Chapter 103: Doubts

After an entire morning spent riding in an "open-top" vehicle, they finally arrived at Hualong County Hospital. The jolting journey had left Zhang Qinglin so nauseated he felt as though he might vomit his stomach out; as he lay on the hospital bed, he was too physically wretched to even express his discomfort.

Wu Cheng'an followed the nurse to collect the medication, leaving Director Fan sitting on a stool in the ward. Zhang Qinglin watched as the director stood up, approached his bed, took a look, and then turned to gaze out the window.

"Master Ma, where is my father now?" Zhang Qinglin asked, slowly leaning back against his pillow.

Director Fan tilted his head slightly. "I am sorry, kid. I know you are desperate to find your father, but no one knows exactly where he is. Also, I must tell you, I am not Master Ma."

This statement left Zhang Qinglin stunned. He stared at the weathered, mysterious figure of Director Fan standing by the window, sensing that this man held many untold stories. Yet, hearing such a definitive tone, Zhang Qinglin began to doubt whether he had truly sought the wrong person.

"But you know Master Ma, and you know my father. Have you met him?" Zhang Qinglin asked.

Director Fan stood with his hands behind his back and nodded. "Yes. Not only have I met him, but I also went to the Flower Valley with him. That was our first collaboration."

Listening to Director Fan recount their experiences in the Flower Valley only deepened Zhang Qinglin’s yearning to see his father.

"Your father was indeed a good man—a righteous person of great integrity. He told me that he did not explore tombs for money, but for two reasons. The first was to ensure that every tomb he explored would either be brought to light or left to rest in peace, according to the wishes of the deceased. The second was to find a way to break free from the 'Soul-Transference Technique.' He said he did it for his child. He traveled all the way from the Luo River to Tamuli, yet he never found what was recorded in the silk scrolls." As Director Fan heard the ward door open, his expression shifted, and he fell silent.

"Old Zhang, you're awake!" Cheng Che said as he entered the ward with Chi Tan, seeing Zhang Qinglin propped up against the headboard.

Chi Tan added with concern, "Brother Xiaolin, you’re finally awake! How do you feel? Is there anything else bothering you?"

Zhang Qinglin shook his head. "I'm fine. How are you all? Are you alright? Where is Wanqing?"

"Don't worry, we're all fine. Wanqing went to buy some things," Cheng Che replied, then turned to the director. "By the way, Director Fan, this poisoning incident was no ordinary event. We were nearly killed for no reason, and we deserve an explanation. You must investigate every single person in your institute; we have to catch the culprit."

Director Fan’s face grew solemn. "Of course, we will certainly identify the person responsible for the poisoning, and I will see to it that you receive an answer. Now, you all talk amongst yourselves; I am going to check with the doctor to see if you need to stay the night."

With that, Director Fan turned and left the ward. Once he was gone, Wu Cheng'an returned with the medicine.

Cheng Che remarked, "I heard someone say the poisoning was the work of someone from within their own institute."

"Brother Dache, don't talk nonsense," Chi Tan interjected. "You don't have any evidence; you just believe whatever people tell you. Besides, that guy wasn't credible at all."

"What do you know? Just sit there and be quiet," Cheng Che said, grabbing Chi Tan by the ear and pressing him down onto the bed.

Chi Tan winced in pain, clutching his ear and glaring at him, then shouted toward Wu Cheng'an, who was pouring water on the other side of the room, "Brother An, he’s bullying me! Help me teach him a lesson!"

"Chi Tan, stop fooling around. I need to tell you all something important," Zhang Qinglin said, sitting up seriously.

Cheng Che’s expression shifted as he looked at Zhang Qinglin. "Did Master Ma say something?"

Zhang Qinglin nodded. His sallow face looked quite unwell, but he spoke with a hint of excitement. "He told me he isn't Master Ma, but that he has met my father."

Cheng Che paused, puzzled. "Not Master Ma? That’s strange. I feel like he’s just denying it. Did he say anything else?"

Wu Cheng'an walked over, holding a cup of water and a bottle cap filled with pills.

Zhang Qinglin watched as Wu Cheng'an placed three or four yellow tablets into his palm. "He also knows about that Shang Dynasty bronze tripod with the animal-mask motif."

Wu Cheng'an calmly handed the water to Zhang Qinglin. "I already knew about that."

Zhang Qinglin froze, gripping the cup. No wonder he hadn't seemed shocked. "You already knew? How?"

Wu Cheng'an explained that after the poisoning, he had been helping the doctor care for the research staff that night. He had happened to run into Fan Ni returning from outside and overheard a conversation between the two Fan brothers. He discovered a secret: they were both from the Miao region. They, too, were searching for that cursed animal-mask bronze tripod, and they had already learned that it was in Beijing.

It was truly startling news. As Wu Cheng'an spoke, his tone remained steady, but his expression was cautious, likely fearing that someone outside the ward might overhear.

Zhang Qinglin pondered this. He needed to extract information about his father’s whereabouts from Fan Ni, and then return to Beijing to prepare. The road ahead might be arduous, but he would not give up.

Glancing at the others, Zhang Qinglin mused, "Let’s wait for Wanqing to return, and then we will discuss it. By the way, Cheng Che, who told you the poisoner was from their institute?"

Cheng Che looked over. "It was someone in the same ward as us. He claimed to be from the research institute and told us a bunch of things about it. He was a very interesting character—he said that in the Summer Temple, you shouldn't find anything unusual strange, because all those born researchers are a bit abnormal."

Chi Tan could no longer hold back. He scrambled off the bed. "Brother Xiaolin, let me tell you, that guy was incredibly dark-skinned and looked so scruffy. At first, he sounded normal, but later he was just rambling incoherently. I can't believe Brother Dache was actually having a heated conversation with him."

"What do you know? I was just trying to fish for information," Cheng Che replied.