Chapter 187: The Truth of Xisha

Jude Kao's account ended here. What followed next happened after Xie Lianhuan went to find Third Uncle.

His narration gave me a clear picture of how this whole thing started. I never imagined that Third Uncle had gotten involved so early, and that A Ning's company had such deep ties with our Wu family.

After Third Uncle finished speaking in one go, he took a break and told me to ask him any questions or voice any doubts I had right then.

I knew this was said out of spite—he was still upset that I hadn't believed him earlier.

I thought it over. I couldn't say I didn't believe him, but there were indeed a few points I was still unclear about.

We already knew that Jude Kao and Xie Lianhuan had been in contact long before. That meeting was just a reunion. Based on what I learned later, I guessed Jude Kao's purpose in seeking out Xie Lianhuan was likely to have him infiltrate Wenjin's Xisha archaeological team, sneak into Wang Zanghai's underwater tomb, and retrieve something for him. That something was probably the snake-mei bronze fish that held Wang Zanghai's secret about the Dongxia Kingdom.

So Jude Kao learned about the blood corpse tomb from Third Uncle himself—no doubt about that. But how did he find out about the underwater tomb, a place so hidden? Could Third Uncle have told him? That was impossible.

Furthermore, according to Third Uncle, the origin of all this was the Warring States silk book. But what did Wang Zanghai of Xisha have to do with the Warring States silk book? Why would Jude Kao turn his attention to Xisha? I raised these questions, and Third Uncle nodded and said, "You've hit the key point. Yes, it was Jude Kao who had Xie Lianhuan infiltrate the archaeological team. But your guess is only half right. According to Jude Kao, he didn't send Xie Lianhuan into the tomb for the snake-mei bronze fish; he only wanted him to photograph the corpse inside the coffin."

As for why he wanted that done, the foreigner refused to say. He also wouldn't reveal where he got the information about Wang Zanghai's tomb. When Third Uncle asked him, he used an old Chinese saying with a mysterious air: "Heaven's secrets must not be revealed."

"But," Third Uncle leaned in and said, "later events let me piece together some guesses. You can judge if they make sense."

I nodded and said okay. He drew a few dots on the bed with his finger. "I once thought about it. That foreigner returned to China and set his sights on Xisha a year after the Changsha incident. Judging by the timing, he must have learned about the underwater tomb during that year. So something must have happened that year that gave Jude Kao this information.

"But we know that during that period, Jude Kao was deeply shaken. It's unlikely he would have perked up and thrown himself into another endeavor just because he learned about an underwater tomb. At that time, the only thing that could hold his attention would be something related to the Warring States silk book. So we can infer that whatever happened must also be connected to the Warring States silk book. Jude Kao was probably first attracted by information about the silk book, and then he noticed the Xisha connection.

"We can't deduce exactly what that event was, but based on what happened later, I suspect the foreigner met someone who had been inside the underwater tomb. That person may have helped Jude Kao decipher the meaning of the star map in the silk book. That meaning must have had a link to Wang Zanghai's tomb, shifting Jude Kao's interest to Xisha. That's why Jude Kao came back to China and sought out Xie Lianhuan to infiltrate the archaeological team."

"Why are you so sure it was meeting a person and not something else?" I asked.

Third Uncle said, "Because of the data. Jude Kao's information about the tomb was too detailed and precise. Someone must have been inside and compiled it. There's no other way he could have known so much."

I nodded. That made some sense. But why would the star map on the Warring States silk book relate to a Ming dynasty tomb? That seemed unbelievable. Could Tie Miansheng have read the stars and foreseen that a thousand years later a colleague would build a tomb in that spot? If astrology could predict such trivial things, it wouldn't have been lost. This point needed further investigation.

Then came the Xisha incident. After that, the whole affair fell into chaos. The entire archaeological team disappeared inside the underwater tomb on Xisha, leaving only Third Uncle to return. Jude Kao once thought Third Uncle had killed everyone. But from Third Uncle's later behavior, he clearly didn't know the truth either. The whole thing became a huge mystery. What really happened would depend on what Third Uncle had to say.

After a short rest, Third Uncle made a gesture to continue. I perked up and sat up straight.

He took a deep breath first, clearly switching his mood. What he'd said so far was about Jude Kao—neutral, not too painful. Now he was about to talk about his own personal experience.

After breathing in, his expression darkened, and his tone slowed, becoming hesitant.

He thought for a moment, then said to me, "Let me say this first: about Xisha, there are some things I lied to you about in that hospital in Jinan. But I had no choice. This matter has been a weight on my heart. I really didn't want to bring it up again. I hope you understand."

I nodded but didn't answer. I already knew Third Uncle had lied to me. I didn't want to blame him. I just wanted the truth.

Third Uncle took a sip of water and continued, "Actually, that discovery of the underwater tomb was just a show I put on. Early that morning, Xie Lianhuan and I had already gone in once. But the place I entered was probably different from where you went later, because Xie Lianhuan had very detailed information. We went straight to the core of the tomb. The foreigner's commission was to retrieve something from the room containing Wang Zanghai's coffin."

"You mean the middle of the three chambers?" I recalled the structure of the underwater tomb.

Third Uncle smiled bitterly and shook his head. "No, what you're talking about is only the first level of the tomb. This ship-burial tomb is bigger than you can imagine. Wang Zanghai's coffin is buried deep at the very bottom of the tomb, in a very strange situation... hard to describe in words."

The information Xie Lianhuan got from Jude Kao was very detailed, showing that Jude Kao's original source must have been highly authoritative. Jude Kao also provided Xie Lianhuan with an American camera and flash—said to be the most advanced model at the time, compact and waterproof. The information told Xie Lianhuan that about half a li to the left of the reef where the archaeological team was working, there was a place locals called "Shatou Reef"—a maze of exposed and underwater reefs. These reefs were connected underwater as part of a giant coral reef. On one of the reefs, there was a water-soluble cave below sea level. Even at low tide, only a sliver was exposed. That was the operation opening used by craftsmen when they scuttled the ship to seal the tomb. By entering this coral cave, one could go all the way down into the interior of the giant sunken ship embedded in the coral reef and sea sand.

Once inside the coral cave, you could go all the way down into the ship's interior. The information described in detail the route to follow and what to watch out for. It was as if Jude Kao had designed the tomb himself.

Such detailed information couldn't even be found in ordinary ancient texts. That was why Third Uncle believed someone had been inside the underwater tomb before, but had failed to retrieve the item, forcing Jude Kao to seek help again.

Originally, Xie Lianhuan had enough self-awareness to know his own limits. He wouldn't have agreed to any tomb expedition. But Jude Kao was different. First, Xie Lianhuan felt indebted to him. Second, over the past year, Xie Lianhuan had participated in many family activities and had been down into tombs a few times. His courage and skills had improved. Plus, Jude Kao offered high compensation, and Xie Lianhuan was at an age of blind confidence. In the end, he somehow agreed.

When Third Uncle learned about the foreigner's collusion with Xie Lianhuan, he initially wanted to strongly oppose Xie Lianhuan joining the archaeological team. But many things happened afterward that made Third Uncle feel something was very wrong. To find out the real purpose of the foreigner and Xie Lianhuan, Third Uncle took a risk. He convinced Wenjin to let Xie Lianhuan into the team, outwardly showing no concern, but secretly monitoring his every move.

And so things unfolded in this bizarre manner. There were many more hidden details, but they weren't important. Let's skip to the events of the night before Xie Lianhuan's accident on Xisha.

That day was the first day of the final phase of the archaeological team's work. The salvage operation was nearly finished, so work was relaxed. Before bed, everyone had some alcohol and fell fast asleep.

Xie Lianhuan had been waiting for this opportunity. With only a few days left before the end of work, he knew it was now or never. After confirming everyone was sound asleep, he pretended to get up to urinate, but in reality he was checking the situation, waiting for a chance to go into the sea.

He didn't know that his childhood friend, that "henpecked" Wu Sansheng, had long become a shrewd old hand. Every move Xie Lianhuan made on the ship had been closely watched.

Third Uncle, at the time, was quite frustrated. He had already grown highly annoyed with Xie Lianhuan. He didn't know Xie Lianhuan's goal, so Xie Lianhuan on the ship was like a ticking time bomb—unknown power, unknown detonation time. The time that should have been spent romancing Wenjin was instead spent on guard.

There was another, more subtle reason that Third Uncle didn't state directly, but I could tell from his narration: Wenjin clearly admired Xie Lianhuan. For one thing, the young master knew how to please women, a temperament very different from Third Uncle's. For another, Xie Lianhuan's looks and many other qualities were no worse than Third Uncle's. Third Uncle, a novice in romance, was bound to be jealous.

So as soon as Xie Lianhuan made a move, Third Uncle was ecstatic. Just when Xie Lianhuan had set down the rubber raft and was about to paddle away from the fishing boat, Third Uncle suddenly appeared and pressed him down onto the deck.

Third Uncle's sudden appearance caught Xie Lianhuan off guard, but when he saw it was Third Uncle, he wasn't afraid, because if it had been anyone else, he might have been charged with defecting to Vietnam. However, since both knew each other's backgrounds well, Third Uncle couldn't really do anything to him. So he quietly told Third Uncle to let go.

However, Third Uncle had long held a grudge against him and there was already friction between them, so how could he let him go easily? Gritting his teeth, he almost twisted his arm off, asking him why he had gone to such lengths to join the archaeological team and why he was going out to sea so late at night—what exactly was he up to? This was somewhat taking the opportunity to vent his own frustrations. At first, Xie Lianhuan was stubborn and grew secretly angry; in Changsha, no one except his elders dared treat him like this, so he lowered his voice and began cursing.

Third Uncle wasn't buying it at all. As soon as he heard the cursing, he shoved his head straight into the water, only lifting it up when he started rolling his eyes. He repeated this several times, and after a while, Xie Lianhuan wilted and had to beg for mercy.

When Third Uncle asked the same question again, he told the whole story in detail.

After hearing this, Third Uncle's eyes lit up, almost unable to believe his ears. So beneath the seabed there was actually an underwater tomb with a sunken ship burial! This was truly unexpected. The old man's notes had also recorded tales from predecessors about ship burials at sea, but such sea tombs were extremely rare. The old man himself had only heard of them and never explored one personally. And in this vast, endless seabed, finding a clue was tens of thousands of times harder than on land. Now this foreigner actually knew so many details—who the hell was he? Third Uncle itched with curiosity and could hardly wait to dive down and take a look. He released Xie Lianhuan and said softly, "Is that all? Then why the hell didn't you say so earlier? What's our relationship? What's the harm in telling me? Do you think I'd snatch it from you?"

Xie Lianhuan was already deflated, saying, "I kept this from my old man, and of course I didn't want you all to know. Besides, you and I aren't that close. I was afraid telling you would cause more trouble. Be honest—if I had told you straight, would you have let me into the archaeological team?"

Third Uncle thought this over and conceded it was true. He relaxed a lot and said to him, "You've got a point. But I'm warning you, this Jude Kao is known as 'White-headed Old Man' in Changsha—he's no simple character. Your old cousin here thinks this tomb won't be easy to crack. Either you put it aside for now and we go back to find some people to discuss it at length, or this time let your old cousin go with you. After all, your old cousin isn't boasting—I've got more experience than you, right?"

Xie Lianhuan spat and said, "They all say you, Wu Sansheng, are sharper than a monkey—that's no flattery. Just say you want a cut and be direct. We're grasshoppers on the same string. At this point, if you say something, how can I say no?"

Third Uncle sneered inwardly, thinking this spoiled brat was pretty perceptive after all. So the two of them teamed up temporarily, agreeing that once inside, each would take what he needed, neither would hold the other back, and after coming out, neither would regret a bad haul.

Third Uncle's actions at the time cannot be said to be driven purely by profit, and frankly it wasn't very honorable. It even made me feel like it was something Fatty would do, which shows that Third Uncle's character didn't mature overnight.

After swearing a solemn oath and preparing their equipment, the two of them launched the rubber raft and went to sea that night. They rowed in the dark, relying on a compass, and soon reached the "Sandhead Reef" the foreigner had mentioned. Third Uncle looked up and saw that dark clouds were covering the moon, turning the entire reef into a gray expanse. Startled, he said to Xie Lianhuan, "You really picked a fine time—not even a hazy moon. Clouds cover the tomb, the blind man enters the cave; of every two, one will be lost. I'm afraid one of us will have to stay inside. Keep your eyes sharp, and let's each look out for ourselves."