother-in-law’s notebook, which mentioned a hidden compartment, but noted that opening it would flood the area with an underground river.

Without diving equipment, the consequences would be unimaginable. They say when your luck is down, even drinking cold water gets stuck in your teeth—and it was certainly true in my case.

Suddenly, a peculiar scent drifted in—strange, intensely fragrant, and somewhat choking. Losing consciousness, I slid down the wall to the ground. In a half-dream state, I saw an exceptionally long shadow gradually shrinking. I knew something was happening, but as I was nearing a coma, I could only rely on sound to discern direction.

Then, I heard a long-lost voice, after which I lost all awareness.

When I woke up again, Old Zhang was sitting across from me, and Kaizi was turned away from me. I nearly jumped up, frantically asking Old Zhang, "You... you damn ghost, are you human or a specter?"

Old Zhang shot me a strange look and said, "Ghost your sister! I'm alive and well. I think you've been scared out of your wits, kid."

I wouldn't give up, continuing, "But I clearly..."

Old Zhang replied impatiently, "Enough! I'm back, aren't I? Rest for a bit, then we're leaving!"

Kaizi chimed in, "Actually, I saw it too—Brother Zhang was with Chen Bo. I saw it clearly from the dead angle at the bottom of the well when I found Brother Feng, then I passed out. Oh no... we have to go, fast." Suddenly, river water began to flood in from somewhere.

Old Zhang shouted, "We can't stay here! Quickly, climb up!"

We reached the exit in time, but for some unknown reason, the way we had come was already blown shut. The water rose too quickly, reaching the exit within moments, but fortunately, we had made it there first.

Then, we saw something we dreaded: a blood-red eye as large as a lantern, occupying nearly a quarter of the cave opening. The exit was already narrow, and being stared at by that thing made cold sweat pour down my face.

"One wave after another; whatever you fear most is what happens."

Kaizi and Old Zhang had already grabbed their gear. Suddenly, a dart flew from out of nowhere, striking the creature’s eye dead center.

This infuriated the monster, which began to smash against the cave violently. Because of its massive size, the cave began to shake as if it were about to collapse.

"You brat! I told you not to go tomb-raiding, and you wouldn't listen. Do you want to lose your life?"

I grinned sheepishly and said, "But you came, didn't you, brother-in-law?"

"Go, quickly!" My brother-in-law called his associate, Sanshi, over. Behind him stood a young man in black, carrying an ancient black-gold saber on his back.

We scrambled out of the cave, while my brother-in-law stayed behind to fight the giant beast. I struggled to get up, intending to go back and save him.

But Old Zhang pulled me back from behind, saying, "Why go down there? What could you possibly do?"

I stood up with difficulty, "I... I must..." Overcome by physical exhaustion, I fainted.

...

When I woke up, it was noon. I patted my stomach; it was still empty, rumbling loudly.

Old Zhang had also woken up and was rummaging around, clutching his stomach. Seeing me awake, he teased, "Well, Master Feng, you have nothing in this place—how have you been surviving?"

"That little bit of stuff I had was eaten by you last night, and you have the nerve to say that?"

"I was selfless enough to contribute my precious time to you; wouldn't it be a disservice to my stomach not to eat your food?"

Afterward, I took Old Zhang to the most famous restaurant in town. After a hearty meal, the crisis of my empty stomach was finally resolved. My staff had been looking after the shop while I was away; I didn't know how the business was doing, but while my brother-in-law's affairs were important, the shop couldn't stay closed forever.

As for my brother-in-law, I figured that with the young man in black and Sanshi by his side, there shouldn't be any major problems.

Upon arriving at the shop, I saw my young assistant rushing out, saying, "Young Master, you’re finally back! I’ve been run off my feet these past few days and haven't had a chance to check on you. As soon as I heard you were discharged, I was about to rush to the hospital to pick you up, but here you are!"

He pulled me aside and whispered, "Young Master, who is he?"

I explained the situation regarding Old Zhang to him, and only then did he lower his guard. Just then, several uninvited guests entered the shop. I watched alertly as a middle-aged man strode in, followed by two young men. By the way the leader was dressed, I knew he was no ordinary person.

Old Zhang and I had already ducked behind a screen. The middle-aged man stepped forward and asked, "May I ask if this shop is a long-standing establishment, and if the proprietor’s surname is Feng?"

My assistant asked warily, "Well... as for how 'long-standing' it is, I can't say for sure, but our boss is indeed named Feng. He is out on business; if you have something to say, you can tell me, and I will relay it."

One of the young men behind the middle-aged man cursed, "Bullshit! Who do you think you are to talk to our Fourth Master like that? Tired of living?" The young man raised his hand to strike, but the middle-aged man blocked his arm just in time, scolding, "What are you doing? We are here to seek help, not to pick a fight. Back down."

The Fourth Master stepped forward and asked, "It’s like this, little brother. I accidentally came into possession of an ancient map, but I can't make heads or tails of it. I thought your young master might understand it. What do you think?"

My assistant looked toward the screen after hearing this. Old Zhang couldn't hold back anymore; I glared at him, and he nodded in understanding.

The middle-aged man then produced a token. My assistant said, "So it is the head of the Qian family. Please forgive my lack of manners, junior will go and invite the Young Master now."

"Very well, thank you, young man."

"No need, Fourth Master. I am here. If you have something to discuss, why not move to the side parlor for a detailed talk?"

"Excellent! Since Young Master Feng is so gracious, let us proceed to the side parlor."

"After you, Fourth Master."

Once in the side parlor, the Fourth Master took out the ancient map. Old Zhang looked at it, completely bewildered. I focused my gaze and remembered what my brother-in-law had said: any such illustrated text was usually a map of a Warring States-period tomb, and the hidden markings were invisible to ordinary grave robbers.

The middle-aged man asked, "Has Young Master Feng gathered anything from this?"

I told him exactly what I saw.

"Hahaha! Many thanks, Young Master Feng. Do come to my manor for a visit when you have the time." With that, the middle-aged man took his leave.

(Dear readers, the side story concludes for now. Next, we will return to our main narrative. Thank you all for your support!)