Chapter 157: He Yuzhu Meets a Big Shot

In the blink of an eye, He Yuzhu had been in the United States for half a year, and it was time to return.

Before leaving, he left behind over fifty songs for Zhao Ying that would later take the United States by storm, and he also drafted a five-year development plan for her company.

Before his departure, Zhao Ying threw herself into He Yuzhu's arms and wept for a long time, unwilling to let go for a long while.

Ten minutes later, she finally began to discuss the business at hand, "Xiao Si and I have already made contact. We've agreed on the time and place for your return, and she will be at Tianjin Port to meet you when the time comes..."

"Stop crying. Once you've arranged things here, go to Hong Kong. When you get there, it will be easy for me to go and see you," He Yuzhu comforted her.

"But once you leave, I'll feel so empty inside!" Zhao Ying said.

"Adjust to it; you'll be fine after a while," He Yuzhu said, patting her on the back.

The next day, He Yuzhu and Su Qing boarded a cargo ship. Nine massive vessels, fully loaded with grain, medicine, machinery, and munitions, set sail toward the East.

After months of training, Xu Damao had developed the bearing of a Gold-Touching Captain in his every gesture, and even his person carried a peculiar scent.

That night, under a dark sky and high wind, the four of them quietly snuck into a prince's tomb beneath Miaogao Peak on the outskirts of the capital.

Hu Yunbin knew this tomb had been robbed before, but that was many years ago. The robber's hole had long since been blocked by dirt and weeds.

Hu Yunbin quickly used the method of dividing gold and locating acupuncture points to find the robber's hole. After some earthwork by Wang Donglai and Li Chun, the hole was soon reopened.

"Siqiang, I'll go down first." Xu Damao tightened his belt and was the first to slide into the tomb passage.

The tomb passage was deep and gloomy, and a chilling sensation rushed toward them.

The light of the torches danced on the mottled walls, casting twisted shadows.

Although Xu Damao had already descended into tombs over a dozen times, he had never seen such an imposing tomb passage; the floor was paved with bluestone, and traces of colorful paintings remained on both sides.

He held the torch and moved forward slowly, always feeling a chill on his back, as if a pair of eyes were staring from the darkness.

He dared not move forward any further and directly shook the bell toward the top.

The crisp sound of the bell echoed in the tomb passage, and upon hearing the signal, Hu Yunbin also nimbly slid down.

After entering, Hu Yunbin sighed, "A prince's tomb from the early Ming Dynasty—it really is quite imposing."

He took a candle from his backpack, placed it on the ground in the southeast corner, and lit it.

He pressed his palms together and bowed three times.

The candlelight flickered in the cold air, stretching the shadows of the two men long.

Xu Damao followed suit and bowed three times as well.

"Siqiang, every time we go down into a tomb, you always light a candle in the southeast corner. What exactly does that mean?"

"Candle Lighting. It is a contract between the living and the dead. If the candle flame does not go out, it means the tomb owner allows us to take items; if it goes out, it means the tomb owner is displeased, and we must kowtow three times and exit immediately, without taking a single thing."

Just as Xu Damao was about to reply, a gust of cold wind suddenly swept past, and the candle flame flickered violently, nearly extinguishing.

Hu Yunbin's expression changed slightly, and he whispered, "Move quickly; we must be out before the rooster crows."

The two carefully searched the main tomb chamber with their torches, only to find that the coffin had long been opened, a skeleton lay scattered on the ground, and the burial goods had been looted clean.

On the ground, there were only some porcelain shards, gleaming with a pale light under the torchlight.

"A wasted trip." Xu Damao kicked the shards at his feet in frustration.

Hu Yunbin, however, would not give up. He held the torch and carefully inspected the four walls: "I did some research before coming here. People in the trade said this tomb was very strange, claiming there was nothing inside. I've always felt something was wrong. A tomb chamber this large must have some hidden mystery. I'll check the walls; you have sharp eyes, so look at the ground carefully to see if there's a hidden door."

Xu Damao agreed, then squatted on the ground, using the torch to illuminate it, checking bit by bit.

The bluestone-paved floor was covered in dust. He felt it carefully with his hands, not letting a single crack escape him.

The two searched for nearly an hour, sweat appearing on their foreheads, yet they found nothing.

Just as Xu Damao stood up to leave, an inconspicuous protrusion by the side of the coffin caught his attention.

He used his Dagger to carefully clear away the surrounding dirt, revealing a stone door one meter square.

The protruding part was a handle used for threading a Rope.

"Siqiang! There's a hidden door here!"

Hearing this, Hu Yunbin hurried over. He threaded the Rope through the stone handle, and the two pulled together, opening the stone door to reveal a pitch-black hole.

A smell of ancient mold rushed out.

Hu Yunbin pulled Xu Damao aside, lit a torch, and threw it into the hole.

Finding that the fire did not go out, he took out the rope, tied it around Xu Damao's waist, and said, "You go down and scout. If there's anything unusual, ring the bell."

Xu Damao took a deep breath and slowly descended, holding the torch.

The torchlight illuminated a small cellar. Xu Damao discovered a pile of golden-yellow objects. He leaned in to look and found it was actually dozens of gold bricks stacked neatly, with countless Copper Coins scattered nearby.

"We're rich, Siqiang! Siqiang, we're rich! It's all gold!" His voice echoed excitedly in the cellar.

Even though Hu Yunbin was a veteran of the trade, his eyes widened when he saw the gold being brought up.

It took them over an hour just to transport the gold up.

Looking at the Copper Coins, Xu Damao asked, "Siqiang, should we transport those Copper Coins too?"

Hu Yunbin looked at the cellar and shook his head: "Forget the Copper Coins."

"But these Copper Coins could also sell for a lot of money; they're all from the Ming Dynasty," Xu Damao said, puzzled.

Hu Yunbin smiled and said, "Actually, Gold-Touching Captains are not allowed to take large amounts of wealth every time they go Doudao. I have already broken the rules."

At this moment, the candle flame in the southeast corner suddenly flickered violently again.

Hu Yunbin's expression changed, and he immediately packed up his tools: "Time to go."

Xu Damao took one last look at the cellar and hurriedly followed in his Siqiang's footsteps.

He Yuzhu had been drifting on the sea for nearly a month, and the salty, fishy sea breeze had become the most familiar scent.

On this day, the ship reached the coastal waters of China. He was idly pacing on the deck when he suddenly spotted a ship in the distance sending out a distress signal.

"Quick! Change course!" He Yuzhu immediately ordered the captain to go and rescue them.

The cargo ship transporting grain was slowly sinking. He Yuzhu immediately ordered two cargo ships to lay down wooden planks to carry out the rescue.

More than two hours later, over a hundred people in total had been rescued.

When He Yuzhu saw that among the rescued personnel there was one with an extraordinary bearing, he took a closer look and was startled; it was actually General Chen!

He never expected to run into this big shot, let alone save him.

Without a second word, He Yuzhu personally invited this big shot to a meal.

General Chen did not agree at first, wanting to eat with his team instead.

Only after He Yuzhu introduced himself and his fleet did General Chen agree to eat together.

He Yuzhu went into the kitchen himself and used the limited ingredients on the ship to meticulously prepare a table of Sichuan Cuisine.

There was Twice Cooked Pork, Boiled Fish, Kung Pao Chicken, and Mapo Tofu; the tofu was something He Yuzhu had made on the ship when he had nothing better to do.

General Chen tasted a bite of the Boiled Fish and couldn't help but exclaim: "Your steamship is truly advanced to be able to freeze meat. This fish in particular is truly delicious."

"To tell you the truth, this fish isn't frozen; I made some hooks when I was bored and caught it on the ship," He Yuzhu said.

Because only He Yuzhu, General Chen, and his two Guards were dining, He Yuzhu spoke up directly: "If I'm not mistaken, you must be General Chen from the Communist Party, right?"

General Chen nodded and said frankly: "You are my savior, so I won't hide it from you."

"To be honest, my uncle is also one of your people; he works at the Beiping Communication Station. Also, this ship is carrying medicine and weapons that your Communist Party urgently needs."

"Is what you said true?" General Chen put down his chopsticks, his expression serious.

"How would I dare to lie about such a thing? We have a radio; if you find it convenient, you can verify it with your headquarters. Otherwise, I wouldn't even know where to deliver this shipment; with your help in making contact, it would save me a lot of worry," He Yuzhu said sincerely.

General Chen nodded to one of the Guards to signal him: "Go find Xiao Liang."