Chapter 15: The Tunnel

After a night’s rest, Tian Yuqing brought us to a quaint little inn. That evening, we all gathered around a large round table for dinner. Lu A’yao went to the main table, while I was content to stay on the side with He Yu, picking at our food. But then Tian Yuqing had someone call us over to the main table.

I couldn’t refuse, so I reluctantly went over. The main table was in a private room, and as soon as I entered, I felt an overwhelming pressure. Seated around the large table were Tian Xiao, Tian Tinghan, Tian Yuqing, Tan Qiu, and Lu A’yao, along with two unfamiliar faces.

With such an atmosphere, how could anyone eat comfortably?!

Tan Qiu sat in the room, a cigarette dangling from his lips, silently puffing away. I initially came in with the intention of eating, but after a couple of bites of vegetables, I found the food tasteless and gave up on the idea of having a proper meal. Instead, I began to secretly observe the people around me.

Tian Yuqing sat confidently at the head of the table, with his brother Tian Tinghan beside him, not daring to act out of line. This was completely contrary to the rumors of Tian Tinghan being arrogant and domineering. I quickly deduced that the Tian Family’s power likely had nothing to do with Tian Xiao anymore.

Lu A’yao had shaved and changed his clothes; his white jacket looked quite warm. Beside him sat two middle-aged men I didn’t recognize. One wore glasses, with a lean face but a firm and determined gaze, exuding a scholarly elegance. The other was a bit more disheveled in comparison, with small eyes and thinning hair, suggesting a future of baldness. He wore a thin down jacket and was the only one eating heartily, unaffected by the atmosphere.

He Yu nudged me with his elbow and whispered in my ear, “See that guy with the glasses? Recognize him? That’s Wu Yili, a titan in the field of history. He used to be a professor at a top university but left to work on several major projects. He’s quite impressive.”

I wasn’t familiar with these renowned figures in archaeology, nor was I particularly interested. My college major had nothing to do with archaeology, and this adventure might be my only chance to interact with them. So no matter how great or high-ranking they were, to me, they were just “scholars” and “baldies.”

He Yu wanted to continue introducing them, but Tian Yuqing coughed a few times, clearly having overheard our conversation. He Yu shrugged and zipped his lips, making a gesture to indicate he was keeping quiet.

Tan Qiu rarely furrowed his brows, saying, “The mountains here have been flattened by coal mining. I spent all morning looking, but couldn’t make sense of it. We’ll have to go again tomorrow, and if that doesn’t work, we’ll have to use a compass to check each peak.”

Tian Yuqing took out a notebook and flipped it open. It had something marked in pen. As it passed in front of me, I glanced at it and saw many lines and circles, chaotic and indecipherable.

Tian Yuqing said, “Tomorrow morning, I’ll take a few people to Datong River. Look in the direction I’ve marked; it should be right.”

The bald professor finally looked up from his plate, slurping noodles as he spoke, “This morning, I went for a walk and overheard some locals talking about skeletons. You guys hadn’t arrived yet, and I couldn’t understand much of their dialect. If you can’t determine the dragon vein, asking the locals might be a good direction.”

Both Tian Yuqing and Tan Qiu were taken aback. They exchanged glances, and Tian Yuqing immediately signaled to a guy sitting beside him. But before the guy could leave, Lu A’yao stopped him, saying, “I’ve already asked about this.”

I had been busy unpacking in the hotel and hadn’t noticed when Lu A’yao went out. According to him, he hadn’t stayed long in the hotel before feeling the urge to pee, so he walked a kilometer to find a hillside outhouse.

I couldn’t understand this behavior. There was a perfectly good bathroom in the room, yet he chose to go to an outdoor outhouse. I wondered if he was just making it up.

Lu A’yao had a special talent for languages. After using the bathroom, he struck up a fluent conversation with a couple of villagers herding ducks by the roadside. Their chat eventually turned to a recent incident in the mountains.

There were many coal mines in these mountains, primarily producing bituminous coal. Due to the early development of the Datong River project, many abandoned tunnels were left behind. According to the locals, finding skulls in these tunnels and mines was normal, something they had grown accustomed to.

“The tunnels and mines where the bones are found span at least eight kilometers, with some areas particularly dense with bones. I suggest we start by checking those places.” Lu A’yao pulled out a small map from his pocket, marked with red pen.

Tian Yuqing glanced at the map on the table and smiled, “As expected of the Lu family. It seems this time our task will be much easier.”

He Yu gave me a look full of pride, and without speaking, I could tell he was saying, “See, see, I told you so.” His smugness was such that anyone would think he was also a descendant of the Lu family.

The plan was quickly set. The next morning, I had little involvement because no one came to wake us up. So He Yu and I stayed snug under the covers, sleeping until noon. We only got up to wash up when it was almost lunchtime.

When we got to the table, it was nearly empty, just me, He Yu, and the two professors. Tan Qiu wasn’t there either. We learned that Tian Yuqing and the others had left at five in the morning. They were likely at a tunnel by the Datong River, having already pinpointed the location.

Experiencing such an adventure for the first time, He Yu was as nervous and excited as I was. The scholars and the bald professor were likely preoccupied with thoughts of the tomb, so we ate our meal quickly. After a ten-minute rest, we were back in the car.

Near the Datong River, there were many abandoned tunnels from past projects. These tunnels were scattered throughout the canyon, and vehicles definitely couldn’t get in. So two-thirds of the journey was on foot. The hike was quite dull, so I won’t elaborate.

When we reached the specific tunnel, I noticed it was surrounded by large swathes of caution tape. Tan Qiu was at the entrance, arguing with Tian Yuqing. Judging by their expressions, things weren’t going well.

Wu Yili was the first to step over the caution tape and asked Tian Yuqing, “What’s the situation?”

Tian Yuqing pulled over a burlap sack from the entrance and opened it for him to see. Standing behind them, I caught a glimpse of the decayed bones inside, many of which were brittle and yellowed.

“These were scattered on the ground and walls inside the tunnel. It’s very dark in there. We’ve gone in 500 meters and collected these.”

Tian Yuqing pulled Wu Yili aside to talk. I looked around but didn’t see Lu A’yao. I wondered if he was still inside the cave. He Yu stood beside me, holding a notebook, sketching a part of the tunnel.

I asked him, “Is recording really that useful?”

He Yu looked up and said, “You don’t understand. Time erases many things, but records can give lasting meaning. People like us, in the Outer Eight Trades, are fragile. We could disappear in the blink of an eye.”

I didn’t quite get what he meant. He Yu closed his notebook and put a hand on my shoulder, “To put it simply, if you died, wouldn’t my records help others find your body quickly?”

I smacked him on the face and scolded, “So you’re cursing me, huh? Can’t you say something nice for once?”

Before I could argue with He Yu any further, Wu Yili’s voice suddenly rose in the distance, startling us both. He shouted, “You want to go in alone?! Tian Yuqing, do you hear the nonsense you’re spouting?”

“Who are you people? At best, you’re external consultants. At worst, you’re a bunch of bandits who’ve been pardoned! You want to take your people down alone and leave us professional archaeologists up here? You think I don’t know what you’re up to? In this day and age, you still want to make that kind of profit?!”

Tan Qiu walked over and pulled Tian Yuqing to his side, “Professor Wu, you’re just venting. Let’s discuss this calmly and not make a scene.”

Actually, the moment I heard the commotion, I saw Tan Qiu stride over. His expression was visibly tense. He was holding back his anger, but without a doubt, he was siding with Tian Yuqing.

This wasn’t the Tan Qiu I knew. The Rogue Tan I knew had a very hostile attitude towards the Tian Family. Now, with Tian Yuqing offending Wu Yili, his usual behavior would be to enjoy the show, hoping for an even bigger argument.

Wu Yili was clearly furious. He shouted, “Am I wrong? You’re just after the artifacts down there, aren’t you? Let me tell you, those are cultural relics. You can’t take a single piece.”

Tan Qiu turned his face and said something, which was definitely not polite judging by his lip movements. He lifted his shirt hem, revealing a long row of specially made knives on his belt. He grinned at Wu Yili and spread his hands, saying:

“Professor Wu, the Five Masters no longer work for the Outer Eight Trades. We’re in the legitimate business of feng shui consulting. None of the people here are thieves, and we won’t touch anything down there. We’re not letting your archaeologists go down because this tomb is extraordinary, with many traps. We don’t want any casualties. We’ll send the first team down to clear the obstacles, and then you can go in however you like.

“Since we’re cooperating, there should be some basic trust, right?”

Wu Yili snorted before Tan Qiu finished, “Clear obstacles? Are your people more professional than us? Tian Yuqing, this is confidential. You privately involved two green kids, and we haven’t even settled that yet!”

Tan Qiu’s temper flared instantly. The pretense of civility vanished. He casually drew a knife from his back and was about to charge forward, “Hey! Damn it, I find you old man really hard to deal with!”

“Tan Qiu!”

Tian Yuqing, with considerable strength, pushed him behind. Tan Qiu stumbled, unable to vent his anger.

Tian Yuqing said, “Forget what I said earlier. Once Lu A’yao confirms the location, we’ll all go down together.”