After a few rounds of drinks, we stayed at Sasha's house. Because of limited space, Song Laosan and I stayed in the woodshed.
Back in his room, Song Laosan covered himself with a quilt and lay down in the haystack: "I've already had Zhou Peng talk to Sasha. Tomorrow morning, he'll go to the village to help us find Wei Shengnan and her group. People rarely come to this village, so it shouldn't be too hard to find two cars that suddenly appeared."
I didn't answer Song Laosan, but changed the subject instead: "What are your thoughts on the story about Aleev?"
Song Laosan avoided the haystack and lit a cigarette: "Didn't Sasha say that this person is just a map-drawing spy? Do you have a different opinion?"
"Don't you think, based on Sasha's description, the three of them seem like they're tomb raiding?"
I broke off a blade of grass and put it in my mouth: "Sasha said he had seen Aleev and his group go into the mountains with digging tools before. This doesn't look like hunting at all. Moreover, the police's later investigation confirmed that the money they earned was not from hunting."
“I think you’re being too sensitive about this. I thought so at first too, but Sasha, as a veteran hunter, couldn’t find the bodies of Aleev’s companions, which suggests that this is more like a fabricated lie.”
Song Laosan scoffed, "Their behavior is indeed suspicious, but the police also couldn't find any evidence that they sold any cultural relics. Wasn't it said that Aleev and his group only sold gold? Besides, the farm cooperated with the police in a large-scale search and found nothing unusual. Aleev and his group aren't professional tomb raiders. If they really found an ancient tomb, they certainly wouldn't dig a tunnel like they do in China, but would excavate extensively. How could they not leave any traces?"
"What if they stumbled into the tomb by some coincidence?"
I stated my hypothesis: "The Jin Dynasty is over a thousand years old. The ancient tomb has never been maintained or repaired. Who can guarantee that it won't be damaged? What if they accidentally entered the tomb and obtained the burial goods?"
Song Laosan looked at me without saying a word.
“It was very common for gold to be used as burial goods during the Jin Dynasty. These farmers might not understand the value of cultural relics, but they certainly knew the value of gold! What if they took the gold out of the tomb, melted it down, and then sold it?”
My thoughts became clearer and clearer: "Also, Aleev said they were attacked by Mongol cavalry. I don't think it was really Mongol cavalry. Although the Jurchens' attire was different from that of the Mongols, the Russians might not have been able to tell the difference! Their so-called attack by Mongol cavalry was very likely just triggering a mechanism in the tomb."
Song Laosan also realized what was going on: "You mean, something like a corpse puppet?"
"It might not be a corpse puppet; it could be something like a puppet. There are records of puppets in ancient tomb mechanisms. The mechanisms would be designed in human form, and once triggered, they would attack along a fixed track. That's exactly what Aleev was talking about—those mechanisms could fit with mummies."
I wrapped myself tighter in the quilt and added, “And the most important point is that you remember what was exhibited at the City Development Memorial Hall, right? There was only a coffin bed, not a coffin, and the local authorities didn’t report the discovery of an ancient tomb. I suspect that the tomb had collapsed, and the farm workers accidentally discovered the artifacts and fragments of the coffin bed, mistakenly believing it to be the remains of a former building, which is why they handed it over.”
Old Song tried to reason further: "Aleev and his men also discovered the tomb, but not in the main burial chamber. They found the chamber where the burial goods were stored, but due to the collapse of the chamber, they only managed to collect some scattered burial goods and selected the gold ornaments to melt down. During this process, they also discovered the entrance to the collapsed tomb, so they took tools and prepared to dig deeper. They successfully entered the tomb, but accidentally triggered a mechanism, and Aleev was terrified!"
"correct!"
I gave Song Laosan a thumbs up and continued my reasoning: "After Wei Shengnan and the others captured Yevgeny, they didn't leave. Instead, they brought him to this farm, and they've probably already extracted the information we need from him."
"If that's the case, then the situation isn't too bad."
Song Laosan licked his lips: "Sasha said that this season is when wild beasts are most active. Even an experienced hunter like him doesn't dare to spend the night in a treehouse. Wei Shengnan and the others certainly don't have that kind of means. The fact that the town didn't report the discovery of the ancient tomb back then means that Yevgeny didn't know the exact location of the tomb either. We're still on the same starting line."
My cold hasn't gotten better yet, and on top of that, I've been drinking, and my head is throbbing like it's going to explode. I rubbed my temples and said, "That's exactly what I'm worried about right now. Although we've been competing with Wei Shengnan and the others, we've all been doing our own thing and haven't been communicating. Now that we've all gathered in one place, what should we do if we run into each other while looking for Duan Jinyan?"
Song Laosan's expression also froze: "Yes, all along we've only been focused on our own goals. We originally wanted to keep things from Wei Shengnan and the others and do our own things, but now it seems that everyone has about the same amount of information, and competition is inevitable. What are your thoughts on this?"
"Although Wei Shengnan and Qu Ruilin are both resistant to me, I can sense that when facing you and me, they are restrained because of their status as descendants of the Four Gates. They do not regard us as enemies, otherwise they would have already attacked you and me."
The more I thought about it, the more my head ached: "But our conflict is irreconcilable because we want completely opposite results, and only one side can succeed... If we really run into each other, I suggest we strike first."
"What about the standards?"
Old Song lit another cigarette: "Those two are both very tenacious people. They won't give up until they achieve their goal. Your so-called 'strike first' doesn't mean killing them, does it?"
"Of course not, my goal is just to find Duan Jinyan, not to kill or rob him..."
I fell silent halfway through my sentence.
The Qu and Wei families have far more power than me and Song Laosan. Although I said we should strike first, the chances of winning are actually very small when we actually meet them.
Even if they did have the intention to kill, they might not actually be able to harm them.
Old Song stubbed out his cigarette and lay down in the haystack: "Let's take it one step at a time. If we want to win without bloodshed, it would be best if we could find Hu Shahu's tomb before them. Of course, we also need to be prepared for the worst. If we really have to face them, then you'll have to make the decision."
I pulled the light cord to turn off the light and lay back down on the straw: "If that day ever comes, will you be on my side?"
In the dark room, Song Laosan did not answer my question.
Sensing his silence, I suddenly realized that my question was somewhat naive, like a child who's been fighting asking someone, "Are you on my side?"
Just as I was drifting off to sleep, Song Laosan suddenly spoke up: "I am your friend, but I am also a member of the Fourth Gate."
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