“Mother, you are not feeling well. Please rest more. I will go look for Muye and Jingwei again.”
Seeing Madam Qing’s worried expression, Qing Sihui comforted her, “No matter what, Muye has been through gunfire and is skilled, intelligent, and courageous. He will be fine.”
“Alas, I hope so.”
Madam Qing sighed wistfully and waved her hand, signaling Qing Sihui to leave.
Qing Sihui nodded and turned to leave the living room.
In the old house’s courtyard, he led a group of people searching around the vast estate. When they reached the bamboo forest in the backyard, Qing Sihui’s cold gaze fell upon the large rock that Meng Jingwei had interacted with. He then instructed everyone, “Search carefully. Look for any clues. Old Sun, take a few people to check the bamboo forest.”
“Yes, Seventh Master.”
The servant acknowledged the order, beckoned to his companions, and they entered the bamboo forest, circling it.
Even as the man named Old Sun walked over the spot where Meng Jingwei and Qing Muye had fallen, he detected nothing unusual.
As night deepened, those searching for Meng Jingwei and Qing Muye continued to scour the area.
Song Ci also contacted Han Yu, who was the captain of the criminal investigation team. As a criminal police officer, he was naturally more sensitive than ordinary people.
Furthermore, he was Qing Muye’s brother, so finding him was naturally a matter of great trust.
In the secret chamber.
Qing Muye and Meng Jingwei made markings as they searched for the correct path.
Meng Jingwei, tired from walking, said, “Let’s rest for a while. We won’t find the exit anytime soon, so there’s no rush.”
“Let’s rest in this room,” Qing Muye pointed to a room diagonally opposite. The wooden door had already rotted.
He kicked open the door and led Meng Jingwei inside.
Using a candle to light the wall lamps, the entire room was exceptionally bright under the illumination of two night lights.
“This must be a study. So many books on the shelves. Could it be ancient martial arts?” Meng Jingwei quipped as she walked to the bookshelf and ran her hand over the well-preserved wood, “Could it be made of nanmu? Otherwise, how could it still be intact after so many years?”
As they searched for an exit, they discovered many rooms.
There was a vast secret chamber hall, with several mythical beast statues and bronze statues arranged around it; there was also a bedroom; a secret room for making medicine; and so on.
As Meng Jingwei reached out to casually pick up a book to read, her gaze shifted slightly, and she spotted a purple sandalwood box under a thick layer of dust.
“What is this?”
She muttered as she opened the box.
But before her hand could touch the box, she withdrew it, “Qing Muye, come and see. The dust on this box is uneven, and there are even a few finger marks. The top layer is thin dust. Does this mean someone else knows about this place and has been here?”
Qing Muye walked to her side, his gaze falling on the purple sandalwood box. The box was intricately carved with dragon patterns.
The totem had dust with discernible fingerprints, but the fingerprints were covered with a thin layer of dust.
“Judging by the thickness and spacing of the fingers, it’s clearly a man.”
Qing Muye reached out and opened the sandalwood box. Inside, two handguns and over a dozen bullets were discovered.
Qing Muye and Meng Jingwei’s eyes flickered with suppressed emotion as they looked at each other, then simultaneously at the box.
The man picked up a handgun and examined it. “This is a 9.1mm caliber Magnum Eagle, commonly known as the ‘Desert Eagle’.”
He then picked up a bullet and studied it carefully. “Judging by its newness and the fingerprints on the box, this person should not have appeared more than two years ago.”
“If it’s in your family’s secret chamber, it must be someone from your family.”
Meng Jingwei didn’t understand these things and couldn’t analyze them, but judging by the thickness of the dust on the fingerprints, it was indeed not long ago since someone had been there.
“Further investigation is needed.”
Qing Muye couldn’t be certain that the person who entered the secret chamber was a member of the Qing family, but he was sure of one thing: when they fell from above, they must have triggered a mechanism to do so.
“Hey, I just remembered something.”
Meng Jingwei snatched the handgun from Qing Muye’s hand, held it, and tilted her head, asking, “We discovered this secret chamber together. Look at those bronze statues earlier; they are ancient. If we sell them, shouldn’t I get a share?”
Falling from above and surviving was enough to be considered incredibly lucky.
As the saying goes, “After a great disaster comes good fortune.”
Meng Jingwei was eager to get out quickly and sell those bronze statues for a good price, becoming a rich woman overnight.
“We can talk about that after you manage to get out alive.”
The man raised an eyebrow, a faint smile on his handsome face. He raised his right index finger and pushed the gun muzzle aside, “Be careful not to shoot yourself or others. If I die, you won’t be able to get out by yourself.”
“I…”
Meng Jingwei was momentarily speechless, unsure how to refute, but she had to admit that Qing Muye had a point.
If something happened to him, she would have a hard time getting out alone.
“Alright, alright, I’ll give you the gun. I’ll take a look at the books on the shelves and see what era they are from. Maybe I’ll find some classics like ‘Shan Hai Jing’ or rare editions of ‘Ben Cao Gang Mu’, or even ancient great artists’ cherished paintings. Then I’ll be rich.”
She fantasized about unearthing treasures, possessing a mountain of gold in the future, and thus joining the ranks of the wealthy, an undisguised smile on her face.
“If these good items can sell for billions, we can split it fifty-fifty. After taxes, there will still be a lot of money. I’ve already decided, when I have money, I’ll keep a few young lovers. Tsk tsk, a life of leisure, it would be worth this trip.”
Meng Jingwei brushed off the thick dust from the bookshelf, took out a book, and fantasized about her future happy life.
As soon as she finished speaking, Qing Muye pulled her into his arms, his hand around her waist. He looked down at the woman in his embrace and said in a deep voice, “What, I alone can’t satisfy you?”
“You…”
Meng Jingwei was about to scold Qing Muye for being crazy. Had she ever agreed to be with him?
A thought struck her, and she changed her tune, “The point isn’t whether I can be satisfied, but that I’m naturally fickle and just like handsome men. My lifelong dream is to get rich and have a harem. We are completely incompatible. As the saying goes, ‘Those who walk different paths cannot plan together’.”
Although the saying wasn’t perfectly used, it conveyed Meng Jingwei’s meaning.
Her words caused Qing Muye’s expression to darken considerably. He stared at her with sharp eyes for a long time, completely at a loss for how to retort.
“Are you sure your tiny body can handle all that?” He playfully pinched her waist as a form of punishment, venting his slight helplessness.
Meng Jingwei pushed Qing Muye away and took a step back, “Handsome men are a feast for the eyes and a pleasure to behold. Once I’m tired of them, I’ll kick them away without any loss. After all, I’m not a woman who sticks to one person. I won’t be devoted to loving one man.”