In May, the weather started to get a little hot, and Fatso and I stood outside the train station early in the morning.
"What time is it? Wasn't the train supposed to leave at eleven?"
Pangzi wiped the sweat from his forehead and drank his tea with a frown.
"I don't know either, let's wait a bit longer. By the way, how's your uncle doing?"
It had been over a month since we had heard any news about Pangzi's uncle. We had intended to help, but it got delayed because we were learning skills from Lao at that time.
"He's gone on the run, left last month. Seems like he went to Inner Mongolia to lay low for a while, and a few foreigners even came to my house last week. But my grandpa showed them the Japanese officer's sword we have at home, and they didn't dare to mess around. Now that Zhuzi-ge is coming to Shanghai, let's find an opportunity to explore Xuanming Temple and find some treasures."
Pangzi had never given up on the idea of digging for treasures at Xuanming Temple. It seemed like he had also learned some skills from Master Han. He had been staying at Master Han's house for over a month, but I wasn't sure what exactly he had been learning.
As we were talking, a voice suddenly came from beside us.
"Hey."
Pangzi and I were both startled and looked around, only then did we realize that Li Dunzhu was already standing next to us. He was quite short and didn't stand out in the crowd.
"Haha, welcome to Shanghai."
I hurried over to help Zhuzi with his luggage. It seemed like he had come alone, and his long hair had been cut short. He looked somewhat tired, with a hint of weariness and gloom in his eyes. It seemed like he had encountered some unpleasant events...
"Let's find a place to eat first. The arrangements at the guest house are all set. Stick with us after arriving in Shanghai."
We found a small restaurant near the train station to have a meal. After ordering a few dishes and a few cups of wine, we started chatting.
"Zhuzi, how's business been lately?"
I asked.
Li Dunzhu swallowed the wine, hesitated, and sighed, "Got into some trouble. Lost a few brothers, and almost lost my life too."
Pangzi and I were shocked at his words. Li Dunzhu certainly had some skills; otherwise, he wouldn't have been able to survive in this business for so long. What kind of trouble could make him suffer such a big loss?
"What happened?"
Pangzi quickly poured him some wine and asked.
"Well, it's not a big deal; I can tell you guys. Last month, I and a few other brothers took on a job selling tickets, worth 200,000!"
At that time, 200,000 was unimaginable for Pangzi and me! We were even more curious.
"Making that 200,000 wasn't easy. In ancient times, in the State of Chu, there was a legend that in Danyang, a giant snake over ten meters long was found. It could swallow people and cause trouble in the area. The State of Chu sent a large army to exterminate it, and after killing the snake, they unexpectedly found a gem in its belly. The surface of this gem emitted a five-colored light, said to be the true treasure created by the snake's spirit. But with the passage of time, the whereabouts of this gem became unknown. My buyer offered 200,000 to get us this gem!"
Rare treasures are not easy to come by. Look at how many people died because of the famous He Shi Bi.
"What happened next?"
Pangzi asked.
The buyer's preliminary intelligence work was well done. They said that they discovered an ancient tomb near the present Zhechuan County, and only one of the several tomb raiders who went down there escaped death. When they came out, they mentioned seeing a precious pearl inside, so I rushed over with my brothers. At that time, one of our buddies who had experience in tomb raiding was also with us. Upon entering the tomb chamber, suddenly the tombs around us closed, and all the corpses inside the tomb..."
At this point, Zhubo suddenly tilted his head back and drained the contents of his cup, with a somber expression on his face. It took a long time for him to speak again, saying, "It was an encounter with a zombie; I was the only one who escaped."
Perhaps recalling the tragic situation of his brothers, Zhubo ended his final words hastily.
"What does 'encounter with a zombie' mean?" the chubby guy asked me in a low voice.
"Encounter with a zombie means coming across a zombie. Generally speaking, zombies are invulnerable, strong, and fearless of weapons, but they fear sunlight and fire, and their negative energy cannot counteract positive energy. However, they are difficult for ordinary people to deal with."
I had never really seen a zombie; Shanghai had been practicing cremation for a long time, so any zombies would just be burned in the fire. Zhubo drank alone with his head down, and because the atmosphere was a bit tense, the chubby guy quickly said a few words to ease the tension.
"Alright, let's talk about business. I also need money now, and the resettlement fee for a few of my brothers has not been settled. I rushed over here after hearing that there is a business opportunity. Please tell me more..."
With a wave of his hand, Zhubo asked me to continue, and I quickly recounted the details of the Xuanming Temple and the Dark Garden, particularly describing the pale-faced dark-eyed weirdo. After listening, Zhubo did not immediately respond and thought for a long time before saying, "The situation is a bit tricky, but there should be treasure underneath Xuanming Temple."
The chubby guy perked up after hearing the second half of the sentence, laughing heartily, "I knew there must be treasure underneath!"
"The green light you saw might be a treasure, perhaps a night pearl."
After hearing this, both the chubby guy and I were dumbfounded. We had no idea what a night pearl was! Also known as luminous stone, it is a natural mineral that can glow naturally at night and is extremely valuable. The Empress Dowager Cixi was particularly fond of night pearls, and the most expensive ones commanded astronomical prices!
"But it's not certain; it might be fluorite. However, the large hole in the well still has a deep space below. I think there may be a hidden treasure down there!."
Zhubo did not make a clear statement, but these words were enough to excite the chubby guy and me. If it truly is a night pearl that could sell for a fortune, not only could we settle the debt of the chubby guy's uncle, but we could also move to the forefront of the reform and opening-up period!
"The only tricky part is dealing with the pale-faced weirdo, and I don't know what we're dealing with. He may have eaten a 'life cat,' and we have to get rid of him first before we can get in."
What Zhubo was worried about was exactly my greatest concern dealing with the guard dog before we can enter and loot the treasure.
"Alright, tonight, we'll scout around, and I'll go see the pale-faced weirdo."
Zhubo said he would take care of it, and the chubby guy and I were immediately elated. As we were eating and drinking, Zhubo suddenly noticed the wolf tooth hanging around my neck, which I had bought at the morning market before.
"Oh, a wolf tooth."
He reached out and took a look at the wolf tooth.
"This has been blessed by a master." After all, he was an old hand in the field, with a sharp eye. "This is a treasure, don't even think about selling it. You'll need this kind of treasure for protection when trafficking ghosts and monsters in the future."
At around 8 o'clock at night, the three of us took a bus to the vicinity of Xuanming Temple. Although we had been there several times before, the entire Xuanming Temple still exuded a chill. Standing outside the main gate, Zhubo took out three incense sticks, lit them, and bowed to the gate before pulling us back a few steps.
"When entering a temple to pay respects to the gods, you must remember this in the future. Even if it's the Earth God we're supplying, you must still bow before going in. You can't offend the gods or Buddha, and you can't contradict the ghost officials or the underworld. Do you understand?" Zhubo advised me, and I nodded quickly. I couldn't see any problem with the incense sticks inserted in the temple gate at night, with the green smoke rising gently into the air.
"The temple is clean, but that doesn't mean what's under the temple is clean. As long as there are Bodhisattvas in the temple, everything is peaceful, but resentment easily hides in the well, and blessings cannot reach it, so it's not surprising that there are monsters hiding underneath. What's more, the protective talisman given by Daba didn't work against that weirdo; perhaps that weirdo has some unique powers."
Big Brother Zhu took us into Xuaming Temple. The temple was quiet at night, with no bird calls or insect chirping to be heard. A bright moon hung high in the sky, casting its light into the courtyard. I had some psychological shadow about that well and didn't dare to approach it. The fat man behind us was carrying a ladder, following along. When we reached the courtyard, Zhu lit a cigarette but didn't smoke it. He flicked it lightly and the cigarette butt fell into the well.
"Wait!"
He told us to stop and after about ten seconds, he said, "There's nothing strange down there."
"What kind of statement is that?" I asked, puzzled.
"This smoke is actually poison. If it falls into the well, if there are spirits or wild beasts down there that can't stand the smell of smoke, they would react. But everything is quiet now, so it should be fine. As for the white-faced monster you mentioned, it probably isn't down there now."
As soon as Big Brother Zhu finished explaining, the fat man grinned and interjected, "That's good, while it's not here, let's go down and find some treasures."
As he spoke, he headed towards the well, but Zhu grabbed the fat man's arm and shook his head, "No, we can't be reckless in searching for treasures. The consequences are too great and it's easy to get into trouble. Caution is our top priority! Let's stay here and wait for the monster to come back first and deal with it!"