Chapter 005: The Eerie Corpse

The reason can be found gradually. Cao Shi said, enunciating each word: "I am not yet old; I have plenty of time."

"Enduring some hardship now is to ensure our survival in the future." The old man continued, "I have made up my mind; in the future, you and Wei Mian must be involved in business matters. I don't want to be in a situation where I can't rest in peace when my time comes. The current business we need to undertake has already been assigned to Cao Shi. You and Wei Mian should go visit him and have him explain everything in detail to you."

After two days and nights of turmoil, my nervous system has been forced into an abnormal state of excitement. Although my body is utterly exhausted, I simply cannot sleep, as my mind is consumed with this strange matter.

"Eighth Master." Cao Shi finally raised his head: "This matter was not handled properly by me"

This is a significant matter, Cao Shi said in a lowered voice, it is still related to the Western Xia

The old man sat beside the corpse for at least ten minutes without saying a word, and Cao Shi and I stood by, not daring to move. I had thought the old man would be so angry that he would poke a hole in the house, but his demeanor left me feeling quite uncertain. Cao Shi kept his head down, so I had no choice but to gently lean closer and say, "Old man, you ... ... "

All the flashlights were集中用于照明, and soon we discovered two very faint dark red characters in the position where the body had just been lying face down

"We will discuss this when we arrive at the destination." Cao Shi glanced at me and Wei Mian, saying, "This transaction should pose no significant risk; however, the area of Ma Zhan is desolate and sparsely populated, with poor living conditions. Therefore, Master Ba wishes for you and Young Master Mian to gain some experience."

"Pah!" The old man glared at me and said: "In the Wei family, there are only you and Wei Mian, both of you are useless. Once I die, who do you think you can compete against?"

Old Cao, the old man sent me to take orders. Please tell me what the specific matter is

This may seem like an inconspicuous detail, but its significance is entirely different for us. Cao Shi pried open the stiff thigh of the corpse and pointed out a triangular black birthmark on it, which intensified the chill I felt, as if I had entered an ice cellar despite the blazing sun.

This matter has left me with an inexplicable and profound psychological shadow, especially when I entered the basement again; I felt as if the blood in my body had almost frozen.

Cao Shi's mood was very low; he kept smoking silently, seemingly contemplating whether or not to answer my question. After a while, he raised his head to look at me and said, "The matter is a bit complicated."

"Call a car, bring some ice, and take the body back." Cao Shi extinguished his cigarette, stood up, and said while walking, "We need to take a closer look at the basement."

The Ninefold Gates of the Wei Family, the elder of the Eight. However, no matter how illustrious a person may be, they cannot withstand the test of time. As I looked at the old man, I felt an overwhelming urge to shed tears

I always thought that everything had come to a conclusion here, but quite the opposite; the Fatai Temple and Yuanshan were merely the overture to the *illustration* book, and what followed completely engulfed me in a profound darkness

... ...

My stomach churned, and without wasting any words with Wei Mian, I grabbed his ear and dragged him along, taking him straight to Cao Shi. Wei Mian's eyes were red, and he touched his ear, wanting to cry. It was only when he saw Cao Shi come out that he managed to hold back, lowering his head to call out, "Uncle Shi." I was very familiar with Cao Shi, so there was no need for pleasantries; we sat down and began discussing serious matters.

Just now, when I was in the basement, the lighting was not very good, and I did not want to stare too closely at the corpse, so I overlooked the facial features of the body. But now, after examining the front teeth and the birthmark, and taking a closer look at the shape of the face, it is simply the spitting image of Cao Shuang decades later

"You are being unreasonable." I complained to Cao Shi while looking at the map, "The old man asked me to accompany you on this task; at the very least, you should let me know what it is about. I don't want to arrive at the location all confused, standing there with a blank expression, not understanding anything. What do you think, Mei Ya?"

Although I have never been to the former site of the Western Xia, the incident involving Cao at the Fatai Temple has left me with psychological shadows. To be honest, I was merely being mischievous, following the old man's people in their antics. If I were to seriously go to a place like Fatai Temple, I would feel immense pressure

Being a filial child is truly not easy

When the old man said this, it truly took me by surprise, as I have been preoccupied with play for so many years and rarely engaged in serious matters. He has not been very confident in me, often sending others to handle larger business dealings. However, the implication of his words now is clearly different from the past

Is it also related to the Western Xia?

But how can we explain the corpse's front teeth and birthmarks? I absolutely do not believe that such coincidences exist in this world

The old man did not respond to Cao Shi's words at all, and his entire body seemed to slump in the wheelchair as he muttered to himself: "Wei Ba! You are old!"

"This time, absolutely no mistakes can occur, absolutely not." Cao Shi had already messed up two major tasks in a row. Although the old man did not blame him, it still made him feel quite embarrassed: "If I can't get it done this time, I really won't have the face to return to Jiangbei. This time, several tough guys under Master Ba will accompany us. We will first go to Alashan Left Banner, where someone has prepared some supplies in advance, and then we will head northwest for about 220 kilometers to find Mazhan."

Uncle Tian, you are making fun of others again

After sending off the blood samples, Cao and I ordered a few dishes and drinks at a nearby restaurant. Neither of us was in the mood, and the drinking felt quite meaningless.

Dad, what is the big deal

I have been asking myself: Is this possible? Is this possible?

"I am old now." The old man gently tapped his cane on the ground and said, "If I were ten or twenty years younger, how could the Wei family bully me like this!"

It can now be said to Master Ba

If he is not, then where is the real Cao Shuang www.hetushucom.com

Push me back

The reason why Cao Shi and I are so concerned about the black birthmarks on the front teeth and the inner thighs of the corpse is that Cao Shuang also possesses these characteristics

"Father, it cannot be said this way; I have been making efforts all along..."

The old man refused to say a word all night and would not eat anything. For over twenty years, it was the first time I personally served him a meal. My lips were nearly chapped before he reluctantly drank a bowl of porridge. By the time I finished washing his feet, it was already midnight, and I was so exhausted that I felt like I was about to cough up blood

The deceased must have been quite old, yet their teeth were remarkably strong. What Cao Shi showed me was a front tooth from the corpse

I do not know whether this is a fact or a psychological illusion of my own. The others were stunned, with a few standing motionless by the pit as if in a trance. Cao Shi climbed out of the pit, brushed off the dust from his hands, and took out a cigarette to light and smoke quietly

I hurriedly followed behind Cao Shi, who slowed his pace and turned to me, saying: "Do you believe in such things?"

Old Cao, I have heard that some ancient cities of the Western Xia that still exist have been severely damaged, and even their royal tombs have little to offer. Why does the old man always send people to the Western Xia?

It can be said that several of Cao Shuang's most notable characteristics are evident in the corpse found in the basement, and I cannot clearly determine whether I believe that this person, aged to the extreme, is indeed Cao Shuang

The old man slowly turned his head to glance at me, and his expression completely changed

The old man had been quietly staying at home for several months. In early May of the following year, he suddenly developed the idea of going out for a bit of fun. As a dutiful son, I was originally supposed to accompany him, but he did not allow me to go. He privately told me that he was getting older, lacking in energy, and that he needed to gradually hand over business matters to me. Therefore, in these two years, I must spend more time honing my skills with Cao Shi.

Wei Mian nodded foolishly beside him, and Cao Shi revealed a hint of a smile, saying: "Let me tell you a little something; we are going to Mazhan to find something."

"Eighth Master only instructed me to handle the matter, and did not say much else." Cao Shi and I were smoking and talking, while Wei Mian was rubbing his ears and listening nearby. I teased him, saying: "Mian girl, Uncle Ba just instructed you to listen carefully, but you are sitting so far away, can you hear anything?"

"You can just die there for all I care." I chuckled and turned to Cao Shi, saying, "Let him sit there; my breakfast is almost ready. Lao Cao, please continue."

I quickly steadied my mind and pushed the wheelchair back to the study. As I passed by Cao Shi, the old man gestured for me to stop. He patted Cao Shi's arm and said, "Take the money for the pen and send it to the Gemini family. Then go to Phoenix Mountain to buy the best burial plot and bury the person, regardless of whether he is a Gemini or not"

I relayed the old man's words to him, and Wei Mian widened his eyes, delicately fiddling with the hem of his clothes, and gently stamped his foot: "Uncle Tian, how could Uncle Tu Shu Ba let me go? How could anyone possibly do such a thing!"

At this point, I knew I could no longer ask anything, so I had no choice but to wait silently for the bus with Cao Shi. After the vehicle arrived, Cao Shi and I took the body back to Jiangbei, while the others continued searching in Yuanshan.

I feel quite anxious, not so much because I fear being scolded upon returning, but rather because I worry that the old man might become extremely angry. After all, he is of advanced age, and if something unexpected were to happen in a fit of rage, I would feel even worse. Cao Shi discussed with me the idea of first getting a blood test, and only after confirming the results would we inform the old man.

I nodded, and Cao Shi continued, "If the body is taken back for a blood test and it is type AB, then... it can only be considered as a twin."

Cao Shi shook his head: "To be honest, this time Ba Ye's actions are quite unusual. Those people seem to have a good understanding of Ba Ye's background. Not only do they know that he just sent someone to Fatai Temple, but they also know that he has three Western Xia bronze plaques in his possession. The conditions they proposed at that time were that we could not inquire about their origins, and it would be a one-for-three exchange."

It is best not to inquire further about this matter. Cao Shi may not want to continue the discussion with me, so he changed the subject, saying: "No one could have anticipated such a situation at the stone factory. Regardless of whether the body is that of a twin or not, the bronze artifacts and rubbings have not been found, which cannot be explained to Eighth Master."

I thought he would speak the truth, so I quickly leaned closer to him, eagerly awaiting his answer

The entire basement is constructed rather crudely, with the floor made of earthen bricks. There is no adhesive between the bricks, and with just a little effort, one can easily pry out a piece. These two small characters happen to be inscribed on one of the bricks. Cao Shi pried out the brick, preparing to take it away with him

I understood the meaning behind Cao's words; he was advising me not to inquire too much into matters I should not know. However, I felt a lingering sense of dissatisfaction and, out of spite, began to pick up stones and throw them around. Cao stood up, patted my shoulder, and said, "It's not that I am unwilling to tell you; it's just that I don't know much either. You should have inquired enough about the incident at Fatai Temple. As for the Western Xia bronze plaque, the Eighth Master only instructed that it must be brought back, but he did not specify what it would be used for."

The old man did not directly answer my question. He gently stroked his thinning hair on top of his head, picked up his teacup, and said: "This bowl of rice is becoming less and less palatable. Those in this line of work are all unclean, but no matter what, the old fellows in the past still adhered to some rules. And now? You little rascal witnessed what happened last year with your own eyes. I am getting worse by the day. If one day I kick the bucket, can you uphold the family business of the Wei family?"

However, Old Cao, if we consider him as a twin, it still doesn't quite make sense; he is clearly an old man

It is particularly important that the tip of the right index finger of the corpse is damaged, and the writing on the brick must be related to him. When a person is about to die, leaving behind such two characters, is it a hint? Or a warning? And * picture * book

However, this is just my feeling. Cao Shi sighed slightly: "You know, Master Ba has always trusted me. In the past, whenever he assigned tasks, he would always explain everything clearly. But this time, he hasn't said anything. If Master Ba doesn't want to talk about something, we won't be able to guess it. Young Master Tian, those of us in this line of work should understand that knowing too much is not a good thing"

These questions are too complex; not only I, but even the old man would not be able to fathom them. Therefore, I rationally suppressed my curiosity.

After the incident at the Fatai Temple and the transaction, the old man clearly changed; his spirit noticeably waned. He stayed cooped up in the house every day, refusing to go out, and when he spoke, he completely lost the strong aura of the jianghu he once had, resembling an ordinary retired man instead. I do not know if he has been secretly investigating the matter of the sullen-faced man and the corpse, but he has hardly attended to normal business, leaving me and Cao Shi overwhelmed with work.

The old man mentioned that Wei Mian is the grandson of his seventh brother. The Wei family has nine brothers, seven of whom passed away early. Aside from the old man, only the seventh brother lived a relatively long life, leaving behind a single son and Wei Mian, the only grandson. However, by this time, both Wei Mian's grandfather and father had also passed away, making him the only one with a blood relation to the old man. To be honest, I never liked playing with Wei Mian since childhood. This boy is as shy and delicate as a young girl, spending every day locked in his room admiring himself in the mirror. Occasionally, when he steps outside, the fragrance on him can waft for two miles. I have always jokingly referred to him as Mian Yatou.

Because I had received a prior tip from Cao Shi, I was able to see quite clearly that the left incisor of the corpse was missing half.

What will you do after arriving at Mazhan?

However, the wish to visit Guilin has not been realized. On the third day after the old man returned, he called me over, casually inquiring about business matters and my reflections during this period. Suddenly, he changed the subject, and the expression on his face became mysterious: "Little rascal, we have a big task to undertake."

From childhood to adulthood, the old man's gaze in my mind has always been strong and confident, subtly carrying a daunting aura. However, at this moment, what his eyes reveal is a desolate sorrow akin to the setting sun.

Who are the people we are trading with

Old Cao, if the purpose of the transaction is merely to obtain rubbings, then it indicates that what they care about is only the rubbings, and the bronze tablet itself holds no real value, correct

If these two characters were indeed left by the deceased before their passing, then they hold some research value. However, it is impossible to derive any clues from these two simple characters in the short term; we can only discuss it further after returning.

These two characters seem to have been written with fingers dipped in blood. Although they are quite blurry, a careful examination reveals that they are the characters for "box".

Indeed, it is a rubbing. Master Ba has always been very steady in his actions. If it were in the past, he would have scolded this group of people back by now. However, he is quite attentive to the Western Xia bronze plaque from the Law and Library Temple, and without much thought, he agreed. Seeing Master Ba's prompt agreement, the other party said they would only bring five people to Yuanshan for the transaction with us. At that time, I thought Yuanshan was our territory, and since the other party had few people, there shouldn't be any mistakes. Master Ba is meticulous by nature, and in addition to the people I brought, he also sent over a dozen more to lie in ambush behind us. I felt that this arrangement was very secure, which is why I agreed to let you come along to take a look.

The blood test report was delivered directly to Cao Shi. Upon receiving it, he trembled slightly, handed it to me without saying a word, and indeed, it was astonishing; it turned out to be type AB!

front teeth, birthmark, blood type

box

The old man has probably been away for about twenty days. According to those accompanying him, he first went to Qingdao, then to Beidaihe, and finally stayed in Beijing for a few days. Unexpectedly, the results of this trip were quite good; after returning, the old man appeared much more energetic, and his diet, daily routine, and mannerisms gradually returned to normal. Since October of last year, I have been busy working with Cao Shi, feeling physically and mentally exhausted. Seeing the old man looking radiant, I envied him and told Cao Shi that even if it meant getting beaten up by the old man, I wanted to go to Guilin for a few days, to avoid the risk of an early demise from the daily grind of business.

Cao Shi showed me a map, specifically a map of the Western Xia. The place names marked on it were unfamiliar to me. He gently pointed to a red cross drawn on the map and said, "But rest assured, we are not going to Fatai Temple this time; we are going to a place called Mazhan. It is so small that it is not shown on any maps. This is a location confirmed by Eighth Master after personally checking the information."

During the idle time while waiting for the vehicle and the ice blocks, I pulled Cao aside to a secluded spot and asked, "Old Cao, can you tell me about those few bronze plaques?"

It is a reproduction of the original.

I really don't quite believe this... However, if this isn't a Gemini, isn't it a bit too coincidental

No, no, I slapped myself and felt that my thoughts were too absurd. Since the incident that night, it has been a total of several dozen hours; unless Cao Shuang has entered a time tunnel, it is impossible for him to have changed like this

After receiving the old man's instructions, I rushed to the backyard and forcibly dragged Wei Mian out of the room. She was still speaking in a coy tone, and the fragrance on her body nearly knocked me over.

This corpse can no longer be considered normal. Cao Shi's tone was somewhat sorrowful: "For someone of such an advanced age, unless they are a deity, it is impossible to have such a complete set of natural teeth."

I indeed think so. We were originally wandering back and forth in the mountains to find a person who was missing half a front tooth and had a black triangular birthmark on the inner thigh, and it just so happened that a body matching these characteristics appeared in the basement of the abandoned stone factory. Aside from the significant age difference between the two, there is no other evidence to prove that this body is not Cao Shuang