Uncle Shoushan’s throat was pinned under Ye Qiu’s foot, making it hard to breathe, his old face flushed red.
“Still running?” Ye Qiu asked coldly.
“No more running, no more running,” Uncle Shoushan said.
Only then did Ye Qiu lift his foot from Uncle Shoushan’s throat.
As Uncle Shoushan tried to get up, Ye Qiu suddenly stomped on his chest with a loud “bang.”
Pfft!
Uncle Shoushan spat out a mouthful of blood.
Ye Qiu shouted, “If you don’t want to die, confess honestly.”
“I’ll confess, I’ll confess,” Uncle Shoushan said, not daring to resist. He knew if he didn’t confess, Ye Qiu would really kill him.
“What are you doing here?” Ye Qiu asked.
Uncle Shoushan replied, “There’s a legendary ancient tomb under seven pine trees.”
Ye Qiu glanced at Master Longbrow, who had guessed correctly. He asked Uncle Shoushan, “What kind of ancient tomb?”
Uncle Shoushan said, “I don’t know whose tomb it is exactly. I only know it’s a massive tomb, at least of a noble or prince, with many burial treasures.”
“How did you know?” Ye Qiu asked.
Uncle Shoushan said, “I grew up at the foot of Changbai Mountain. My grandfather told me there are many treasures in the mountains, besides century-old ginseng, there are also many ancient tombs.”
“Before the founding of the country, many tomb raiders came here and looted quite a few tombs.”
“As for this legendary tomb, I learned about it from a tomb raider.”
“Not long ago, a tomb raider came to rob a tomb. He got bitten by a venomous snake as soon as he entered the mountain. My nephew and I were patrolling and came across him.”
“The tomb raider claimed to be a herb collector. We didn’t think much of it since many people come to Changbai Mountain from all over the country to gather herbs every year.”
“My nephew and I took the tomb raider home to treat him, but the snake venom was too strong. Before the village doctor arrived, he passed away.”
“Before he died, the tomb raider revealed his identity, saying he was a tomb raider with no family, alone in the world. He hoped we’d bury him after his death. In return, he told us there’s a place in the forbidden area with seven pine trees, and under them lies a legendary ancient tomb.”
“He said it’s filled with burial treasures, enough to last us several lifetimes.”
“I had no intention of tomb raiding. At my age, there’s no need to take such risks. If I got caught, I’d spend the rest of my days in prison.”
“But my nephew wouldn’t listen. He insisted on tomb raiding. I can’t blame him, though. His family is too poor. He’s over forty and still hasn’t married. If he doesn’t get some money to marry, his family line will end.”
“Seeing my nephew’s determination, I had no choice but to join him in this risky venture.”
Ye Qiu sneered inwardly. This old man wanted to raid the tomb himself but was now pushing the blame onto a dead man, utterly shameless.
Uncle Shoushan continued, “My nephew and I are part of the patrol team, so we know this area well. We scouted the place a few times during patrols and found those pine trees.”
“Then I picked an auspicious day, and we started digging.”
“But when we got here, we suddenly saw one of the pine trees bleeding. My nephew, out of curiosity, went to check it out. As soon as he got close to the tree, he dropped dead.”
“I was terrified and didn’t dare continue raiding the tomb. I sent the tools back and then reported it to the police.”
Master Longbrow said doubtfully, “Your nephew died, so why report it? You could’ve made up an excuse, held a funeral, and buried him. No one would know the cause of his death.”
Uncle Shoushan shook his head and said, “There’s a village rule that any unnatural death must be reported to the village. Then they send a coroner to examine the body.”
“If I lied, the coroner would find out something was wrong.”
“Besides, no one knows my nephew died because he tried to raid a tomb. If I tell the truth, I won’t slip up during questioning.”
“As for entering the forbidden area without reporting, I’ve prepared an excuse: I suspected there were poachers in the forbidden area.”
“This way, I don’t need to cover up lies, and they won’t suspect me. At worst, they’ll fire me from the patrol team, which is better than going to prison!”
Uncle Shoushan looked at Ye Qiu and said, “I’ve confessed everything I know. Can you take your foot off now?”
Ye Qiu’s foot was still on his chest, making him feel panicked and short of breath.
Ye Qiu didn’t move his foot and said, “Your skills aren’t bad. Who taught you?”
“My grandfather,” Uncle Shoushan said. “When my grandfather was young, he served as a guard in the Qing imperial court. He was skilled. After the Qing dynasty fell, he returned to our hometown in the Northeast. I trained with him since I was young.”
“I thought my martial arts were impressive, but I didn’t expect your skills to be so formidable. I was blind and offended you. Please forgive me.”
So that’s how it was.
Ye Qiu finished questioning and was about to lift his foot when Master Longbrow suddenly asked, “Old man, you said you grew up in this area. Do you know anything about the Golden City?”
Ye Qiu glanced at Master Longbrow, thinking, could this old man’s purpose in coming to the Northeast be the Golden City?
Even if the Golden City really exists, what use would a city made of gold be to Mount Longhu?
Uncle Shoushan nodded eagerly and said, “I’ve heard legends of the Golden City. An archaeological team once came to the mountains to search for it, but none of them came out.”
“When I was a kid, I asked my grandfather about it. He said there is indeed a Golden City in the forbidden area of Changbai Mountain, but he didn’t know where it was.”
“My grandfather also said that several Qing emperors often came to Changbai Mountain for rituals, but their real purpose was to search for the legendary Golden City.”
“It’s said the Golden City is a city made of gold, filled with countless treasures. There’s an old saying: whoever finds the Golden City will rule the world!”
Ye Qiu asked Master Longbrow, “Are you looking for the Golden City?”
“No, I was just curious and asked casually,” Master Longbrow said, turning his head away to avoid Ye Qiu’s gaze.
This old man was feeling guilty!
Ye Qiu was even more certain that his guess was correct: Master Longbrow’s trip to the Northeast was for the legendary Golden City.
“Don’t run off until this is resolved, or I won’t spare you.”
Ye Qiu said to Uncle Shoushan before finally lifting his foot.
Uncle Shoushan quickly got up from the ground, clasped his fists, and said to Ye Qiu, “Thank you for showing mercy.”
Ye Qiu ignored him and strode toward the bleeding pine tree.
