Chapter 447: Overturning Previous Speculation

"Please enlighten us, Third Uncle!"

"Let me put it simply: the Zhang family was a large clan, so they must have lived outside Banai village, most likely in another province. If someone in the Zhang family passed away, the custom of returning their remains for burial would bring them to Banai, which would inevitably mean outsiders appearing in Banai village. This leads to two possibilities: first, the number of outsiders was very small, and the body was secretly wrapped and carried into the mountains for burial; second, the coffin or body was very heavy, so the number of outsiders was relatively large, forming a funeral procession." I lit a cigarette. "The first possibility is unlikely. Going back and forth in these deep mountains requires a lot of supplies; it's unrealistic for two or three people to carry a corpse into the mountains. The second possibility is much more likely, but have you noticed that all these characteristics are very similar to the appearance of an archaeological team?"

Panzi slapped his thigh, also understanding.

"

I nodded: "We've been misled by the name 'archaeological team' – we always assumed that an archaeological team must dig something out, but maybe they came here not to dig anything out at all."

Xiao Hua nodded: "They were holding a funeral procession."

"But the Huo family was also among them," I said. "Was she a member of the Zhang family?"

"No, no, no. Let's start from the beginning and combine all the information," Xiao Hua said. "We know that archaeological team had a high profile, was coerced, and involved foreign forces."

I said: "Someone told me the organizer was a Chinese person who faked his death and already had foreign nationality."

Xiao Hua continued: "At first we all thought they were here looking for the Zhang family ancient building and taking something out of it. The only clue was those iron blocks."

I said: "Now we all understand that they might not have been taking something out, but sending something in. They – were holding a funeral. Huo Ling was in the team. Although Huo Ling is not surnamed Zhang, during a funeral for a large family there would be many people with different surnames, so it's not impossible for Huo Ling to be among them."

Xiao Hua and I both fell silent. My mind suddenly felt stiff – not because of chaotic thoughts, but a stiffness from extreme clarity.

After a long pause, Panzi said: "Damn their grandmothers, I don't care about any of this. I just want to know, if your speculation is true, who did they send in?"

I shook my head, thinking only ghosts know – it could be anyone. Then I asked Xiao Hua: "Zhang is the most common surname under heaven. Could it be Zhang Dafoye?"

"You can't use that as a deduction. In that era, changing names was too easy. Everyone in the Old Nine Gates had at least a dozen aliases; the final names of that group were almost never their original ones. Zhang Dafoye clearly had some connection to the Zhang family, but based on my understanding, it shouldn't be him. Besides, Aunt Huo Ling was described by the old lady as not a meticulous person. If it were Zhang Dafoye's encoffining, the old lady herself would have gone instead of sending a not particularly outstanding junior."

I nodded. Xiao Hua was very persuasive. He added: "Also, there's another very strong possibility: a 'cuckoo occupying the magpie's nest.' The person sent in might not be a Zhang descendant. Perhaps due to some unknown eerie function of the Zhang family ancient building, they sent the corpse in. That would also explain Third Master's question from another angle." "You mean why Huo Ling was in the funeral procession?"

"Compared to taking something out of an ancient tomb, sending a corpse in might be even more difficult. Assuming that the forces behind the Old Nine Gates' joint grave-robbing activities were also the same forces behind the 1979 archaeological team, then what happened here in '79 should be a continuation of the Old Nine Gates incident. Unlike grave-robbing, which is simple destruction, encoffining a tomb is like holding a Daoist ritual in a snail shell. Under such circumstances, the requirements for the team are even higher. It's not surprising that the new-generation Huo Ling was conscripted to appear here."

I wiped the sweat from my forehead, thinking this was a situation I had never considered at all.

"Of course, we're just speculating now. The truth will only be determined once we go inside," Xiao Hua said. "Whatever the truth is, it's clearly connected to my elders. I suddenly somewhat understand why so many of the previous generation suddenly wanted to wash their hands, giving up such huge enterprises, preferring to let their descendants run small businesses. They were coerced for too long – it was too painful."

I knew he was talking about some families in the Old Nine Gates. I said: "But didn't many families still pass down their legacy?"

"The families that passed down – only they know the warmth and cold themselves," Xiao Hua said. "Compared to poor wretches like us trapped in this circle, Master Wu setting up such a plan to wash you clean is truly extraordinary. Although my grandfather Xie Jiuye has always been recognized as a genius among the Old Nine Gates, in terms of boldness, he's really no match for Gou Wu."

Was that really the case? Listening to Xiao Hua, a sudden inspiration flashed through my mind.

There were many things I hadn't told Xiao Hua and the others. They didn't know all that happened between Xie Lianhuan and my Third Uncle. Xiao Hua said my grandfather intentionally washed the family clean – I always thought it was a simple process. But hearing him say that, I suddenly realized maybe I had been too simplistic.

First, there's the whole situation in my family. My father and his two brothers – three brothers total. My dad was completely washed clean, my Second Uncle had one foot in and one foot out, and my Third Uncle inherited everything, but he was self-taught – my grandfather didn't teach him that much.

Was this structure really formed naturally? I thought about how Third Uncle and Second Uncle had no children, only my fully washed-clean father had me. If what Xiao Hua said is true, then could it be like this – a silent agreement.

Third Uncle entered the trade as the one bearing everything, Second Uncle as a backup, balancing in the shadows, and my father completely withdrew. That way, in Third Uncle's generation, the mysterious pressure might not be so great. Then to the next generation, my Third Uncle and Second Uncle both had no children, so in my generation, the Wu family's connection to that mysterious pressure would be completely severed.

Thinking about it, this process was quite possible. I took a hard drag on my cigarette, thinking: Third Uncle, you've suffered, even though you've been swapped out.

Yun Cai called us to eat at that moment. Xiao Hua said to me: "No more talking. In a few hours everything will be revealed. If we fail, we'll just ask our elders directly down below what's going on."