Huang Qiurong's sudden change in attitude before his death left me completely bewildered.
Looking at the frozen expression of anger on his face, I racked my brains but still couldn't understand why someone who was subconsciously protecting Duan Jinyan until his death would change so drastically after hearing that I was his son.
Monkey, unable to contain his curiosity, asked me, "Young Master Duan, why does Huang Qiurong get so angry whenever we mention your father has a son? Could it be that he has a problem with his orientation, and your father deceived his feelings to get him to join the gang?"
"Don't talk nonsense! Have you forgotten that his last words were for us to find the innkeeper's wife, and that he had an ex-wife?" I glared at Monkey and asked Song Laosan, "Third Master, you said before that Huang Qiurong was a member of the Chengdu Begonia Flower. What is this Begonia Flower? Is it a nickname similar to 'Mountain-Climbing Mirror' or 'Earth-Entering Eye'?"
"No, 'Crabapple Blossom' is the common name for the Crabapple Society, which is kind of an organization."
Knowing that I was here to investigate Duan Jinyan, and since Huang Qiurong had a close relationship with him, Song Laosan patiently explained to me: "The Haitang Society is similar to the Four Gates, also belonging to a family business, but it does not only select direct descendants. Like the Four Gates, the Haitang Society does not have a high recognition rate in the industry, because our team does not only do tomb raiding, but also has some attributes of explorers."
As is well known, Sichuan borders Qinghai, Guizhou, Yunnan, and Tibet, and many scientific expeditions to uninhabited areas choose this place as a transit point. National-level scientific expeditions have always maintained close ties with the Haitang Society. To my knowledge, many large-scale expeditions to uninhabited areas such as Lop Nur and Hoh Xil are guided by members of the Haitang Society.
If we were to truly divide it into Northern and Southern factions, the Begonia Society would be somewhat similar in nature to the Four Schools of the Southern School, but the Begonia Society operates with a low profile, and its influence and foundation in the South are far less than those of the Four Schools. Of course, I'm referring to the Four Schools of the past, not the present one.
I pressed further, "Has the Begonia Society had any prior dealings with the Four Gates?"
"Of course, as I said, the members of our two families are more like explorers, and we are bound by rules and have a strong bottom line. In the early years, when we went to our respective territories to do business, we would share information and take care of each other, and our relationship was quite good."
Song Laosan paused for a moment: "The Begonia Society is also a large family, with many rules and regulations just like the Four Gates. As a traitor to the Four Gates, your father is definitely not recognized by the Begonia Society. Therefore, Huang Qiurong's cooperation with him is definitely not to represent the family in battle. This person is probably like your father, and has also betrayed the Begonia Society."
"Could it be that he was abducted by Young Master Duan's father, which is why he became so furious after hearing about Young Master Duan's identity?"
The monkey scratched its head: "But this doesn't make sense either. Even if Duan Jinyan lied to Huang Qiurong, they are both grown men. Duan Jinyan has a son. Why is he so angry? It doesn't make logical sense."
I steeled my resolve and said with a fierce expression, "Never mind all that. Huang Qiurong has already admitted that Duan Jinyan is in this tomb. And a person who has been cut in half at the waist can't live for long, which means they haven't been in this tomb for very long. Let's hurry up and catch up with them; maybe we can still find them!"
"But we don't know which of these three tomb passages is safe! Isn't your father the number one genius of the Four Gates? And this Huang Qiurong is also a prized student of the Begonia Society. Even they suffered here. If we continue to go deeper, will we end up like them?"
The monkey licked its lips, seemingly still shaken by Huang Qiurong's threat: "Huang Qiurong's threat just now didn't seem fake. He even seemed to be hoping we'd enter the tomb, which means the danger ahead is so great that even an experienced person like him isn't confident. Do you think we half-baked guys can handle it?"
“I’m more worried about something else now.” Song Laosan pointed to the stone that had crushed Huang Qiurong’s body: “What if this stone is a doorway, and Duan Jinyan and the others are trapped in the dead end behind it?”
I knew their concerns were valid, but after thinking it over, I stubbornly replied, "I've been searching for Duan Jinyan for so long and have already sacrificed so much. Now that we're so close, even if there's only a sliver of hope, I must continue deeper! You're right, Hu Shahu's tomb has tripped up even seasoned veterans like them, so the road ahead must be fraught with danger. I have no right to ask anyone to risk their lives for me. If you're afraid, you can turn back, and I'll go in alone!"
The monkey glared at me, his words crude yet warming my heart: "Shut the fuck up! Do you think I'd abandon you? Since you've decided to do this, I'll stick with you. We're brothers, I'll risk my life for you this once!"
Seeing the monkey's impassioned speech, Song Laosan lit a cigarette to suppress the stench of blood in the air: "Xiao Duan, you know, I chose to return to China not to get involved in your grudges and feuds, but simply to make some money peacefully enough for my retirement. So, this kind of life-threatening thing, I..."
"I understand."
Seeing that Song Laosan was having second thoughts, I spoke bluntly before he could finish, saying, "I'm already very grateful that you've accompanied me all this way. You're right, the risks ahead are too great. I don't deserve anyone to accompany me. It's your freedom to withdraw."
Old Song scratched his head and laughed awkwardly, "Xiao Duan, you misunderstood me. I'm not trying to back out, I just want to talk to you about interests. You came here for the tadpole to find its father, but I'm different from you, and different from the monkey. He's with you out of brotherhood, while I'm only here for money. As the saying goes, 'be a petty person first, then a gentleman later.' If we want to continue, we need to clarify the price."
As he spoke, Song Laosan held up his palm and gestured the number "six": "I want 60% of the profits from this trip to the tomb. That's not too much to ask, is it?"
Before I went abroad, I had already acquired 10% of Su Jialiang's shares. Although there was no actual profit, the money could be converted into cash at any time, and there were plenty of ways to compensate Monkey. Seeing that Song Laosan was willing to continue with me, I nodded: "Third Master, thank you."
"To get back to the point, everyone just gets what they need."
Seeing that I agreed, Song Laosan didn't hesitate: "Dig up the sand pile and search Huang Qiurong's pockets again to see if we can find any useful clues."
The three reached an agreement and quickly got to work. The monkey had only dug a few meters when he discovered a foot: "What's going on? Wasn't Huang Qiurong's lower body trapped under the rock? How come there's still a leg? Was he folded up?"
I glanced at the ankle of that foot and quickened my pace: "The skin color is different. This leg isn't Huang Qiurong's. Dig it out!"
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