Chapter Seven: A Web of Doubts

"Where is she?" As soon as I heard the words "grandma," I instantly stood up, and all the eyes in the restaurant were suddenly focused on me. I sat down again and quietly asked Xue, "Where is she? I want to see her!"

Xue glanced at the white jade cigarette holder on the table as he spoke. Since the bill had already been settled, I put away the cigarette holder. The three of us then exited together, after which Xue headed in the opposite direction from us. The madman and I returned to his apartment, as the conversation we had started before leaving was not yet finished

My residence is neither far nor close to the madman's apartment; the route is somewhat winding. This accommodation was arranged for me by my fourth uncle, and it is also rented. However, I do not have to worry about the rent or anything related, as my fourth uncle is bearing the burden.

Xue nodded this time: "She looks quite old, but she is very spirited. Ming Lao said she is already over ninety, but I think she looks at most sixty."

Then the madman got up to settle the bill, leaving only Xue and me sitting face to face at the table. At this moment, Xue said: "The reason I asked you to find Wei Daliang City is actually your grandmother's intention. You may not know this, but Ming Lao and your grandmother are partners; you are not merely serving Ming Lao."

I asked: "How do you know this, and who else is aware of this matter?"

I tilted my head and asked him: "Have you experienced it too?"

He was not the least bit surprised by the disarray in the room; he simply said, "When one possesses important clues, one must always be prepared for such occurrences to happen."

Xue saw that I was silent, and he probably guessed what I was thinking. Therefore, he changed the subject. "You and Xiaofeng went down into the tomb together. As far as I know, you and Xiaofeng have a close cooperation, but after going down, you did not stay together. Why did you get separated down there?"

I looked around but could not find out exactly what was lost, so in the end, I had no choice but to give up. I sat weakly on the sofa, gazing at the disheveled room. I have no enemies in Luoyang, and judging from the items that were lost, it seems this person was also after the matter of the human-shaped jade.

Xue said: "I would like to know what you saw in the underground tomb at Beigou. Was it truly empty down there?"

Xue said: "Ming Lao might have guessed some things, but he wouldn't be this detailed. The reason I am able to guess is that I have seen it before"

Xue shook her head and said: "Nothing else was said."

However, when I unlocked the door with the key, what I saw was a room in complete disarray; almost all of my belongings were scattered on the floor, and the entire place looked as if it had been ransacked

My excited emotions suddenly calmed down as if I had been splashed with a bucket of cold water. I continued to ask Xue, "Did she say anything else to you?"

If it is not for money, then what is it for? I quickly scanned the entire room, which looked as if it had been hit by a tornado; almost every corner had been rummaged through. Clearly, this person was searching very carefully, but what was he looking for? Aside from money, there truly is nothing of value here.

From Xue's manner of speaking, I can infer that he is a person with strong opinions. Therefore, he would not hesitate over such a matter. Conversely, if he were truly indecisive about this issue, it would indicate that it is a significant matter, indeed an unimaginable one.

I am thinking about what my fourth uncle told me regarding my grandfather's diary, which mentioned my grandmother. Now, she is truly present in Luoyang, and I feel that I have many questions I want to ask her, yet it seems that there is really nothing to ask.

I glanced at him and calmly said, "I have already told you, there is nothing below; what do you think I could see?"

There are no signs of damage on the door, and the keys to my residence are only held by me and my fourth uncle. I do not believe that my fourth uncle would do such a thing while I was away

Just when I felt utterly at a loss, the door suddenly opened, and I saw Xue standing outside. He had already caught sight of the mess in the room through the crack of the open door. I was astonished at how he had arrived, yet he remained expressionless and said, "At that time, there was a madman present, and I couldn't be with you, so I followed you all here."

Xue, however, still had no expression. He said: "She claims to be your grandmother."

I said: "Can this really make you hesitate?"

Xue said: "I cannot say yet, I just want to ask you, have you encountered this corpse inside? When you went there, was the tomb still in a completely sealed state?"

I looked at these few hasty characters and suddenly felt an inexplicable chill slowly creeping up my spine, as if this were a curse lingering before my eyes

I will almost never forget this sentence, as it was the last thing my father said to me before he passed away. For so many years, I have been pondering the meaning of his words, yet I have remained completely at a loss. Now, this very sentence has been written by another person in my diary, drawing my attention once again to its extraordinary nature

The cabinet had clearly been rummaged through, with the drawers hanging askew. Moreover, the lock on the locked cabinet had been broken open and lay on the ground. From a distance, I could see a neatly stacked pile of money in the drawer. I counted it, and not a single cent was missing. This indicates that it was not a burglary; otherwise, such a large sum of money would not have remained intact in the drawer.

I did not understand why he asked this, so I countered, "Why not go see for yourself? After all, it is just an empty tomb below; going down will require no effort at all and will not pose any difficulty for you."

Xue shook his head and said, "I cannot go. Perhaps this time you can take me with you, but I want to know what the situation is inside. What exactly did you see in there?"

Since arriving in Luoyang, I have developed the habit of keeping a diary, and I have even added many memories from my childhood one by one. I glanced through it and noticed that most of what has been torn out are my childhood memories of my grandfather, such as his recollections of the jade figurine, the incident of him pretending to be dead, and the strange things he said after my father's death.

On the contrary, my later diaries remained intact. However, when I flipped to the last page, I saw someone else's handwriting. At the end of the last entry, in a very hasty script, there was a sentence written: "If you are to die at the third watch, who would dare to let you live until the fifth watch"

I cautiously stepped into the room, and the first place I approached was the cabinet inside the house, where some cash was kept. To me, it was not much, but to some people, it was already a significant amount of money

"Then you must know what she looks like, right?" I continued to press for answers

Finally, my gaze focused on the desk, where I saw a black diary carelessly left open, with clear signs of having been torn.

Xue placed the items on the table, and at first glance, I could tell that these belonged to my grandfather

I cannot conceal my shock; even if I try my utmost to hide my emotions, this shock still involuntarily reveals itself in my gaze, presenting a vivid truth to Xue.

However, halfway through, the madman received a phone call, seemingly from someone on Ming Lao's side. Therefore, the madman decided to meet Ming Lao, and I could not follow him, so I had to return to my own residence

Xue's words were like a whisper, clearly intended to avoid being overheard by the madman, which is why he chose this moment to speak. I remained silent, and when the madman returned from settling the bill, Xue was the first to rise: "I have something to attend to, so I will take my leave. Keep this; it may be useful one day."

Where is it

On the table lies a white jade smoking pipe with a missing mouthpiece. When I was young, I often saw my grandfather smoking with this pipe. After so many years, seeing it again, I almost instinctively looked up and asked, "Who gave this to you?"

However, Xue shrugged and said, "She said she doesn't want to see you for the time being, and she only asked me to give you this thing. I don't know where she is, and this is the first time I have met her."

He did not wait for me to respond and continued to say: "You have lied to everyone; it is not empty inside. You saw a suspended coffin, but the lid of the coffin has been opened. It is completely empty inside, yet you can deduce that there was once a corpse inside, and it is very likely that it was a corpse that had already risen."

However, Xue shook his head. Although what he said was quite arrogant, it sounded very ordinary coming from his mouth, devoid of any pretense or arrogance. He said, "No one dares to touch my belongings"

Xue said, "I am wondering whether to go with you to the North Gorge of Longtan Canyon."

It is impossible not to be shocked upon seeing my grandfather's belongings in Xue's hands. Perhaps my reaction was too intense, as even the dazed madman looked at me in surprise, seemingly having never witnessed me in such a state since the moment we met

Xue also looked at me, and I saw his lips moving as he slowly articulated: "Hanging coffin!"

I said: "You don't seem like the type to meddle in others' affairs; you must not have come here just to tell me this, right?"

I was left speechless, and thus I stopped talking. Xue said, "It has basically been decided that before we go to find Wei Daliang City, we need to visit the northern gorge of Longtan Canyon once more. Right now, the madman is probably discussing this matter with Old Ming."

I recalled the situation at that time; the task of digging the tunnel was always handled by Ning Huan. It seemed that he did not mention any unusual places. After we entered, we did not see any other traces inside. Therefore, if I were to express my opinion, it was certainly sealed and had not been opened before. Of course, I cannot guarantee this completely, as there are always people more skilled than oneself, and there are always greater mountains beyond the mountains. There are indeed those who can enter without leaving a trace.