There are 210 gold bars in total, which, if each weighs half a pound, would amount to 105 pounds!
Although there was little chance of anyone appearing in this mountain forest, the four of them remained cautious, dividing the 210 gold bars equally into four bamboo baskets, which were then stuffed with branches and wild grass as camouflage.
They hurried home with extreme caution, only breathing a sigh of relief after closing all the doors and windows and drawing the curtains.
Pushing aside the weeds, a patch of golden yellow shone brightly, much to the surprise of both Liu Jiangsu and Bai Yufeng.
They knew that Zhou Hongsong had accidentally found gold bars in Phoenix Ridge, but they never expected there to be so many!
Liu Jiangsu was the first to calm down, "An ancient tomb has been discovered?"
Phoenix Ridge has excellent feng shui, so it's quite possible that people in the past chose it as their burial site.
Moreover, the fact that so much gold could be found in the ground suggests that it was likely a burial item for ancient nobles or wealthy families.
Luo Yonggang shook his head, "It's just an ordinary cave, not an ancient tomb."
Liu Jiangsu clicked his tongue in amazement, "That's strange. Our Liangpo Village is located in a remote area, and we've never heard of any wealthy merchants or high-ranking officials coming from there!"
Li Xiangdong picked up a gold bar and examined it closely. He saw two lines of small characters engraved on it: "Tian Zu Chi" on the left and "Da Yi Liu" on the right.
He knew what "Tian Zu Chi" meant; it meant that the gold was 999 pure gold. But as for "Da Yi Liu," Li Xiangdong wasn't sure. Could it be a person's name?
He pointed it out to the others, but they couldn't figure it out either. Only Luo Yonggang asked, "Could it be Dayi County?"
Dayi County is hundreds of kilometers away from here. How could gold from Dayi County have fallen into a cave in Phoenix Ridge?
"Hey—I think I know what's going on."
Luo Hongkai sighed softly.
All eyes turned to them. "How did you know?"
"It's a long story."
Luo Hongkai's fingers trembled slightly as he took out the bag of bones from the cabinet and then pulled out one finger.
“A small section of this finger has been cut off. You see, it’s this broken stub.”
"Do you know this person?"
Zhou Hongsong pointed to the skeleton in his arms and asked in shock.
The others suddenly realized why the old man had insisted on carrying the bundle of remains ever since he saw it.
"Of course I know him."
There was an unconcealable sadness in Luo Hongkai's aged voice, "This is my eldest brother!"
"What?"
"Big brother!"
"How come I didn't know you had an older brother?!"
Seeing Luo Yonggang's shocked face, Luo Hongkai recounted what happened back then.
It turns out that Luo Hongkai lost both his parents when he was young, but he was raised by an older brother who was fifteen years older than him.
Luo Hongkai was lively and active since childhood and loved playing with weapons. Even when he went to the mountains to cut bamboo, he was restless and tried to throw knives like others. However, he didn't control his strength well and the knife flew directly towards his head.
His elder brother, seeing that he hadn't returned for a long time, came up the mountain to look for him and happened to see this scene. He quickly used his hand to block it.
As a result, Luo Hongkai's forehead was cut open, and his elder brother's finger was severed.
The two brothers lived their lives relying on each other.
Later, the country fell into chaos, with Japanese invasion, warlord conflicts, and widespread suffering.
But ordinary people still have to make a living. Brother Luo Hongkai learned the skill of blacksmithing, and the money he earned was enough for the two brothers to barely make ends meet.
Later, Liu Xiang, known as the "King of Western Sichuan," and Liu Wenhui, a powerful warlord, both came from the Liu family of Dayi County.
Liu Wenhui's elder brother, Liu Wencai, also became a notorious landlord in western Sichuan. Relying on his brother's power, he openly exploited the people, forcing them to grow poppies and sell opium. He seized over 100 acres of land through means such as occupying farmland, buying "flying fields," "heart-heart fields," and buying "official fields."
Liu Wencai not only allowed his subordinates to bully men and women at will, but he would also capture relatively strong young men to work as his long-term laborers.
Luo Hongkai's brother was arrested by the Liu family under these circumstances.
Later, Luo Hongkai's brother sent a message to his brother, saying that he was still alive and had been chosen as a guard in the outer courtyard because of his strength, and that his brother should not worry.
Along with the letter came two silver dollars. Luo Hongkai's brother instructed him to save the money for buying a house and land, and to start a family and career in the future.
Later, Luo Hongkai embarked on a completely different path from what his brother had hoped for.
In 1948, the New China Army advanced into western Sichuan, and Liu Wencai was forced to flee southwest with his wives, concubines and children. Naturally, he brought with him his countless possessions, including countless gold and silver treasures.
Luo Hongkai was in the troops that were pursuing Liu Wencai at the time.
However, he did not know at the time that his brother was also in the team escorting Liu Wencai's furniture.
Later, Liu Wencai died of illness amidst worry and fear. His wife and concubines, following his wishes, wanted to bury him in the tomb that had already been built in Jinjing Village, Ren'an County.
The open area in Jinjing Village is called "Three Ridges and Four Beams". The feng shui master said it was "A Lone Tiger Hanging a Seal". If you are buried here, your descendants will be powerful, wealthy and unparalleled.
After Liu Wencai was buried, everyone else was surrounded as well.
The strong men who were escorting the Liu family's belongings no longer cared about Liu Wencai's widows; they all grabbed their gold, silver, and valuables and scattered in all directions.
Luo Hongkai's old eyes were filled with tears.
"Later, I asked a farmhand who hadn't managed to escape about my brother. He said my brother had taken the gold and run back to his hometown."
“He said that I am strong and can bring back more gold so that I can buy houses and land in peace, find wives for myself and my brother, and carry on the Luo family line.”
Luo Hongkai gently stroked the skull that was already broken on top.
"I suppose my brother was afraid of being caught, which is why he went to Phoenix Ridge. But he was so close to going home, who knew he would fall into a cave like that?"
The room fell silent; no one had expected that there was such a legendary past inside.
Luo Hongkai was filled with emotion, and then knelt down before Zhou Hongsong with a thud.
When Luo Yonggang and Bai Yufeng saw their father kneel down, they quickly followed suit and knelt down as well.
Zhou Hongsong quickly got up to help Luo Hongkai up, saying repeatedly, "What are you doing! Get up, get up! This is shortening my lifespan!"
Luo Hongkai was very strong, and even though Zhou Hongsong tried his best, he couldn't lift Luo Hongkai up.
“Red Pine, I will kowtow to you three times today! Not for any other reason than that if it weren’t for you, my brother would still be lying dead in the mountains, unable to rest in peace.”
After he finished speaking solemnly, he led his son and daughter-in-law to kowtow three times.
Zhou Hongsong couldn't pull him away, so he had to stand aside.
After the ceremony of expressing their gratitude, Luo Yonggang and Bai Yufeng helped Luo Hongkai up.
Liu Jiangsu then spoke up, "Since our elder brother's remains have been discovered, it must be because his spirit is watching over us. We should choose an auspicious day to bury him in peace."
Luo Hongkai had been thinking the same thing and nodded in agreement.
With the identity of the remains revealed, the only remaining question is what to do with the pile of gold.
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