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墨書 Inktalez
Zhong Kui's Diary
"What treasure hunting?" I asked in surprise.
"Upper Hollow and Lower Hollow, eighteen cellars of gold, each cellar has eighteen vats, each vat contains eighteen bags, and each bag has eighteen taels." Nong Zihao recited a couplet with a mysterious air, saying, "This is a folk rhyme that has been passed down in Tianzhuang Township for a long time. It is said that a landlord buried eighteen cellars of gold at a certain location long ago. Each cellar contains eighteen large vats, and each vat has eighteen bags of gold. Tsk tsk, whoever finds it will get rich!"
I tilted my head back and drank the beer, a chill rushing into my stomach, then gas rising to my throat. I couldn't help but burp and sighed contentedly while chewing on two slices of pork belly, saying, "This legend of yours must be unreliable!"
"Why?" Nong Zihao put down his cup, puzzled.
"With technology so advanced now, metal detectors can detect objects several meters underground. If there really was that much gold, wouldn't it have been found long ago if they spent a bit more money on a better machine?" I poured myself another glass from the beer bottle on the ground and smiled.
"Your point does have some merit, but it's not necessarily completely correct!" Nong Zihao raised his index finger and shook it: "Metal detectors can only detect up to three or four meters underground at most; five meters is the limit. If there’s so much gold buried, wouldn’t they dig the cellars deeper? If I were that wealthy landlord, I would dig a hundred meters deep and build an underground castle. Hahaha!"
Although Nong Zihao's statement was exaggerated, it wasn't without reason. Since he wanted to bury it, why not bury it deeper? With his wealth, he wouldn't need to worry about manpower or resources.
Kong Xuan cleared his cup with a 'chirp' sound. We were drinking beer, but he insisted on trying some of the farmer's rice wine. Smacking his lips, Kong Xuan asked, "What do you mean by Upper Hollow and Lower Hollow?"
Nong Zihao raised an eyebrow and replied cheerfully: "Upper Hollow means the mountain top has a convex shape; Lower Hollow means the mountain top has a concave shape. In other words, if there are two mountains in front of you and you flip one over to cover the other, the convex shape will perfectly fit into the concave shape. The treasure is located between these two mountains. There's also another method: if you can see both mountains fitting together from a certain angle, then the treasure is buried at the observer's standing point."
"Tian Zhuang is this small; how could we not find something... something with a convex top and concave bottom?" At this point, I couldn't help but glance at Aijia Yu. Although I had only caught a quick glimpse of her this morning, she indeed had that convex-concave shape.
Aijia Yu was busy preparing vegetables. Almost all women favored such fresh greens. When she noticed me looking at her and heard my words, she immediately shot me an angry glare.
"The things in legends are ultimately ethereal! Let's talk about something practical instead." This time, it was Nong Zihao who ended this topic first and shifted the conversation to the strange cases uncovered by the Mint Public Security Bureau.
I have to say, Nong Zihao is quite the talkative person. Our meal started around four in the afternoon and lasted until nearly nine at night, with him continuously sharing stories while we listened intently. In the end, Nong Zihao might have had too much to drink and felt a bit dizzy, so he went to his room to sleep.
After Nong Zihao left, I nudged Kong Xuan and asked, "So, where's An Ran?"
Kong Xuan pulled out the Tablet, scrolling through it with a furrowed brow.
"What's wrong? Is the software acting up again?" I couldn't help but chuckle a little.
Kong Xuan silently restarted the Tablet. From his clenched jaw, it was clear he would definitely be giving that programmer a piece of his mind when he got back.
After rebooting and entering the interface again, there was still no signal; the map remained quiet.
Both Aijia Yu and I looked at Kong Xuan in frustration. This was our only guide; if it stopped working, we would be completely lost.
If we were looking for an ordinary person, we could pressure the local government through Qu Changfeng and rally the community to find An Ran. But is An Ran an ordinary person? The Moon Demon Heir, someone powerful who can even become invisible.
"Maybe it's not a software issue but rather a lack of signal. This place is remote, so poor reception is normal," Aijia Yu tried to comfort Kong Xuan.
"Let's wait until tomorrow; maybe the signal will improve then!" I could only agree.
The three of us returned to our rooms to sleep. The sounds of frogs in the summer night felt like a lullaby, and I quickly drifted off into dreamland.
Early the next morning, Kong Xuan woke me up by saying, "Get up, get up! We have a signal now."
I rubbed my eyes and turned over. Kong Xuan and Aijia Yu were sitting beside me. When they saw I was awake, Kong Xuan placed the Tablet in front of me. I noticed a red dot flashing on the screen, slowly moving.
"She is walking!" Kong Xuan assessed the speed and immediately said, "Let's go chase her!"
After thinking for a moment, I had Kong Xuan wake up Nong Zihao, our guide. After a bit of tidying up, we greeted the staff at the guesthouse and quickly moved in the direction of the red dot.
Following the map's guidance, the four of us headed east for about ten minutes when suddenly a concrete road appeared before us. This surprised us greatly; since entering Tianzhuang Township, we had only seen bumpy stone roads. Even the slightly smoother areas were covered in dirt and swirling dust. This concrete road was truly strange—could it be an illusion?
Before I could ask Kong Xuan, Nong Zihao seemed to understand my confusion and spoke up, "This road was funded by the Lin family."
I looked up; this four-meter-wide concrete road wound upward, seemingly endless. I couldn't help but exclaim, "This road was built privately? How long is it?"
"It stretches for kilometers, all the way to their doorstep," Nong Zihao said with a hint of envy in his expression. "According to what I've heard, the Lin family is considered a prominent family in Tianzhuang Township. Heh heh, due to their remote location and lack of conflict with others, they have managed to stand strong for many years."
"Uh, Nong Zihao, could this Lin family be the one rumored to have buried treasure?" I asked jokingly.
"I wouldn't know about that. Anyway, the Lin family is quite wealthy. The current head of the household is Lin Tao. Last year, when the county raised funds to build a hope school, he donated two million without batting an eye. Tsk tsk, I really don't know where his money comes from."
As we continued walking without stopping, we turned two corners and a grand estate came into view.
This was a typical Chinese building with multiple stories and intricate carvings. However, all the wooden structural parts had been replaced with steel frames. Logically speaking, such a steel structure should clash with traditional Chinese architecture, but strangely enough, this building looked very natural; the steel frames did not detract from its Chinese essence at all.
The closer we got, the more I felt that this estate was... very impressive; that was the best word I could think of to express my feelings. Just from the area enclosed by the walls, this estate probably covered over two thousand square meters. The main gate was a Red Wooden Door adorned with fist-sized brass nails; even the door knocker was made of brass in the shape of a lion holding a ring—particularly imposing. The wall wasn't very high, about one and a half meters; it seemed more intended to keep out wild animals than people. Inside the walls, trees were lush and green, with some branches even bearing seasonal fruits.
"What do you think?" I asked Kong Xuan.
Kong Xuan maximized the map and nodded solemnly, saying, "It's right inside this estate!"
I turned to Nong Zihao and said, "Old farmer, you won't be able to help with what comes next, so you should head back!"
Nong Zihao's face turned bright red, and he hurriedly replied, "Director Qu asked me to take good care of you all. I might not be able to do that, but I can definitely protect you. After all, I'm a retired soldier; am I not better than this girl?"
The three of us exchanged amused glances, and finally, Aijia Yu stepped in front of Nong Zihao and said with a light laugh, "Brother Nong, let me show you something."
Nong Zihao looked surprised and asked, "What do you mean?"
Without saying much, Aijia Yu squatted down, spread her fingers, and swiped at the concrete ground. With a sharp sound, she left five deep finger marks about a foot long on the surface of the concrete, each imprint nearly two centimeters deep.
Nong Zihao stared at the five marks in shock. After a moment, he licked his lips, swallowed hard, cupped his fists towards us, and turned to leave without another word.
Once Nong Zihao was far away, I laughed and said, "So what's next? Do we approach them politely first or break in?"
"Let's approach politely first. According to Brother Nong's way of doing things, this family seems to have some rules," Aijia Yu suggested with a smile.
Before she finished speaking, Kong Xuan patted his chest and immediately added, "Leave it to me." He walked up to the front door and grabbed the brass knocker, banging it several times.
After a moment, the door creaked open, revealing a thin middle-aged man who looked us over with surprise and asked, "May I ask who you are?"
"We're looking for Lin Tao!" Kong Xuan replied boldly.
"What do you want with our master?" the thin middle-aged man asked calmly.
"Do you think my business with him is something I should discuss with you?" Kong Xuan said with an air of arrogance. He was quite the professional actor; I silently praised his skills again.
"I'm sorry, but my master is here. You can say anything to me, but if you insist otherwise, I will have to ask you to leave!" The Lean Man smiled slightly and closed the door.
"Wait." In a moment of desperation, Kong Xuan reached out to push the door.
A flash of light appeared in the Lean Man's eyes as his hand moved swiftly to strike at Kong Xuan's pressure point.
Kong Xuan was startled and quickly withdrew his hand, leaning back while his right leg kicked straight towards the Lean Man's chin.
The Lean Man extended his right hand, transforming it from a palm into a fist, and struck towards Kong Xuan's foot. Kong Xuan did not evade and met the attack head-on. With a loud bang, both the Lean Man and Kong Xuan staggered back. Kong Xuan crouched down, grimacing as he rubbed his foot, while the Lean Man hissed in pain and shook his hand.
The Lean Man had actually fought to a standstill with Kong Xuan.
I gestured to Aijia Yu, indicating that this warrior should step up; he shouldn't let a celestial being take all the hits.
Aijia Yu stepped forward, ready to take action when a pleasant voice came from inside the courtyard: "Mo Green, let them in!"
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