Chapter Thirty-Eight: Liu Jin and Sun (Please Support and Recommend)

From my father’s previous conversations with Peanut, I realized that this ancient tomb was inextricably linked to the work they were doing. I recalled how, when Peanut had seen the "Tu Du Yao" in the tomb of the King of Yelang, his expression had been one of extreme confusion, and even deep rage.

From this, it was clear that there were things here that, in Peanut’s view, my father and his associates had no right to touch.

Judging by his behavior throughout the journey, Peanut certainly knew of this place, yet he seemed unsure of what he would encounter, suggesting he had never actually been here before. Chronologically, he must have come straight here after leaving the Yelang tomb. The reason for his urgency was likely the Snow-Crane Feather Fan hidden within this tomb.

Reflecting on the words of Zhang Yadong and Wei Lin, there was a definite connection between this fan and the "Three-Day Knot Treasury." They had to secure the fan first to pinpoint the location of the treasury. Following this logic, Peanut, the Three-Day Knot Treasury, and the mysterious Feng Shui that Fatty had spoken of were all interconnected.

Fatty had made it sound so bizarre that I had doubted the existence of such a place, but given the reactions of Professor Chen’s group and Peanut, the existence of the Three-Day Knot Treasury was practically a fact.

These matters had little to do with me, but Wei Lin had explicitly threatened to kill everyone in the Yuan family. With the mention of the Four Directions Mountain and River Map, I was certain the "Yuan family" he referred to was my own.

Wei Lin claimed my father was close to completing the Four Directions Mountain and River Map, yet they remained without a lead on the Three-Day Knot Treasury. In other words, Wei Lin felt they had to reach the treasury before my father completed the map. It felt like a race; it seemed as if whoever achieved their goal first would effectively sign the other party's death warrant.

This made Peanut’s position increasingly strange. If the "Big Girl" was the leader of Professor Chen’s group and stood in opposition to my father, why had Peanut been so furious earlier, referring to her simply as "that woman"? Did he not have a conflict with my father? If Professor Chen or the Big Girl were my father's enemies, wouldn't they be his allies? Peanut should have been on their side, especially since they were related. Yet, recalling the scene, it felt as though Professor Chen had betrayed Peanut—he had even revealed killing intent. It seemed Peanut was a third party, at odds with both sides.

Regardless of their relationships, as a descendant of the Yuan family, my allegiance was with my father. Wei Lin’s threat left me feeling deeply unsettled. I felt it was vital to extract more information from him; the safety of my family was at stake, and I could not remain in the dark.

What I found most unsettling was the ship mentioned by Wei Lin and that mysterious letter.

"Are you so sure?" I asked after a long pause. The question was largely meaningless; I only wanted to draw his attention bit by bit, making him realize that I, too, was an insider.

Wei Lin looked at me with suspicion. Keeping my guard up, I lowered my weapon. "As far as I know, the Yuan family only obtained the Blue-Blood Dragon Mark."

Wei Lin’s brow furrowed immediately. "You know about that? Who are you?"

"Who I am doesn't matter. I’m asking you, what exactly is the relationship between your people and the Yuan family?" I tried to remain as calm as possible.

However, hearing my question, Wei Lin began to laugh. "So you don't know anything. You’re trying to fish for information."

I realized I had been too hasty and cursed silently. I quickly regained my composure and added, "True, I don't know much, but you shouldn't be much better off. It seems we won't be finding that ship together."

At the mention of the "ship," the muscles in Wei Lin’s face twitched. Suppressing his curiosity, he asked in a low voice, "Do you even know what kind of ship I’m talking about?"

I stared at him, expressionless.

"A ship you will never find, but one that will come looking for you."

I drew upon the description from the letter, stating the only piece of information I had. I spoke in a cryptic tone, implying I knew much more. In truth, it was a desperate gamble; if I continued, I would be exposed immediately.

But upon hearing my description, Wei Lin could no longer restrain his curiosity. "How... how do you know? You are... I see, I see. It’s 'you all'."

Good, I thought to myself. His one sentence confirmed that Peanut was not with the Big Girl and Professor Chen’s group. Under the designation of "you all," only Peanut remained.

I had no time to ponder this. The priority was to learn the true nature of Professor Chen’s group and whether they truly intended to harm my family.

"Since you know that, then you must also be aware—Professor Chen surely told you—which side his nephew, Chen Zixiang, is on. Did you consider the consequences of barging in here so brazenly?"

My brain had never raced as fast as it did then; my breathing grew shallow after speaking.

Wei Lin stared at me, his voice low: "When it’s a matter of life or death, why worry about consequences? Since you’re one of 'them,' you should know this."

He still doubted me. I couldn't hesitate; delay would only make him more guarded.

"Who can guarantee their position is the right one? Look at you—don't you think it's impossible to find the Three-Day Knot Treasury now? Relying on 'Grand Luo Feng Shui' is not as good as relying on yourself."

As I spoke, I watched his eyes cloud with confusion.

"Tell me what I want to know, and I can tell you the current status of that ship."

I had checked him. If he held firm, I would run out of ways to pique his interest. I cursed my father a hundred times over in my heart—dammit, with so much trouble in the family, he had kept me completely in the dark.

"Impossible!" Wei Lin shouted. "How could you possibly know the current status of that ship?"

"A friend of mine is already on that ship," I said coldly.

"Who? Who is it?" Wei Lin pressed.

I sighed and shook my head. "It seems you are the one who knows nothing. You couldn't even guess? Did you think the old man of the Yuan family was alone when he started all of this?"

Wei Lin’s expression froze. "Liu Jinsun... you’re talking about Liu Jinsun!"

Suppressing the overwhelming turmoil in my heart, I spoke coldly, "Since that’s the case, let’s begin. Tell me, what is the relationship between the Big Girl and the Yuan family? Tell me everything you know."

Liu Jinsun... Liu Jinsun... damn it, how could the person who wrote that letter be Liu Jinsun? It was impossible. Unless it was a one-in-a-million coincidence, this had to be the grandfather of the Liu family’s dim-witted grandson. But how? It couldn't be him.

When I was a child, the Liu boy and I had watched with our own eyes as the old man was placed in his coffin and buried in the bamboo forest behind the mountain. He had been dead for a long time; he had lived in the village his whole life. How could he have left that letter in the tomb of the King of Yelang, claiming he had gone to that ship?