Chapter 40: The Fourth Concubine's Taboo

The screams were particularly terrifying in the utter silence of the wilderness. Yin Chuan, followed by Du Yunzhang, rushed to the scene. When they reached the river, they saw Linlang hiding far away, protecting the young Fifth Concubine. The Fourth Concubine was wading alone, her feet in the stream, and she was retreating towards the center of the river.

"Don't move! Don't touch my things! Don't move!" Her eyes widened, and her arms tightly grasped something, as if possessed by a ghost. Yin Chuan thought, if the insanity drug that Fan Zheng mentioned really existed, perhaps it wasn't Yuan Lao Er who was infected, but this fourth concubine who had accidentally eaten it.

"Linlang! What's going on?" Du Yunzhang asked nervously.

"I don't know either. Just now, the Fourth Concubine and I helped the Fifth Concubine here. I wanted to ask the Fourth Concubine if she had any dry cloth or cotton yarn with her. She covered her arms with her hands, and I thought she wanted to take something out of her sleeve, so I reached out to take it. I accidentally touched her body, and she suddenly became excited. She pushed the Fifth Concubine and me away, and then yelled and screamed. She scared the Fifth Concubine so much that she hid behind me. I was afraid that the Fourth Concubine would do something out of the ordinary, so I retreated far away."

Yin Chuan saw that the Fourth Concubine was about to retreat to the center of the river. Although the river was not wide or deep, the current was still very fast. Worried that she would accidentally fall and be swept away, he shouted to her, "Madam Qin, don't retreat any further! Watch your step!"

The fourth concubine was completely indifferent to Yin Chuan's words. She continued to slowly retreat towards the center of the river, her body swaying from time to time, which was really heartbreaking to watch.

"Xiao Si! What are you doing? Come up quickly!" At this time, Master Lan hurried over. When he saw the Fourth Concubine like this, his face turned pale with fright and he shouted tremblingly.

"Master, she wants to touch my things! You have to take charge for me!" The fourth concubine glared at Linlang fiercely, her eyes full of resentment. She didn't know how Linlang had offended her?

"Alright, alright, I'll protect you and won't let anyone bully you! Come up quickly!" Master Lan walked straight to the river and waved to the Fourth Concubine. Only then did the Fourth Concubine stop retreating and hesitantly walked slowly towards Master Lan on the shore.

After a long period of anxiety, the Fourth Concubine finally returned to shore from the river, and everyone finally breathed a sigh of relief. Linlang then helped to deal with the Fifth Concubine's affairs, and everyone returned to the carriage, and Tan Zhuozi continued to drive the carriage on the road. The Fourth Concubine, aside from letting Master Lan hold her, remained completely focused on her own arms, tightly holding them tightly, fearing that someone would snatch the things in her arms.

However, Yin Chuan observed every twist and turn along the way, pondering: These groups of people on this trip are so strange—Master Lan and his two powerless concubines, how could they possibly be grave robbers? Yet, he seemed determined to succeed, unfazed by the dangers of the treacherous journey. And that so-called "Director Fan," Fan Zheng, was a complete scoundrel, his one-armed subordinate and a short man more like a gang of habitual criminals. In contrast, Du Yunzhang's former lover, Di Feiyan Luo Mei, was relatively forthright in her behavior, making no secret of her identity as a tomb robber. However, regarding this uncertain journey, perhaps Luo Mei's outward appearance harboured a deeper agenda.

The carriage traveled for another two hours, and the sky was beginning to turn pale. Luo Mei, standing beside Tan Zhuozi, looked ahead. "We're almost there. This area is far from the water and surrounded by hills. Look! There are a few dilapidated houses over there. It should be not far from the location of the Shen family tomb marked on the map. The carriage stopped by the elm tree."

Tan Zhuozi looked back at Fan Zheng, who nodded, "Let's stop right there."

This old elm tree, thick as two or three people's arms, grew beside a dilapidated courtyard. After the carriage stopped, everyone filed down. Master Lan rubbed his waist and asked, "Is this it?"

"Yes, the Shen family tomb is nearby." Luo Mei replied.

"But I don't think there's a large tomb here." Du Yunzhang looked around. The town was filled with ruins and many abandoned beekeeping tools, as if it had once been a beekeeping village. He said with a look of doubt, "From what I know, Shen Wansan is from Huzhou, Zhejiang, which is a prosperous land of fish and rice in the south of the Yangtze River. Why would he build his tomb in such a remote place?"

"That's for sure. You've never done tomb robbing before, so you naturally don't understand the intricacies of it." Luo Mei answered confidently, "A well-known gentry and businessman like Shen Wansan must have many people with ulterior motives coveting his burial objects after his death. So he would never openly build a tomb in his ancestral home. Instead, he would secretly find a good feng shui location that no outsiders would expect, like here - no one would think that the Shen family tombs would be hidden in such an inconspicuous rural village. In addition, the years of war and the abandonment of farmland further conceal the true location of his tomb."

Yin Chuan then asked, "Then where did you get this treasure map? How did the person who drew this map know the exact location of the Shen family tomb?"

Luo Mei snorted, "You don't need to know this. You just need to know that the map in my hand cannot be fake. This mission will definitely not return empty-handed."

Yin Chuan didn't want to pursue her relentlessly, as the prospect of finding a hidden treasure wasn't his primary goal. Seeing how eager Mr. Lan and Fan Zheng were to get to the tomb, Yin Chuan decided to wait and see how they would react if they returned empty-handed. And what was the true purpose of the mastermind behind the plot?

"Second Brother, take everything you need. Shorty, go park the carriage in the deserted yard next door. We'll need it to load our gear when we get back!" Fan Zheng directed his two men, seemingly brimming with confidence. The two agreed and got to work. Second Brother Yuan bent down to remove two large bundles, a camera, a tripod, and other items from under the carriage, while Shorty Tan drove the carriage into the yard and tied the horses' reins securely to a tree.

"I say, are you guys going to go through with the show? Why are you pretending to be so serious and having to hold things like cameras?" Du Yunzhang asked in confusion.

"What do you mean by acting? We are a film company and we want to make a movie!" Fan Zheng said seriously.

"Come on, come on! You think we're all fools? From the beginning in the Cao Gang all the way here, who can't tell that you're not some film company making movies? You're clearly tomb robbers just like Di Feiyan! And you're a director? You're lying without blinking an eye!"

Facing Du Yunzhang's questioning, the so-called director remained stubborn, "I don't know what your intentions are when you say these things! We have work permits as proof, or you can go ask around in the Shanghai entertainment industry about our Yeducheng Film Company. Everyone knows us. Although I'm only a third-tier director, I've been working in the film industry for many years, and I won't tolerate your malicious comments!"

Yin Chuan found it funny. Director Fan was so shameless. Not long ago, he was talking about tomb robbing in front of Luo Mei and Master Lan without any scruples, but now he turned around and spoke in an official tone. He changed his expression faster than turning the pages of a book, and he had no sense of shame at all.

Seeing that Du Yunzhang was still about to make trouble, Yin Chuan came over, patted his shoulder, and whispered, "Old Du, since the other party has such an attitude, there is no need for you to be so blunt. Let's just follow them--" As he said that, he winked at Du Yunzhang and Linlang.