Jude Kao’s narration comes to a close here, and what follows are the events that occurred after Xie Lianhuan went to find Uncle San. His narrative clearly helped me understand the origins of this matter. I truly did not expect that Uncle San was involved in this so early on, and that the connection between Anning Company and our Wu family was so profound.

After Uncle San finished speaking in one breath, he took a moment to rest and invited me to ask him any questions or express any doubts I had. I knew this was his way of expressing frustration; he was clearly still upset that I had doubted him earlier.

After thinking for a moment, I realized that I couldn’t say I didn’t believe him anymore, but there were indeed several points that I was still unclear about.

We had just learned that Jude Kao and Xie Lianhuan had been in contact for a long time, and their meeting at that time was merely a reunion. Based on what I learned later, I speculated that Jude Kao’s purpose in seeking out Xie Lianhuan was likely to have him infiltrate the archaeological team in Xisha to dive into the underwater tomb of Wang Canghai and retrieve something for him. This something was likely the snake-eyed copper fish that Wang Canghai had hidden, which contained secrets of the Eastern Xia Kingdom.

Now, as for how Jude Kao knew about the blood corpse tomb, it was undoubtedly revealed by Uncle San himself. However, how did Jude Kao learn about such a secretive underwater tomb? Could it be that Uncle San told him? That seemed impossible.

Moreover, according to Uncle San’s statements, the origin of all this was the bamboo slips from the Warring States period. However, what connection did Wang Canghai in Xisha have with the bamboo slips? Why did Jude Kao turn his attention to Xisha?

When I raised these questions, Uncle San nodded and said, “You’ve hit the nail on the head. It was indeed Jude Kao who wanted Xie Lianhuan to infiltrate the archaeological team, but your speculation is only half correct. According to his own words, he wanted Xie Lianhuan to enter the ancient tomb not for the snake-eyed copper fish, but simply to photograph the corpse inside the coffin.”

As for why he wanted to do this, that foreigner refused to say, and he also wouldn’t disclose where he got the information about Wang Canghai’s tomb. When Uncle San asked him, he used an old Chinese saying to feign mystery: “Heavenly secrets cannot be leaked.”

“However,” Uncle San leaned in and said, “some subsequent events allowed me to guess a few things, and you can see if they make sense.”

I nodded in agreement, and he began to draw a few points on the bed with his finger. “I once thought about it. That foreigner set his sights on Xisha a year after the incident in Changsha. Based on the timeline, he must have learned about the existence of the underwater tomb within that year. Therefore, something must have happened during that year that provided Xie Lianhuan with this information.

“But we know that during that time, Jude Kao suffered a significant shock and it was clearly unlikely that he would immediately bounce back and throw himself into something else just because he learned about an ancient tomb underwater. The only thing that could attract his attention at that time must have been related to the bamboo slips from the Warring States period. Thus, we can infer that this matter must also be related to the bamboo slips. Jude Kao was likely first attracted by the information about the bamboo slips before he noticed the connection to the events in Xisha.”

Feel free to ask if you need any further assistance!

“Here, we cannot infer what exactly this matter is, but based on what happened afterward, I feel it is very likely that this foreigner encountered someone who had been inside the ancient underwater tomb. It is highly probable that this person helped Jude Kao decipher the meaning represented by the star map in the silk manuscript, and this meaning must be connected to Wang Canghai’s ancient tomb, which led Jude Kao’s interest to shift towards the Xisha Islands. That is why Jude Kao came back to China again, trying to infiltrate the archaeological team.”

“How can you be so sure that he encountered a person and not something else?” I asked.

My uncle replied, “That’s because of the data; Jude Kao’s information about the ancient tomb is too detailed and precise. Someone must have gone in and organized it. There’s no other situation that could allow him to know so much in detail.”

I nodded; that made some sense. However, why would the star map on the Warring States silk manuscript be related to a Ming Dynasty tomb? It really seemed unbelievable. Could it be that the Iron-faced Monk, by observing the stars, foresaw that a colleague would come to repair the tomb there a thousand years later?

If the stars could predict such trivial matters, they probably wouldn’t have been lost to history by now. This point still needed verification.

Then there was the Xisha incident. After that event, everything fell into chaos; the entire archaeological team disappeared in the underwater tomb in Xisha, and only my uncle returned. Jude Kao initially believed that my uncle had killed everyone, but from my uncle’s subsequent behavior, it was clear he had no idea about the details either. The whole matter turned into a huge mystery. The truth of the situation would depend on what my uncle had to say.

After resting for a moment, my uncle made a gesture to continue, and I straightened up, feeling more alert.

He took a deep breath, clearly preparing to shift his mood. What he had just talked about was all related to Jude Kao, which was rather neutral. Now, he was about to share his personal experience.

Once he finished his breath, his expression darkened, and his tone became slow and hesitant.

After thinking for a moment, he said to me, “Let me say this upfront: regarding the Xisha, there are some things that I, your uncle, did indeed deceive you about when we were at the hospital in Jinan. However, I had no choice; this matter has always been a heavy burden on my mind, and I really don’t want to bring it up again. You need to understand me.”

I nodded but didn’t respond. I had known for a long time that my uncle had deceived me, and I didn’t want to blame him; I just wanted to know the truth.

My uncle took a sip of water and continued, “In fact, the discovery of the underwater tomb was just a play I acted out. Early that morning, I had already gone in with Xie Lianhuan once. However, the place I entered should be different from where you all went later, because Xie Lianhuan had very detailed information. We went directly into the core part of the ancient tomb because that foreigner’s commission targeted the burial chamber of Wang Canghai’s coffin.”

“Are you referring to the one in the middle of the three burial chambers?” I recalled the structure of the underwater tomb.

Uncle San苦笑着摇头：“No, the place you mentioned is just the first level of the ancient tomb. The size of this sunken ship tomb exceeds your imagination. Wang Canghai’s coffin is buried deep at the very bottom of the ancient tomb and is in a very strange condition… it’s hard to describe in words.”

At that time, Xie Lianhuan had obtained quite detailed information from Qiu Dekao, indicating that the original materials in Qiu Dekao’s possession were likely highly authoritative. Qiu Dekao also provided Xie Lianhuan with an American camera and flash, said to be the most advanced model in the world at the time, compact and waterproof.

The information told Xie Lianhuan that about half a mile to the left of the reef the archaeological team was investigating, there was a place called “Shatou Reef” by the locals, which consisted of a forest of reefs made up of dozens of main reefs and countless scattered underwater rocks. This area of rocks, connected underwater, is part of a giant coral reef. On one of these reefs, there is a water cave located below sea level, which only reveals a small opening even at low tide. This was the access point used by the craftsmen when the ship sank and they sealed the tomb to prevent water from entering. By entering here, one could access the interior of the coral reef, where the enormous sunken ship is embedded within the reef and sand.

As long as one enters the coral cave, they can descend into the interior of the sunken ship. The information provides detailed instructions on how to navigate and what to be cautious of. It was as if this ancient tomb was designed by Qiu Dekao himself.

Such detailed information is rarely found even in ordinary ancient documents, which is why Uncle San believed that this underwater ancient tomb had likely been entered by someone before. It was possible that although this person had gone in, they did not succeed, which is why Qiu Dekao had to seek help again.

Originally, Xie Lianhuan was self-aware; he knew his own limitations and would not agree to any requests to go down. However, Qiu Dekao’s status was different. On one hand, Xie Lianhuan felt indebted to him; on the other hand, during the past year, Xie Lianhuan had participated in many family activities and had gone underground a few times, gaining more courage and skill than before. Furthermore, Qiu Dekao’s conditions were very appealing, and being at an age of blind confidence, he ultimately agreed almost impulsively.

When Uncle San learned that the foreigner had an affair with Xie Lianhuan, he initially intended to strongly oppose Xie Lianhuan’s joining the archaeological team. However, many events unfolded that made Uncle San feel something was very wrong. To uncover the true motives of the foreigner and Xie Lianhuan, Uncle San took a risk; he persuaded Wen Jin to intentionally allow Xie Lianhuan to join the archaeological team, pretending to be indifferent while secretly monitoring his actions.

Thus, the events unfolded in a rather uncanny manner. There are many hidden details, but they are not important. Here, we will skip the complexities and only discuss what happened the night before Xie Lianhuan’s incident in Xisha.

That day marked the first day of the archaeological team’s work entering its final phase. The salvage work was nearing completion, and the tasks were light, so everyone had a bit to drink before bed and slept soundly.

Jie Lianhuan had been waiting for this opportunity for a long time. With only a few days left until the end of work, he knew that this chance was fleeting and would not come again. So, when he was sure that everyone was sound asleep, he pretended to go out to urinate, but in reality, he was probing the situation, looking for a chance to dive into the sea.

What he didn’t know was that his childhood playmate, Wu Sanxing, who had become a devoted husband, was now a shrewd veteran. Every move Jie Lianhuan made since boarding the ship had been closely monitored by this person.

At that time, San Shu was quite frustrated. He was already extremely displeased with Jie Lianhuan, unaware of his true intentions. To San Shu, Jie Lianhuan was like a ticking time bomb on the ship—he didn’t know the extent of the threat or when it would explode. What should have been a pleasant time flirting with Wen Jin had turned into a situation where he had to guard against him.

There was another reason, more subtle, that San Shu never mentioned directly, but it was evident from his narrative that Wen Jin admired Jie Lianhuan. On one hand, the young master knew how to win a woman’s favor, and his disposition was vastly different from San Shu’s; on the other hand, Jie Lianhuan’s looks and many other traits were not inferior to San Shu’s. As a novice in romantic matters, it was inevitable that San Shu would feel jealous.

So, when Jie Lianhuan made a move, San Shu was ecstatic. Just as Jie Lianhuan was about to set down the inflatable kayak and row away from the fishing boat, San Shu suddenly appeared and pressed him down on the deck.

San Shu’s sudden appearance caught Jie Lianhuan off guard. However, upon seeing that it was San Shu, he felt less afraid, because if it had been someone else, he might have been accused of defecting to Vietnam. But with San Shu, they both knew each other’s backgrounds, and he wouldn’t do anything too extreme. So, he quietly asked San Shu to let go of him.

However, San Shu had long-held grievances against him and was not about to let him go easily. He gritted his teeth and nearly twisted Jie Lianhuan’s arm off, demanding to know what he was really up to, sneaking into the archaeological team and going out to sea at such a late hour.

This was a bit of an opportunity for San Shu to vent his frustrations. Jie Lianhuan initially held his ground but felt a surge of anger. In Changsha, apart from his elders, no one dared to treat him this way, so he lowered his voice and began to curse.

San Shu was not swayed by his bravado. Upon hearing Jie Lianhuan curse, he directly pressed his head underwater, holding it down until Jie Lianhuan’s eyes rolled back before pulling him up. This went on repeatedly until Jie Lianhuan finally wilted and had to beg for mercy.

When San Shu asked the same question again, Jie Lianhuan recounted the entire story in detail.

After listening, San Shu’s eyes lit up, almost unable to believe his ears. It turned out that beneath the sea, there was a sunken ship’s grave! This was truly unexpected. The old man’s notes had recorded accounts from previous generations about underwater ship burials, but such occurrences were extremely rare. The old man had only heard about them and had never personally explored. Finding a clue in the vast underwater expanse was a thousand times more difficult than on land. Now, this foreigner knew such detailed information—who was he really?

San Shu felt an itch of impatience, wishing he could dive into the sea immediately to investigate. He then released Jie Lianhuan and softly said, “Is that all? You should have said so earlier! What’s our relationship? What’s the harm in telling me? Do you think I would steal from you?”

Jie Lianhuan had already wilted and said, “I hid this matter from my old man, and of course, I don’t want you to know about it either. Besides, we aren’t that familiar, and I’m afraid that speaking out might cause more trouble. Tell me honestly, if I had been straightforward, would you have let me join the archaeological team?”

Uncle San thought about it and realized he had indeed relaxed a lot. He replied, “You have a point. However, I must remind you that Qiu Dekao is known as ‘the old man with white hair’ in Changsha. This person is not to be underestimated. I think this fight won’t be easy for you. Either you should temporarily set it aside, and we can go back and find some people to discuss it in detail, or let me accompany you this time. After all, I’m not just bragging; I have more experience than you.”

Jie Lianhuan spat and said, “They say you, Wu Sanxing, are smarter than a monkey. I’m not flattering you. If you want to join in on the action, just say so. We’re in the same boat, and at this point, what can I say to refuse?”

Uncle San couldn’t help but sneer inwardly, thinking that this second-generation heir was somewhat perceptive. So the two of them teamed up temporarily, agreeing that once they entered, they would take what they needed and not drag each other down. If things didn’t go well after they came out, they shouldn’t regret it.

Uncle San’s actions at that moment could not be said to be purely driven by profit; it was not exactly honorable, and it even reminded me of the behavior of a glutton. This shows that Uncle San’s character wasn’t something that had matured overnight.

After making a solemn vow and preparing their gear, the two of them put down the rubber raft and set out to sea at night. They rowed in the dark, relying on a compass, and soon reached the “Shatou Reef” mentioned by the foreigner. Uncle San looked up and saw that the sky was completely covered with dark clouds, with no moonlight at all. He was startled and said to Jie Lianhuan, “You really picked a good time; there isn’t even a sliver of moonlight, and with the dark clouds overhead, it’s like a blind person entering a cave. With odds like this, one of us might not make it back. Keep your eyes open, and let’s be careful.”