Chapter One: Intoxication

As soon as I stepped out the door, I ran into Little Tiger, who was coming to find me. He told me that Second Uncle was currently sleeping in the room next to mine, and that Qin Feng had been dragged by everyone into a hospital ward as well. Er Lengzi and a few other guys were keeping watch at the hospital, so Father should be safe. Little Tiger even stuffed a thick wad of cash into my hand, saying it was from Second Uncle—meant for me to spend a couple of days wandering around the area.

I smiled, greeted Little Tiger, and walked out of the hotel.

It was still a while before noon, and the weather outside wasn’t too hot. The sun shone over a row of buildings behind me, casting gray shadows onto the street, and I strolled along where sunlight and shadow mingled.

The new city was comfortable and pleasant, lacking the hustle and bustle of a big commercial district, yet full of fresh vitality. In Sichuan, apart from Chengdu and a handful of larger cities, it’s not easy to find such an open area suitable for building a new city.

There weren’t many people on the street. The shops on either side weren’t exactly booming with business, but the owners seemed to enjoy it, pulling out long benches to lounge in their doorways, savoring the rare coolness. After walking for a while, I almost felt as if I had wandered into a postmodern town from a novel or a film—everything was so simple. But I knew that such a livable place would soon attract many newcomers, and then Gulin would be no different from anywhere else.

A few years from now, if I see the name “Gulin” again, I might not even remember what this city looks like. The only thing that will remain in my memory will probably be that ancient tomb.

I’m not someone who likes to walk alone. Opportunities for leisurely strolls like this are rare for me. But after a bit, I realized being alone wasn’t so bad. At least, facing a city that has nothing to do with me, I didn’t need to question anything.

The exhaustion from the past few days’ travels was catching up with me. As noon approached, I felt a deep ache in my limbs, and by the time I reached a restaurant, I could barely straighten my back. Smiling wryly, I found a bench and sat down. I’d never pushed myself like this before, and it would probably take a while to recover. I thought to myself that once I got back, I should make a habit of exercising more often.

As I mused, the restaurant entrance suddenly became lively. Looking up, I saw a newlywed couple standing at the door. Relatives and friends gathered, congratulating them amid a shower of firecrackers and colorful confetti—it was a wedding.

The groom was rather handsome, and the bride, wrapped in a white wedding dress, was beautiful. Both looked a little shy, greeting guests at the door and fielding jokes. The bride blushed repeatedly, while the groom grinned like a fool. The atmosphere grew increasingly festive, and I was so entranced that I felt myself become one of the guests—laughing and joking with the newlyweds, applauding their union.

“Groom Huang, bride She, from today onward you will…” One guest, evidently very close to the couple, stepped forward and, mimicking a master of ceremonies, began to recite wedding vows in a humorous, animated way. Everyone was amused, myself included.

But after a while, my laughter faded. Suddenly I realized that the scene before me was exactly the life Father wanted for me. He wished for me to be an ordinary man, to become a regular groom in Beijing, to marry a regular woman, have an ordinary child, and finally die an unremarkable death.

Looking back on everything over the years, I’m almost certain this was Father’s plan for me. To get me out of the life of a tomb raider, he must have gone through untold troubles.

Father could never have wanted to harm me, nor could he have hurt Grandpa. I remembered the look of helplessness on his face that day when we left the restaurant in Beijing. Behind that expression, Father must have had his own unspeakable burdens. If it weren’t for the matter of the blue-blooded dragon pattern being exposed, I believe none of what happened afterward would have come to pass.

Having thought all this through, I was more convinced than ever that Fatty’s theory… was indeed possible.

Father wanted to guide me into that ancient tomb, and likely intended to use something special about me to enter the main chamber. But he didn’t want to harm or deceive me intentionally—he was forced by circumstances. At that time, he needed to enter the main chamber and retrieve something, but he also didn’t want to destroy the path he had laid out for me. So he could only keep lying to me, one lie after another, even knowing I might see through them, he had to continue.

Suddenly, I seemed to see Peanut standing before me, slowly shaking his head.

“Don’t ask any more. It won’t do you any good…”

With a bitter laugh, my urge to question Father as soon as he woke vanished. All that had happened recently made me doubt many things, but now I felt that at the very least, I should trust Father and my family. They might deceive me, but they would never harm me. That much was beyond question.

In that instant, the stone weighing on my heart was finally lifted. Even though I hadn’t found the answer to every question, some things would no longer trouble me.

With these thoughts, I hailed a taxi and headed to the hospital.

At the door to Father’s ward, I saw Er Lengzi talking to a doctor. As I walked over, the doctor had already left.

Seeing it was me, Er Lengzi broke into a smile. “You’re right on time, I was just about to call you.”

“What’s up?” I noticed how cheerful he seemed.

“The doctor said the old man’s out of danger and just woke up.”

“That fast?” I was so happy I wanted to rush in immediately.

But Er Lengzi stopped me. “Young master,” he said seriously, “even though the old man’s awake, don’t ask him too many questions.”

“Don’t worry.” I smiled at him and gently pushed open the door.

Inside, a nurse had just changed Father’s IV. Seeing us come in, she quietly slipped out.

Father lay on the bed with his eyes half-closed, and I couldn’t tell if he was awake or asleep. Compared to before, he seemed even thinner, but his complexion had improved a bit—at least his breathing was steady.

“Dad,” I called softly, unsure if he could hear me.

The moment the words left my mouth, Father smiled. “Yuanzi…”

Both Er Lengzi and I were delighted. Father was in far better shape than we’d hoped. In less than a day, he had recovered to this extent—it was nothing short of a miracle. No wonder the doctor kept praising his constitution.

Father beckoned me over, and I hurried to sit at his bedside.

“Dad, don’t talk, rest more. Once you’re better, we’ll go pay respects to Grandpa together,” I said with a smile.

Father’s smile widened, and though his lips barely parted, I could see the happiness in his eyes. After a long pause, he said, “Luzhou… Laojiao…”

Er Lengzi and I both laughed.

“Old man, even now you remember we’re in Luzhou, huh? Don’t worry, once you’re better, we’ll get you a couple bottles of vintage Luzhou Laojiao,” Er Lengzi said.

Except for when he was out in the field, Father could hardly go a meal without baijiu. Having come back from the brink, of course he’d be thinking about good liquor.

Then Father mentioned Qin Feng. Er Lengzi explained that Qin Feng was still sleeping—he’d been reluctant to get checked out, but after a scolding from Second Uncle, he finally gave in. The doctor had prescribed him some sleeping pills, and only then was he resting properly.

Father just smiled and said nothing more. Seeing his energy flag, I told Er Lengzi we should leave, and called the nurse back in.

That day, I took a taxi straight to Luzhou city, bought several bottles of the finest hundred-year-old Luzhou Laojiao, and hurried back. I’d planned to save the liquor for when Father was fully recovered, so he could really enjoy himself. But as luck would have it, just as I returned with the bottles, I ran into Second Uncle and the others coming back from the hospital.

Well, it was like handing salted fish to a cat. Second Uncle and his crew gave me a knowing smile, and my heart instantly sank.

“Yuanzi, you know you could have bought Luzhou Laojiao right here in Gulin? No need to go so far. Hey, the brothers have all been exhausted these past days. I was just about to take everyone out for a good meal. As for the wine, maybe we shouldn’t save it—when your dad’s better, we can always buy more,” Second Uncle said, reaching for the bottles.

Second Uncle had few hobbies in life, but when it came to liquor, it was his absolute favorite. Don’t be fooled by his steady demeanor—once he started drinking, he never stopped until he passed out. Anyone drinking with him would end up under the table, and if not, he’d insist on a contest. That’s why people called him “Tipsy.”

“Hey…” I dodged his hand. “This is genuine fifty-year vintage, only a few thousand bottles in the whole country. With your capacity, Second Uncle, if I hand it over, Dad will be left sighing over empty bottles.”

“Tsk, is that any way to talk to your uncle? Just save him one bottle, won’t you?” When the group heard it was fifty-year-old vintage, their eyes practically lit up.

Seeing them surround me, I thought, Dad, don’t blame me for being unfilial this time. Well, after all, I’d been holding back for days—might as well indulge myself and use Second Uncle as an excuse. The more I thought about it, the more I liked my plan.

In the end, as soon as I handed over the bottles, Little Tiger and another guy grabbed them. For the next few days, except for Qin Feng and Er Lengzi, the rest of us—including Second Uncle—were drunk every day. From morning till night, everything I saw seemed to sway.

On the morning of the fifth day, I was fast asleep when someone woke me. I thought it was Second Uncle coming to drag me out again, so I didn’t want to get up. But as I sat up groggily, I realized the person before me wasn’t Second Uncle. Looking again, it was the old man himself, grinning.

“Dad?” I rubbed my eyes.

Father laughed. “You rascal, you’ve drunk yourself silly—don’t even recognize your own father?”

“I… Wait, why are you out of the hospital all of a sudden?” I jumped out of bed.

“Hmph, if I hadn’t woken up, you and your uncle would’ve ended up in the hospital yourselves.” Father picked up an empty bottle from the table. “Damn it, you have good liquor but don’t even think of your old man. That’s just cold.”

I laughed awkwardly. “I was just getting rid of all the rotgut for you first, to protect your health.”

Father didn’t banter any further. “Sober up,” he said, handing me a cup of tea he’d just brewed.

Drinking the tea, I saw that Father’s complexion had almost fully returned. Though he was thinner than before, his eyes were sharp, and his posture was as straight as ever.