Wu Tingxiu’s second uncle, whom Wang Yang had mentioned before, was known as a ruthless man in Guangling. His full name was Wu Hao.
He had no sons, and his wife had died three times.
Some said he was naturally ill-fated for his wives, and any woman who married him did not live past five years.
Moreover, he was notoriously moody, showing no leniency not only to outsiders but even to his own family members.
Only when Wu Jinyuan was alive could he be controlled. Now that Wu Jinyuan was dead, he had become even more unrestrained.
Wu Tingxiu’s attitude towards him clearly indicated that Wu Hao was no easy adversary.
“Second Uncle, what exactly do you want?”
Wu Tingxiu asked calmly, her expression steady.
Wu Hao chuckled, “I’m just concerned about my eldest niece. If anything were to happen to you, how would I explain it to your grandfather?”
“Then I thank you for your concern, Second Uncle,” Wu Tingxiu replied. “Now that you see I am safe and sound, are you reassured?”
Wu Hao said, “You’re a young girl, why don’t you stay in Guangling properly? Why do you keep running off to these deep mountains and old forests? Besides, you’re not getting any younger. It’s time you found someone to marry, to put your father and grandfather’s minds at ease.”
“I appreciate your concern, Second Uncle.”
“We’re family, so it’s only right that I worry. You’re my only niece, if I don’t worry about you, who else will I worry about?”
Though their words seemed like casual family chatter, their expressions and tones revealed a sharp, underlying tension.
“From now on, you don’t need to worry about matters concerning the old man,” Wu Hao stated. “As his son, it is my duty to fulfill his wishes. You should just return to Guangling and stay put.”
Wu Tingxiu’s brows furrowed.
At this moment, one of Wu Hao’s subordinates stepped forward, took Wu Tingxiu’s backpack, and directly removed the casket we had brought out from the ancient tomb.
Wu Hao looked at the casket, a smile appearing on his lips.
I suddenly recalled Wu Tingxiu telling me before that her second uncle was fighting with her to seize her assets.
However, looking at it now, it seemed to be something else entirely.
If Wu Hao were truly after Wu Tingxiu’s assets, he wouldn’t have traveled this far himself, nor would he have taken away the casket we painstakingly retrieved right in front of Wu Tingxiu.
There was definitely something hidden here, but Wu Tingxiu hadn’t told me about it.
“Eldest niece, Second Uncle has other matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving. Remember to come home for a meal when you return to Guangling.”
After speaking, Wu Hao slowly made his way to a palanquin not far away, leaning on his cane.
Once he was seated in the palanquin, two people lifted it from the front and back, and the group departed.
Seeing this, Bai Hanyan quickly ran over and untied our ropes.
Wu Tingxiu stood there motionless. I wanted to say a few words to her, but upon seeing her expression, I swallowed what I intended to say.
Her eyes were filled with rage, and the muscles in her face were trembling.
I retreated and moved closer to Wang Yang, saying, “It seems our efforts were in vain this time.”
Wang Yang replied, “That’s what they call ‘the old ginger is spicier,’ or ‘the mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind’… But I don’t think Wu Tingxiu will let this matter rest so easily.”
As he spoke, the corners of his mouth curved upwards. “There will likely be good drama to watch when we get back.”
It was disheartening to have what we had finally retrieved from the ancient tomb snatched away like this.
Even I felt a pang of dissatisfaction.
However, I did figure something out. When we were climbing the mountain earlier, I had felt as if someone was following us. Now, it was highly likely that it was Wu Hao’s men.
We didn’t stop in the village and drove straight to the county town.
We finally checked into a guesthouse around midnight.
Upon reaching the room, I was so exhausted that I fell asleep the moment I hit the bed.
I slept so deeply that it felt like the world had ended, though I had many strange and bizarre dreams.
In my dreams, centipedes, rats, and all sorts of creatures appeared in swarms.
I even dreamed that Wang Yang and I were roasting centipedes to eat.
When I woke up, I almost threw up.
After resting for a day in the county town, I discovered that I was covered in bruises.
Wang Yang somehow obtained some Yuncheng Baiyao powder, and we applied it to each other’s bodies, which provided some relief.
In the evening, Wu Tingxiu took us to a sauerkraut hot pot restaurant for a sour meal.
During the meal, her demeanor was normal, as if her anger had subsided.
After dinner, she called me to her room.
I noticed that Wu Tingxiu was like two different people, whether she was going into the tomb or not.
When she was in the tomb, she was like a female knight-errant, but when she wasn’t, she transformed into a young lady.
On the counter by the washbasin, there were stacks of cosmetics, none of which I could name; they were all in English.
Her attire had also changed from work clothes to casual wear, making her look like a typical urban woman.
She gestured for me to sit, then handed me a bottle of soda. After taking a sip, I asked her if there was anything she needed my help with.
She glanced at me and asked, “What do you think is inside that casket?”
I gave a wry smile, “How would I know that?”
“Have you seen similar caskets before?”
I shook my head, “Caskets like this are indeed rare, but I think opening this one won’t be a quick task.”
“Oh?”
I guessed, “Think about it, we almost fell into a trap in the tomb chamber. Wouldn’t that Jue have set up more mechanisms on the casket? Besides, very few people can open ancient locks nowadays…”
Wu Tingxiu nodded, “Indeed, that kind of Qimen Shuanghe lock is difficult for ordinary people to open.”
I was taken aback, “What lock?”
“Qimen Shuanghe lock…” Wu Tingxiu said, “The information my grandfather left me described this casket. This casket is called the Five Elements Double Dragon Casket.”
This was the first time I had heard the name, and it sounded impressive yet incomprehensible to me.
“So what are your plans now?” I asked.
Wu Tingxiu replied, “As you just said, this casket cannot be opened in a short time. It doesn’t matter even if my second uncle took it away…”
“It doesn’t matter?” I was puzzled.
Wu Tingxiu took a deep breath and looked at me, “Xiang Fei, can you do me another favor?”
My heart skipped a beat. Was this woman going to ask me to go into another tomb with her?
After this experience, I had completely lost any interest in entering tombs.
Mainly, this wasn’t my line of work.
Seeing my silence, Wu Tingxiu continued, “As long as you help me, I can agree to any condition.”
I was startled and instinctively glanced at her chest…
It was truly an involuntary glance! I swear, I wasn’t thinking anything more of it.
But she seemed to have misunderstood, a blush creeping onto her cheeks, “Choose another condition…”