Professor Zhang called me into his tent when I noticed his expression was quite somber, and he was holding a photograph.
I glanced at it and saw a photo of him and Ma Xuejin together.
"Xiao Ma started working with me after graduating from university... I still remember the scene when he first came to find me. Over the past few years, we've excavated many ancient tombs together, and a considerable number of cultural relics have been unearthed, contributing in a small way to archaeology..."
As Professor Zhang said this, he carefully tucked the photograph into a notebook beside him.
Then he turned to me and said, "Xiao Xiang, tell me the specifics... are you sure the pair of feet you saw were Xiao Ma's?"
It seemed Professor Zhang was still having trouble accepting what happened to Ma Xuejin. I didn't want to upset him further, so I replied, "The light was too dim around there, and I couldn't see very clearly. However, based on the current situation, there are still two people trapped below, one is Teacher Ma, and the other is Miss Guan... so I plan to go down again tomorrow. This time, I must find them, no matter what."
Professor Zhang shook his head. "No, you cannot go down again. It's too dangerous down there, and you aren't professionals. It's easy to get into trouble if you go. I'm going to notify the rescue team and wait for them to arrive before we do anything."
"Professor Zhang, what do you think the chances are of survival for the people down there if we wait for the rescue team? We are at Shiziling. It takes a full day to get here from Mohe. And there isn't a professional rescue team in Mohe; they'd have to dispatch people from Harbin."
I paused here. "Let alone whether the process can be carried out smoothly, how long will it take for the rescue team to arrive? Three days? Five days? Or half a month?"
Hearing my words, Professor Zhang fell silent, looking troubled.
"As the saying goes, desperate times call for desperate measures," I sighed. "If I hadn't carried you down quietly before, do you think Teacher Wang would be able to come up now?"
I knew that people like Professor Zhang often followed procedures.
By bringing up Wang Yue, I wanted him to understand one thing: if it weren't for me, Wang Yue would not have been able to get out.
He pondered for a good while, as if he had figured something out. He looked at me and said, "Alright, then saving lives is the priority. I will go down with you."
"You're going too?" I was taken aback.
He nodded. "You definitely don't understand the construction and mechanisms of the underground palace as well as I do."
Hearing him say this, I felt hesitant.
Professor Zhang was old, and him going down would only be a burden.
But then again, what he said was not wrong.
No one understood the structure and mechanisms of the underground palace better than him.
After all, he was an expert.
In the end, I could only agree.
I told him we needed to make preparations before going down and that he should get some rest.
Around 8 PM, Song Bing and the others arrived at the Taoist temple.
At that time, I was still in the room drawing a map, planning to sketch out the route below so it would be convenient to find people later.
As I was drawing the map, I heard a commotion. Fatty rushed in frantically, telling me to come out and see.
I asked him what was wrong.
He said, "You'll know when you go see!"
I found it strange. I put down my pen and followed Fatty out.
When I arrived at the main hall of the Taoist temple, I saw Bai Hanyan and another woman making eye contact. From their expressions, it seemed they were at odds with each other.
Since the woman was facing away from me, I couldn't see her face clearly.
But as I walked closer, I saw her profile and was instantly stunned.
Zheng Shuxuan?!
"Xiang Fei! Look who this is!" Bai Hanyan called out to me, her expression displeased.
Zheng Shuxuan turned her head to look at me and grinned, "Xiao Fei, we meet again."
Seeing her address me so familiarly, Bai Hanyan was initially stunned, then a cold glint flashed across my face.
For a moment, I didn't know how to explain to Bai Hanyan. I greeted Zheng Shuxuan with a smile, "Miss Zheng, why are you here?"
She didn't answer the question but said, "Why don't we find a quiet place to talk?"
Just as I was about to nod, Bai Hanyan pinched me.
I whispered, "I'll explain to you later..."
With that, I took Zheng Shuxuan to the room where I was staying.
After the two of us entered the room, no one else followed, but Bai Hanyan tried to rush in.
"What are you doing?" I asked.
"What am I doing? This woman back then..."
Before she could finish, I said, "It's not what you think. I'll explain to you later. Listen to me for now and wait outside for a moment."
Bai Hanyan was a bit unwilling, but after a pause, she did as I asked.
Closing the door, Zheng Shuxuan was already sitting on the wooden bed, surveying the surroundings. Seeing the books piled on the table, she asked, "How long have you been here?"
"Not too long, about half a month," I replied.
"Did you bring all those books?"
"No, they belong to a Taoist priest who used to live here."
She nodded and clasped her hands on her knees.
Seeing this, I got straight to the point and asked, "Why did you come all the way here?"
"I came to look for something."
"What is it?"
"You should know my situation... there's an antique that can help me recover my memory. And that antique is within the Guandong Army treasure," she said slowly.
"What is it?" I asked.
She smiled and didn't answer the question but said, "Xiao Fei, I think we can cooperate very well."
Faced with her words, I knew I couldn't refuse.
Even though she was no longer the "Sister Ying" of the past, I hadn't forgotten what happened then.
Moreover, she had mentioned cooperation.
Since it was a collaboration, why not?
I took a breath and said, "So, you're going down with me as well?"
She nodded. "I've already understood the general situation. Since I came here, I naturally want to go down and take a look. Don't worry, I definitely won't cause you any trouble."
"Going down is fine, but I can't guarantee we'll find the Guandong Army treasure."
As I spoke, I roughly explained the current situation to her. After listening, she said, "It seems you've found a Buddhist grotto."
"Buddhist grotto?"
"This was a holy site built by Buddhists in earlier years. Many of these places are in karst caves, like the famous Mogao Caves."
I nodded, suddenly realizing that the Zheng Shuxuan in front of me was somehow different from before.
There was an indescribable aura about her now, something more than before.
Could it be that she had recovered some of her memories?
Thinking of this, a thought suddenly popped into my mind: Had she remembered everything that happened in Guangling?