I sat beside Er Ye's old desk. In the time it took for two cigarettes, Han Sheng had already devoured his fourth bowl of instant noodles. As he put down the bowl, I extinguished the cigarette in my hand, picked up the water kettle from the floor, and asked him, "Another bowl for you?"
Han Sheng wiped his mouth, revealing a set of white teeth, "I'm full, no need to rush."
Setting down the water kettle, I began to scrutinize him from head to toe. His attire was ordinary, even a bit rustic, yet I couldn't deny that this bright-eyed fellow had the potential for a charming appearance, a modern version of a heartthrob. In the drifting smoke of White Sands, I could almost envision an unparalleled young general with a knife strapped to his back, riding a white horse and wielding a silver spear.
Suddenly, memories from my childhood resurfaced, recalling a segment from a storytelling performance, "Zhao Yun unexpectedly encountered a large army but remained calm. He charged into the encirclement on horseback, deftly moving left and right, as if traversing an uninhabited land."
Though I hadn't seen Zhao Yun, the impression of Han Sheng sitting there gave me a similar feeling.
He, too, was observing me from across the table. I picked up a cigarette; these days, I smoked more than usual. In a moment of distraction, I automatically lit another one. Like Er Ye and Lao He, I also smoked White Sands, and there was a whole box stacked in his room.
From his pocket, this self-proclaimed Han Sheng produced a copper coin tied with a red string. I accepted it, feeling surprised. It resembled the one Er Ye had given me. Retrieving Er Ye's coin from my backpack for comparison, I was astonished to find an exact match.
Returning from my hometown, I nearly forgot about these coins. Examining them closely now, I couldn't help but be amazed. Both coins were the extremely rare "Nine-fold Seal Emperor Song Tong Bao," almost unseen in the market. Qin Han Tang auctioned a similar coin in the past, and I recall it fetching over three million. The one in my hand amounted to six million.
Swallowing hard, I marveled at the audacity of these two; carrying such invaluable treasures with them, they were like walking ATMs.
"I am Er Ye's associate," Han Sheng spoke, looking at the coin in my hand, his expression tinged with sadness. "Did he pass away peacefully?"
Unsure of his relationship with Er Ye or how to respond, I thought of the old man's final days, seemingly destined to fulfill some kind of fate. Sighing, I replied, "Peaceful might not be the right word, but he chose his path."
Han Sheng seemed lost in thought, and in that moment, I perceived a rare tranquility and melancholy in his eyes, something I might never witness again. In my mind, the phrase "Alone in the vast desert, mournful yet unwounded" surfaced, and I believed Er Ye held a special place in his heart.
After a while, Han Sheng regained composure and softly asked, "Er Ye used to contact me periodically. He informed me that if the communication ceased, I should find the person holding this coin. I found Lao He, and he said the coin should be with you. I believe I've found the right person."
Without waiting for my inquiry, he added, "I am, in a sense, Er Ye's disciple. Over the years, I've been assisting him in searching for things. So, tell me about your recent discoveries."
Instinctively trusting Han Sheng's words, not only due to the coin but also Lao He's guidance in this critical moment, indicated his identity. At this juncture, I needed someone like Han Sheng. Anxious to share the perplexing events of these days, I extinguished my cigarette, recounting the experiences in the tomb and my speculations about various mysteries.
He listened attentively, and after a brief silence, remarked, "We should find the letter Er Ye left behind, and perhaps more. Your conjectures seem correct. Er Ye's room is clearly not as simple as it appears."
We reached a consensus and started searching Er Ye's room. Han Sheng, experienced in this regard, detected a concealed space near the bedside table in the second bedroom. Before I could express surprise, he effortlessly opened a small door, revealing a dimly lit compartment. I looked at Han Sheng; he displayed no astonishment, as if all of this was expected.
Looking at me, Han Sheng grinned, "Learned it from Er Ye; compared to his, this is much simpler."
He descended first, and I followed. There were a few steps downward, and Han Sheng found a switch beside them. Dim yellow light illuminated this small compartment. I examined it, easily visualizing Er Ye sitting in that chair, back turned to us.
Sighing, I contemplated, Er Ye, what burdens did you carry?
Han Sheng, observing the meticulously outlined map, turned to me, "Come, everything we need to know is probably here."
I fetched a chair from the room, took Er Ye's tea caddy, and returned to the compartment. Knowing that Er Ye's previous words might just be the tip of the iceberg, we were now stepping closer to the truth.
The most urgent matter was locating the letter Er Ye mentioned. I opened a drawer, finding an old envelope made of parchment. Seeing Han Sheng's gaze, I hesitated. It likely contained secrets about the Cao family, and I pondered whether to let him know.
Seeming to sense my hesitation, Han Sheng spoke softly, "If it concerns the Cao family, you need not hide anything. Over the years, I've investigated the Cao family extensively, including your background."
I breathed a sigh of relief, relieved that there was no need to conceal anything from a comrade in this journey. I nodded, extracted the paper from the envelope, and carefully read its contents.
The information on it left me profoundly disturbed. My father informed Er Ye that the Cao family exhibited abnormal behaviors over the centuries. Through various means, he delved into the family's extensive history and identified peculiar patterns. Although these abnormalities seemed random, further verification revealed that those individuals would experience something unusual in their later years. The Cao family kept these secrets hidden, and it required significant effort for my father to unearth them.
Moreover, my father suspected that certain members of the Cao family had undergone changes, though the source of these alterations remained unknown. Later, he decrypted the secrets of Cao Family's Qing Shan, forming some conjectures. His discoveries in the Tomb of Ascension further supported his speculations.
I quickly turned to the second page, only to be surprised that more than half of it was torn away. Han Sheng and I exchanged glances. The torn edges were relatively fresh, suggesting recent damage. Han Sheng touched the torn section, noting it wasn't long ago.
"Impossible, I thoroughly checked both rooms."
I immediately denied it; we had inspected every room four days ago. Er Ye's house wasn't large, making it challenging for anyone to hide.
Stepping back a few paces, Han Sheng scrutinized the entire room. His brows furrowed as he picked
up a cigarette butt at my feet. Seeing the butt, my heart skipped a beat. Er Ye only smoked White Sands, but this butt was not from White Sands. Han Sheng smelled it and remarked, "Around three or four days ago."
"It's impossible. I checked every room."
I categorically denied it; we had visited four days ago, and I personally ensured there was no one else.
Tilting his head, Han Sheng looked at me and said, "Er Ye's place isn't just two rooms; it's three."
I was about to argue, but suddenly, I stopped. Oh right, counting this compartment, it was indeed a three-room setup. If someone was here at that time, I wouldn't have noticed.
Realizing this, a chill ran down my spine. The thought of someone slowly emerging from the compartment while I was asleep, gazing at me in the dark, sent shivers down my spine. It was terrifying.
We both fell into silence. I asked Han Sheng, "Who was it?"
"Don't know," he shook his head. Assessing the situation, he added, "But this person must be someone familiar with the details. Firstly, they knew about Er Ye's compartment, and secondly, they didn't take the whole letter. They only tore off a part, indicating they aren't necessarily a 'bad person.' This person wanted to conceal something."
We continued to examine the remaining part of the second-page letter. My father had discovered that for centuries, the Cao family had been covertly searching for the whereabouts of certain graves, often related to the "thread" Er Ye and I had discovered.
The rest of the content was destroyed, and we speculated it involved conjectures about the "thread" and graves, or perhaps evidence my father had found. Fortunately, Er Ye's map was still intact. We believed it contained information Er Ye had gathered about those graves. Unfortunately, the details were incomplete, mostly Er Ye's hypotheses, and some locations were marked with a cross. Several village photos were attached, and the word "Wu Meng" was written below.
Other locations were circled with annotations, and Er Ye collected some historical records, but without specific geographical coordinates, it would be like finding a needle in a haystack in these vast mountainous areas.
We also studied materials on Er Ye's desk—information about graves, some dating back decades. There were reproductions of certain documents, implying Er Ye leveraged connections to access these materials, beyond the reach of an ordinary person.
In a moment of idleness, I remembered something. Calling Han Sheng over, I took out the silver gun head from my backpack and handed it to him, "If Er Ye knew you would come looking for me, then I believe this gun head should be for you."
Han Sheng accepted it with both hands, momentarily stunned. I didn't know what he had experienced, but despite being generally optimistic, he currently exuded a sense of sorrow. Er Ye likely held a more significant place in his heart than I had imagined.
Casually, I also retrieved the remaining bronze token and showed it to Han Sheng, "Have you seen this before?"
Examining it, Han Sheng shook his head, "Never seen it, but your speculation is correct. These intricate lines resemble a geographical... huh."
At this point, he paused, flipping the token, and furrowed his brow, "But this side is..."