Chapter Seventy-Nine: Reading the Letter (1)

By the time I reached the highway, I was already slung over the back of one of the men; I figured once we got to the hospital, Second Uncle would have to run around again to find me a bed too.

There were three battered cars parked at the roadside, clearly rented, with three men standing guard nearby. After Er Lengzi placed my father in one of the cars, Second Uncle climbed in as well. Fatty and I squeezed in, and the Dongfeng van roared off toward the county town of Gulin.

I cursed Second Uncle for not bringing a Hummer; no matter how hard the driver stomped on the gas, it always felt too slow. By the time we arrived at the Gulin County People's Hospital, the sun had already set. As we carried Father inside, the nurse at the entrance mistook us for migrant workers from a construction site.

After a flurry of activity from several people, Father was finally admitted to the emergency ward. Soon after, Qin Feng and the others arrived. The doctor examined him and told us that Father's body was mainly too weak, and he was suffering from anemia. When the doctor asked how Father ended up like this, Second Uncle replied, "Uh, he fell into a ditch. It took us several days to pull him out."

The doctor didn't press further, only said, "Luckily, there’s no organ failure. He won’t wake up for the next few days, and you can’t visit him. We’ll need to conduct some more tests. But from my experience, the patient’s constitution is good; there shouldn’t be any danger to his life."

I told the doctor to run every possible test the hospital could offer for my father.

Fatty piped up, "Don’t talk nonsense. Sixth Master is settled now; let’s hurry and find a place to stay and wash up. Didn’t you notice how everyone’s looking at us?"

Only then did I realize that everyone in the hallway was keeping their distance, covering their noses.

"You’re right. Er Lengzi, take the young masters to that hotel, get some food, and rest. Qin Feng and I will stay here," Second Uncle said.

Indeed, Fatty’s damned bag still held burial utensils. With so many of us gathered, if we attracted the police, it’d be a disaster. After all, we’d have to wait two days before seeing Father again. Standing around in anxiety wouldn’t help.

Twenty minutes later, Liu Family’s Er Lengzi led us into the county’s best hotel, the Lanzu Grand. As we walked up to the reception desk, the receptionist screamed, "Robbery!"

Her cry startled everyone, and cold sweat broke out on our foreheads. Fortunately, the lobby manager recognized Er Lengzi as a guest, or else the police would surely have been called.

I had nothing left on me, not even my own clothes; so I could only squeeze into Second Uncle and Qin Feng’s suite with Fatty.

Once the door was locked, Fatty and I began undressing at the same time. Midway through, I realized I didn’t want to shower with Fatty—he was practically a stranger, and if he asked me to pick up his soap, that’d be a nightmare.

Fatty ignored me, stripped himself clean, tossed the wooden box I’d handed him onto the bed, and rushed into the bathroom. Seeing that box, I felt a pang of guilt, remembering how I’d doubted him earlier.

I watched TV outside for half an hour. Suddenly, a pale, naked man appeared beside me. I turned to look, failed to recognize Fatty, and jumped in fright. I’d never noticed before, but Fatty, despite years spent roaming outside, was actually fair-skinned.

"Pfft, never seen your Fatty with such looks, have you?" Fatty chuckled, pulled on a bathrobe, lit a cigarette, and said to me, "Miss, hurry up, once you’re done we can get to business."

"Go to hell," I cursed, and headed into the bathroom.

Inside, I stripped off the filthy, reeking clothes and tossed them in the trash. Just as I was about to turn on the tap, a thought flashed through my mind—I remembered something important. I immediately retrieved the clothes, reached into the pocket, and pulled out the envelope I’d placed there earlier.

I had almost completely forgotten about it, even when recounting events to Father. But I was exhausted now—just wanted to shower, eat, and sleep—so I put the letter aside, planning to read it once I’d recovered.

After showering, wrapped in a towel, I stepped out to find Er Lengzi arriving with a bag of burgers and drinks. He told us to eat something and get some sleep, then once we woke up, we’d all go out for a proper meal.

"What about Second Uncle and Qin Feng?" I asked.

"Don’t worry, I’ll have someone take over for them soon. We’ve got plenty of people; we’ll take turns watching over the old master."

Hearing this, I felt relieved; with my nerves relaxing, my body could hardly hold out any longer. After Fatty and I finished the burgers, we each collapsed onto a bed. The moment I touched it, I felt as if the flesh on my bones was about to melt away in comfort. The events of these days flashed through my mind like film edits; it all felt dreamlike, as if it had happened to someone else.

When I awoke, it was already morning. Fatty was gone, but he’d left a note on the table.

"Taking the goods, afraid of the cops, can’t stay long. I’ll wait for you in Beijing to discuss serious matters." Below was his phone number, with a sketch of a chubby face beside it.

Like some secret society, I couldn’t help but laugh. After a few sips of water, I decided to finally take out the letter. As I opened the envelope, all the doubts that had briefly disappeared in sleep surged back into my mind. Peanut, Father, Tan Wei, the Blue Blood Dragon Pattern, the Four Directions Map, even myself—everyone and everything seemed shrouded in mist. Just recalling it all made my head ache as if it would split.

Taking a deep breath, I focused on the photograph and the letter. The photo was unreadable, so I held the letter in both hands, leaned against the headboard, and read slowly under the lamp.

The first line of the letter read: "A Xi, it’s me. Seeing this letter, you must be very surprised. Yes, I’m still alive... but now, I’m as good as dead. Don’t try to find me; we’ll meet again on the road to the afterlife."

Seeing this, I lit a cigarette, wondering if the "A Xi" in the letter was one of those who sealed the tomb with an iron door all those years ago.

The letter continued: "Actually, I thought about hiding for the rest of my life, but after running around for years, I finally realized we can’t escape. No matter where I hide, I can sense them. There’s nowhere safe for us in this world anymore; I’m sure you’ve sensed this as well.

So our original idea was right—there’s no point running from them. We have to fight head-on.

A Xi, if you haven’t lost hope yet, then I must tell you three things, which is why I’m writing this letter. Really, I should have told you such important matters face-to-face, but I have my difficulties, so I’m forced to use this risky method.

Remember, our plan was sound, but it’s impossible now. Among the four artifacts that seal the Four Directions Map, one is hidden in the tomb on Kala Mountain. You and I both know—that place is not for humans. So, we can never assemble the complete Four Directions Map.

As for how I learned this secret, you don’t need to worry. In any case, that plan won’t work anymore.

The second matter concerns the Yelang legend..."

At this, I sat up straight. "Yelang legend? Is this the one Peanut told me about?" Thinking of Peanut’s story about the Yelang King, I felt a strange sensation. Was the boy Father dragged out of the jade coffin really the Yelang King? Had he truly... slept there for two thousand years?

I kept reading.

"To tell you, you might think I’m crazy. Hmph, even I often wonder about that. But whether I’m mad or not, I have to tell you what I’ve seen... I found that ship..."

Ship? I was startled, immediately recalling the legend—the mysterious vessel that carried the Yelang King and his people to the Central Plains. But that was just a legend. Now someone claimed to have found it—how was that possible? Even if the ship had existed, more than two thousand years had passed. How could the writer be so sure? My doubts grew, and I hurriedly read on.