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Kapitel 67

I began planning this scheme more than a decade ago to deal with the Ba people. The labyrinth on Peach Blossom Mountain was just one part of it. I won't place all my hopes on that one plan. If the Ba people discover my plan, then I will surely be in grave danger. After my death, the Ba people will definitely not give up their search for the sacred object. Therefore, while I was starting to lay the groundwork by adopting the children of Manan, another plan was also unfolding simultaneously.

Yang Zheng is not my son; he is an adopted child, just like you all. His greatest misfortune is that he has never spent a single day with me. His unusual birth experience told me that this child would inevitably grow up to be extraordinary. I knew then that he could do something for my plan, so my initial intention was to bring him to that remote border town and let him grow up with Ma Nan and the others. But unfortunately, Yang Zheng's mother is still alive, and even more unfortunately, after meeting me, she actually fell in love with me.

I could only leave far behind, but I never forgot that child. Later, when I discovered that Yang Zheng suffered from some kind of schizophrenia, and that a very strong tendency towards violence lurked within him, I had the Great Wizard of Longyang use his supernatural powers to seal away the evil part of his heart for his future. I never imagined that my unintentional act back then would become part of today's plan.

My second plan was originally intended to deal with the Ba people, as I explained in another letter. But like the labyrinth on Peach Blossom Mountain, it remains a death trap. Once the Ba people find him, they will inevitably suffer the same fate as Batu.

But in the end, I suddenly realized that if I died, the people I needed to be wary of, besides the Ba people, were also Han Shan—you would definitely try every means to obtain those Ba sacred objects, and with your wisdom, you would easily solve the riddle I left behind. In that case, that death trap might become your final destination.

The Ba people are searching for a sacred relic, and Chu Yan and Ma Nan will be their only clues. At the appropriate time, I will leave a clue leading to the trap for Chu Yan, so that they will find an iron box in another room. Inside, I will leave the whereabouts of the Ba sacred relic—it requires the Ba ritual implement Fuxi Ram Horn Pillar and the Jianmu doll I left for Ma Nan to open the passage.

If the Ba people find the iron box, they only need to find Manan to get the Jianmu doll.

If Han Shan obtains the iron box, then in order to find the treasure, he must first obtain the Ba people's magical artifact.

What will happen next, I can no longer predict, but whoever goes in search of the treasure will ultimately die. Therefore, I hope Han Shan can see these words first, so at least you won't be the one falling into the trap. You are my child, like my other children, and I hope you will all live happy and peaceful lives. But sometimes, things don't go as I wish. The plan from back then has already been laid, the arrow is on the bowstring, and I have no way out.

Hanshan—my child, I sincerely hope you are reading these words of mine now, so that you may stay away from danger and not fall into the trap I have set for the Ba people. But if you disappoint me, I will not blame you; at least, we can soon be reunited in heaven—if we can even go to heaven.

After reading the words on the letter, Ma Nan and Qin Ge looked at each other in bewilderment.

Although the letter still didn't reveal Han Shan's identity, it did tell them the truth behind the recent events. The flaming chrysanthemum painting that Ba Rong left for Chu Yan after his death was actually another death invitation prepared for the Ba people. Ba Rong had arranged another killing scheme for the Ba people in another location. However, Han Shan, coveting the Ba people's sacred object, discovered the iron box Ba Rong had left in another room before the Ba people, and he embarked on a perilous treasure hunt.

In this passage, Ba Rong emphasizes that only by possessing both the Fuxi Ram Horn Pillar and the Jianmu Doll can the passage to the treasure be opened—which is actually a death trap, just like the maze on Peach Blossom Mountain. Thus, Han Shan went to great lengths to kill Ba Qi and obtain the Fuxi Ram Horn Pillar, while Chu Yan took the Jianmu Doll from Hong Mian. The key to opening the death passage is ready; have they opened it yet?

What weighed heavily on Ma Nan's mind was the exact nature of Chu Yan's relationship with Han Shan. Was she being coerced by Han Shan, or was she already colluding with him? After all, they were both Ba Rong's right-hand men and had known about the Ba tribe's secrets beforehand.

Furthermore, Ba Rong's writings do not mention who Han Shan actually is. If Han Shan has already entered that death passage, will he forever lie silently in that dark space, never revealing his true identity?

Ma Nan held the letter in his hand, deep in thought, when he suddenly heard Qin Ge beside him say, "There are more words at the end."

He quickly turned the letter over and, sure enough, saw a line of text on the back.

Tianxiang Street, located more than ten miles from the city, boasts convenient transportation. Though called a street, it's actually a very small town. Decades ago, it was the commercial center of the northern Jiangsu and southern Shandong region, home to wealthy families. However, with the passage of time, Tianxiang Street is now in a state of disrepair. Because the streets and buildings are ancient relics from the Ming and Qing dynasties, the city, in the name of protecting cultural relics, prohibits renovations. However, lacking the funds for repairs, Tianxiang Street continues to fall into ruin.

Tianxiang Street is no more than two meters wide, paved entirely with bluestone slabs. However, the installation of drainage pipes more than ten years ago severely damaged the bluestone surface. The houses on both sides all feature wide eaves and flying ridges, but many of these eaves are long gone, leaving only wooden frames that stubbornly display their former grandeur. In each resident's home, on one side of the main hall wall, there is a "Tianxiang Pavilion," enshrining various deities and Buddhas, hence the name Tianxiang Street. Legend has it that each household on Tianxiang Street had its own well. However, according to on-site research by folklorist Gao Wei, while the claim of one well per household is somewhat exaggerated, there are actually 210 wells on Tianxiang Street, and each one is different. Trumpet creeper blooms everywhere on Tianxiang Street, climbing all the walls of every courtyard.

Most residents of Tianxiang Street commute between the town and the city. Some have bought houses in the city but are reluctant to give up their old homes on Tianxiang Street. Therefore, those who rarely return to the town rent out their houses. As a result, Tianxiang Street is a mixed community.

That morning, two more out-of-towners appeared on Tianxiang Street, looking travel-worn.

Upon arrival, they went directly to the town's police station. There were only two police officers there. After checking the ID of one of the out-of-towners, they warmly led them onto the street.

The two out-of-towners, Qin Ge and Ma Nan, had taken a train for two days and one night before finally arriving at Tianxiang Street.

They came here looking for an old house called Huang Family Courtyard.

The Huang family's old house is quite famous on Tianxiang Street. Legend has it that the Huang family's ancestors served as officials in Beijing, and their family had so much silver that it filled a cellar. Every year after the plum rain season, the Huang family would take out the silver coins to dry in the yard.

The Huang family's decline began during the Cultural Revolution, when an elderly couple in their eighties hanged themselves one night from a beam in their old house. Most of the Huang family's descendants scattered after that, and now only a man with a broken leg remains, guarding the old house.

Just as Qin Ge and Ma Nan were on their way to the Huang family's old house, they suddenly heard a loud bang. Smoke and dust billowed in the distance, and someone screamed. Street kids rushed past, all converging on the direction from which the loud bang came from.

Ma Nan and Qin Ge's expressions changed drastically. They immediately realized they were too late; the trap left by Ba Rong had already been set in motion.

They followed the police to the scene of the incident, only to find the Huang family's old house reduced to ruins, with dust billowing everywhere. The Huang family descendant with the broken leg sat blankly outside, his face filled with astonishment, as if he himself had no idea what had happened to his family.

The old Huang family residence on Tianxiang Street is the address that Ba Rong wrote on the back of that letter.

This is naturally the place where he set up the killing trap.

The only reason the Huang family's old house suddenly collapsed was that Han Shan had already used the Fuxi Ram Horn Pillar and the Jianmu Doll to open the passage, which triggered the mechanism, causing an explosion. So, naturally, they were buried deep under the ruins.

Ma Nan and Qin Ge stood stunned beside the ruins, both somewhat dejected. But thinking back to what happened at the Duguang Building that night, more than ten days had passed. They had anticipated before coming that Han Shan would have already opened the passage, but they hadn't expected they were just a step too late. It seemed that to find out who Han Shan really was, they would have to wait until the ruins were cleared and the body found.

Qin Ge and Ma Nan thanked the police officers from the police station and turned away dejectedly. Just then, Ma Nan suddenly noticed a familiar figure in the crowd of onlookers.

She was actually Chu Yan, who had taken the Jianmu doll and refused to meet him.

Chu Yan's expression was solemn; she had clearly seen Ma Nan. But she didn't even try to avoid him. Their eyes met, she sighed softly, and slowly walked towards Ma Nan.

"Big brother, you've come," she said softly.

The long-awaited reunion brought surprise, but not excitement. Ma Nan stared at the thin Chu Yan, hesitated for a moment, then stepped forward and hugged her tightly—Chu Yan was safe and sound; wasn't that the greatest comfort to him?

Chu Yan was hugged by her older brother, and tears immediately blurred her vision.

Chu Yan told Ma Nan and Qin Ge the secret of Tianxiang Street—Ba Rong mentioned in another iron box that Tianxiang Street had suffered a once-in-a-century earthquake during the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, and all the streets and houses had sunk underground. The current Tianxiang Street was rebuilt on the site of the original ruins, hence the saying that Tianxiang Street is also known as a city on a city.

The sacred object of the Ba ethnic group is located in the underground passage of the Huang family's old house on Tianxiang Street.

The underground passage was discovered by Ba Rong by chance when he traveled here, and he decided to use it as a place to hide his treasure. To this end, he spent a lot of money to renovate the passage, making it more solid. At the same time, he also set up some mechanisms. The door of the passage will only open when the Fuxi Ram Horn Pillar and the Jianmu Doll are inserted into specially made slots at the same time.

Just now, Han Shan entered the secret room and opened the passage door. The explosion occurred immediately afterward.

"Why are you here? Why didn't you go into the passage with him?" Ma Nan asked.

Chu Yan hesitated for a moment before replying, "Because my father told me that no matter what, I should never get close to the sacred objects of the Ba tribe, because they are ominous objects for ordinary people. They contain thousands of years of spiritual energy, and if you cannot control them, you will definitely be hurt by them."

"Then why did you help Han Shan retrieve the Jianmu Doll? Was it really because you ate the poisonous herbs of the Ba people?" Ma Nan asked.

Chu Yan nodded: "When the Ba people found me, the first thing they did was give me a poisonous herb to eat, and then they took me to see Han Shan. I know that he has been helping my father all these years. But he and I had eaten the poisonous herb from the Ba people, and we had to help the Ba people find their lost sacred object."

"Later, Han Shan bribed a Ba tribesman and obtained the antidote for the poisonous herb. Then, you brought the Fuxi Ram Horn Pillar and the Jianmu Doll here," Ma Nan said in a deep voice.

“I was also curious about the sacred objects of the Ba people. Han Shan promised me that we would split the treasure equally among the three of us. But after we arrived here yesterday, I heard the locals talking about the hanging of someone in the Huang family's old house, and I had a bad feeling. This morning, I remembered what my father had told me, so I decided to wait outside for Han Shan to come out. Unexpectedly, the Huang family's old house suddenly collapsed. I immediately thought that this might be another trap set by my father. He wanted to use it against the Ba people, but he ended up killing Han Shan instead.”

"Then what about Yang Zheng? Why would Han Shan think of hiring Yang Zheng to deal with the Ba people?" Ma Nan asked.