Chapter 10: The Corpse Struggle of the Yellow Springs

I was both extremely surprised and immensely happy. Finally, I could meet Father.

“Once you reach the village entrance, our people will know. Don’t say anything yet—pack your things quickly and come out. I’m waiting right outside the inn,” said Er Lengzi.

“Alright.” Without another word, I hung up and immediately shook Yao Hui awake from the bed.

Yao Hui opened her eyes and sat up, but for a while, she seemed barely awake. Even after I helped her put on her clothes and pants, she still looked a bit dazed.

“Yuan Jie, why am I so tired?” Yao Hui murmured.

I sighed inwardly—after spending hours tearing off human skin in the restroom, I wasn’t even tired.

“Bear with it for now. My father’s men are right outside. We’ll see him soon.”

Hearing this, Yao Hui perked up. She mustered some strength, tidied herself a bit, and we stepped out of the room together.

Outside the inn, I immediately spotted Liu’s Er Lengzi.

He wore a yellow sun hat and dressed casually, looking like a tourist. Yet, standing near him were three or five others.

As I drew closer, I immediately recognized one—Old Shun, the man who had ambushed us back in that mountain valley.

That group of people were grinning and joking with Er Lengzi, but their intentions were clearly sinister.

“Er Lengzi,” I called out, grabbing Yao Hui’s hand and rushing over.

Er Lengzi turned and saw me, then stepped forward with a smile. “Young master.”

He glanced at Yao Hui, who shielded her eyes from the sun behind me.

“Oh, Young Master Yuan. Do you remember your Uncle Shun?” Old Shun spoke casually, but his yellow eyes glared fiercely at me, his left hand raised menacingly.

Thinking of what had happened before, anger flared inside me. I shot him a glare. “Who are you?”

At my words, Old Shun’s face darkened, and his men looked ready to attack.

Old Shun raised his hand to stop them and forced a smile.

“So you’re really Yuan Long’s son. You’ve got some presence. It’s okay if you don’t remember me. Let’s find a quiet place to talk and slowly build some rapport.”

His last words came through clenched teeth, revealing his lingering grudge over our previous encounter. From his tone, it was clear he wanted to coerce us somewhere.

At that moment, Liu’s Er Lengzi chuckled.

“A local bully is still a local bully—on his own turf, his voice gets louder,” Er Lengzi said, glancing sideways at Old Shun. “But like I said—we don’t have time to cozy up to people like you.”

“That won’t do. We’re on my turf now. How can I not treat guests properly? The three of you should come with me,” Old Shun insisted.

Fueled by resolve, I grabbed Er Lengzi’s arm. “Forget this old bastard. Let’s go see my father.”

Er Lengzi smiled and nodded at me. Then, we turned and walked forward.

“You brought this on yourselves,” Old Shun snarled, chasing after us. After a few strides, he grabbed my shoulder.

In that instant, Er Lengzi, who was just ahead of me, suddenly spun around, raising his right hand...

Immediately, Old Shun and his men froze.

By midday, tourists streamed through the village like a steady tide. Yet, amidst this, Er Lengzi pressed a knife against Old Shun’s neck.

Not only did the men opposite us freeze, but I never expected Er Lengzi to make such a bold move.

His right hand looked as if he was merely patting an old friend on the shoulder. Yet the gleaming dagger was already pressed against Old Shun’s throat. Just a little more pressure and blood would flow.

“Do you know why my master had Qin Feng deal with you last time?” Er Lengzi whispered with a smile. “Because I’m too reckless and lack self-control. Since you want to provoke our young master in broad daylight, I don’t mind killing a few people right here.”

Old Shun’s eyelids twitched uncontrollably.

“Hahaha...”

While we stood stunned, hearty laughter suddenly rang from behind. I turned to see a dozen or so people approaching—tourists in appearance, but the leader was none other than my father.

Beside him stood my second uncle and Qin Feng, and a skinny, sly-looking middle-aged man—my third uncle.

“Yuan Zi, come here and give Uncle Three a hug. Hahaha...” Third Uncle laughed heartily, rushing up as if I were a child.

But as he got closer, seeing that I had outgrown him in height, he laughed even louder and patted my shoulders vigorously. Seeing this old rascal, I couldn’t help but laugh and we embraced warmly.

“You dirty old fox, haven’t been to Beijing to see me for five or six years, have you?” I scolded as soon as he let go.

“Screw you, it’s only been four years. I’ve been busy, you know, ever since your Third Uncle went to Xinjiang, the girls there don’t want to marry anyone else and keep pestering me all day,” he replied with a grin.

“Enough,” Second Uncle, who disliked our casual banter, interrupted and turned to Er Lengzi. “Put the knife down.”

Er Lengzi smiled and nodded at Second Uncle. “Yes, Second Master.” He glanced once more at Old Shun before slowly lowering the dagger.

Father approached me. “Why are you here?”

“I...” I wanted to say, “Peanut sent me,” but thought better of it. “Oh, Aunt Yao asked me to come.”

“Your aunt sent you?” Father frowned, then looked at Yao Hui behind me.

Qin Feng smiled. “Young master, you brought your girlfriend to meet the family, huh?”

Everyone laughed. Yao Hui shyly lowered her head. “Uncle Yuan.”

“Just call me Dad. I’m your Third Uncle, my name is...” Third Uncle, upon seeing a beauty, never cared who she was.

“Enough nonsense,” Father glared. Third Uncle had to rein himself in. “Xiao Hu, find Miss Yao a parasol.”

I realized Father already knew about Yao Hui. Apparently Aunt Yao hadn’t told me the truth; she must have had her own way to contact Father.

Throughout our conversation, Father never glanced at Old Shun. Later, I learned it wasn’t just disdain—there were certain rules in our line of work.

Old Shun was Father’s peer. No matter how tense their relationship, they would greet each other when they met. But since Old Shun was now affiliated with the Li family, and Father was our Yuan family’s leader on the same level, there was no reason for Father to initiate contact.

That’s the code of the underworld.

When Father’s men learned I had arrived at Wenxing Village, the Li family naturally knew. For certain reasons, their actual leader, Li Sanlang, sent Old Shun to invite me—more politely, to kidnap me. What he planned afterward, no one knew.

Old Shun clearly realized the situation was unfavorable. Especially with Qin Feng’s intimidating glance, he trembled.

Seeing no one responding, Old Shun signaled his men to retreat. But Second Uncle called him back.

“Old Shun.”

Old Shun shuddered and turned around.

Second Uncle was serious, and his expression was stern. “These days, the old masters in the underworld are watching. Go back and tell Li Sanlang, if he wants to invite us openly, he shouldn’t play tricks. Otherwise, if a scandal breaks out tonight, the Li family’s reputation will suffer.”

“Alright, understood.” Old Shun hurriedly ran off.

As they left, I asked Father, “Father, is your martial arts gathering happening here tonight?”

Everyone laughed, but Father’s attention never left Yao Hui.

I thought to myself, “Damn, this old fox isn’t exactly proper. Maybe he’s just like Third Uncle at heart.”

“Enough talk. Let’s go.” Father turned, and we followed him toward the village outskirts.

Xiao Hu cheerfully held a parasol for Yao Hui, who was a bit embarrassed and insisted she could manage. The two exchanged polite words along the way. I followed behind, chatting happily with Third Uncle.

Father was shrewd and eccentric, Second Uncle mature and steady, Aunt ruthless in her methods, and Third Uncle a cunning old rogue. That was my accurate assessment of these four elders.

After some lightheartedness, I suddenly remembered: Third Uncle was in Xinjiang. He must know something about the “Phantom Snow Forbidden City.” I lowered my voice and asked him, “Uncle, do you know what the ‘Phantom Snow Forbidden City’ is?”

Third Uncle’s smile froze. “Well, well, the brat’s grown. How do you know about the Phantom Snow Forbidden City?”

“Long story. So, what kind of place is it exactly?”

“Hmph. It’s a place that shouldn’t exist. An ancient ‘public tomb’ you can enter but never leave.”

A public tomb in ancient times was a communal burial site for a nation or tribe. Large public tombs contained nearly all the remains of that nation; even smaller ones held hundreds of bodies.

After his explanation, I asked, “Which dynasty or nation’s tomb is the Phantom Snow Forbidden City?”

Third Uncle sneered, “Like I said, no one has ever come out of the Phantom Snow Forbidden City. Everything about it remains a mystery.”

“But if people can find it, there should be clues. It can’t be just a rumor,” I said, puzzled.

“Rumors? Hmph, maybe a bit, but the last time those rumors surfaced was during the Qing Dynasty. If you want clues, go ask around.”

I thought, you old devil, aren’t you cursing me?

But thinking of the wine flask I carried, I smiled.

Though not as sharp as Father, Third Uncle was excellent at reading people. Seeing my expression, he froze.

“What’s this? You actually have clues about the Phantom Snow Forbidden City?”

“Hmph.” I snorted, almost twisting my nose. Trying to sound like the fat guy’s nasal tone, I said, “Listen up, old man, I’m a bona fide tomb raider now. Nothing can stop me. The little Phantom Snow Forbidden City? Hmph, I’ll go whenever I say.”

Afterwards, Third Uncle burst into laughter, startling those ahead. But being used to his madness, no one paid much attention.

“The little Phantom Snow Forbidden City? Get lost. They still laugh about your exploits in the King of Yelang’s tomb, calling it a joke. ‘Expert,’ my ass.”

That irritated me.

“Uncle, you used to say you and I were tight. How come you and Father have been hiding all this from me? Damn it, I thought you were my buddy, but you’re so untrustworthy.”

Before I finished, Father turned back from the front.

“If he ever talked back to you like that, he wouldn’t be ‘Feng San’ now—he’d be ‘Lame San,’” Father said, raising his right hand, gloved in black, slightly toward me, signaling me to stop bothering him with this.

After Father turned and walked on, Third Uncle said, “See? Would you dare? Besides, those things—how could your grandfather and father discuss them with me...”

I wasn’t listening. I stared blankly at Father’s figure.

For some reason, the moment he raised that right hand gave me chills. In an instant, I recalled the man in the photo wearing that strange glove.

Father wore gloves because of his six fingers. So why did the man in the photo need to wear such gloves?

We circled to the back of the village, where many old houses were scattered. Eventually, we entered a courtyard gate.

Before going in, I noticed many people around these old houses. Most resembled our group—tourists in appearance but with eyes and behavior that suggested ulterior motives.

Inside the courtyard, Father’s men numbered around thirty. Some I’d never seen before; some were barely seventeen or eighteen.

In a late Qing-style compound, Father sat at the head seat. Second Uncle led me to the men and introduced me one by one. I realized they were all relatives from different branches of the Yuan family.

These men treated me with great respect. Sitting down for the first time, I truly felt that my family had some serious backing. It felt like an ancient clan hall—Father firmly in the lead, Qin Feng and Er Lengzi standing beside him, Second Uncle on the left, Third Uncle on the right, with a vacant seat below Third Uncle’s, reserved for Aunt. I sat to the right of Second Uncle.

The men were arrayed on both sides, all alert and vigorous.

I thought to myself, regardless of their business, this gathering already bordered on illegal assembly.

Feeling intrigued, I straightened my back and felt a surge of calm confidence.

But then I suddenly realized—where was Yao Hui?

I stood up immediately. “Father, where’s Yao Hui?”

Everyone laughed. Second Uncle waved for me to sit down. “Girls aren’t suited for this kind of place. She looked tired, so we took her to rest in the back.”

I nodded and calmed down.

Then Father said, “The old masters from several major factions have come. Tonight’s ‘Feast for Young and Old’ won’t be peaceful. Keep an eye on things. Don’t eat anything they give you, and if good wine is served, don’t drink it.”

“Big brother, besides Yuan Zi, everyone here’s an old hand. Do you really need to say all this?” Third Uncle laughed.

Father smiled. “I’m saying this especially to you.”

We all laughed at Third Uncle, who turned away embarrassed.

Second Uncle said, “Big brother, do you think this might be a trap set by the Li family? They could have bribed those old masters. If they join forces against us, whether in words or fights, we’d be at a disadvantage.”

Father smiled. “I know the Li family is wealthy, but to bribe those old masters, they’d have to sell their ancestral lands. Those old guys know the underworld rules better than we do. Still... they all want the Blue Blood Dragon Pattern. While they won’t team up against us, they certainly want to pressure me into handing it over.”

I couldn’t help but interject. “Father, the Blue Blood Dragon Pattern was won at great risk of your life. If they want it that badly, isn’t that robbery?”

“So what if it is?” Father asked back, making me pause. “Robbing is the lowest tactic, but if you rob with justification, you’re a master. Li Sanlang is exactly that kind of man.”

I thought: Isn’t robbery just robbery?

Second Uncle continued, “If it comes to that, what should we do?”

Later, I learned our world had an unspoken guild—a sort of “tomb raiders’ union.” The great families, clan halls, and old masters formed this organization’s upper echelon. To thrive in tomb raiding, you had to deal with them. If you broke their rules, no matter how skilled you were, they’d gang up to destroy you.

In essence, it was a monopoly. Although they couldn’t control all tomb raids nationwide, as long as these powerful figures stuck together, the richest prizes always belonged to them. Others who found treasures had little chance to profit.

An unwritten rule also existed: if any top figure obtained an artifact surpassing a certain level, the artifact and any benefits derived from it had to be shared unconditionally with the others.

Such artifacts were legendary or mythical—the “He Shi Bi” jade disk itself might not qualify.

The Blue Blood Dragon Pattern wasn’t worth much—at auction, maybe a few million. But the “Four Corners of the Mountains and Rivers Map” was a completely different matter.

For any tomb raider, the “Four Corners of the Mountains and Rivers Map” was an irresistible temptation.

(Thanks to Lan Da and Fiestas for their support. Old Bei’s chance of earning over six hundred yuan in manuscript fees next month depends on you all! Monthly votes! Begging for a slap in the face—oh no, I mean, for support!)

(To be continued...)