Chapter 13 The Truth About Xisha

Qiu Dekao’s narrative came to an end here, and everything that happened next occurred after Xie Lianhuan visited Uncle Three.

His story helped enlighten me as to the cause of this whole thing, and also made me realize that Uncle Three had been involved quite early in the process. I was also surprised to find that A Ning’s company had such a deep relationship with our family.

After Uncle Three finished telling this part of the story, he paused and said that if I had any questions or doubts, I could ask him now.

The only reason he offered was because he was feeling a little indignant after I made it clear that I didn’t believe him just now.

I thought it over, and while I couldn’t say that I didn’t believe him, there were still a few places in his story that didn’t add up.

Just now, I learned that Qiu Dekao and Xie Lianhuan had been in contact for a long time, and the meeting that Uncle Three witnessed was just a reunion. Based on what I learned after that, it seemed like Qiu Dekao went to Xie Lianhuan because he wanted him to join Chen Wen-Jin’s archaeological team to Xisha, sneak into Wang Zanghai’s undersea tomb, and take something out for him. This thing was probably the snake-eyebrow copper fish that Wang Zanghai created to hide the secrets of the Eastern Xia Kingdom.

But Qiu Dekao only knew about the blood corpse tomb because of Uncle Three—there was no doubt about that—so how did he know about the undersea tomb? Did Uncle Three tell him about it as well? No, that was impossible.

Also, according to Uncle Three, it was the silk book of the Warring States Period that caused this whole thing. But how was Wang Zanghai’s tomb in Xisha connected to the silk book? Why did Qiu Dekao suddenly turn his attention to Xisha?

When I brought these questions up to Uncle Three, he nodded and said, “You bring up a good point. It really was Qiu Dekao who asked Xie Lianhuan to join the archaeological team, but your assumption is only half correct. According to Qiu Dekao, Xie Lianhuan entered the tomb not for the sake of snake-eyebrow copper fish, but to take photographs of the corpse in the coffin.”

As for the reason, the foreigner refused to say. He also refused to disclose where he got the information about Wang Zanghai’s undersea tomb. When Uncle Three asked him about it, all he responded with was an old Chinese saying: “The secrets of heaven cannot be revealed.”

“But,” Uncle Three leaned in closer, “what happened later more or less gave me an idea of how he found out about it. Listen and tell me if you think it makes sense.”

I nodded in agreement. Uncle Three drew a few points on the hospital bed with his fingers and said, “I came up with the idea after thinking about it for a while. About a year after that incident in Changsha, the foreigner returned to China and became interested in Xisha. Judging by the time frame, he must have learned about the existence of this undersea tomb some time during that year. So, something must have happened during that year, which prompted him to get in contact with Xie Lianhuan again.

“But we know that during that time, Qiu Dekao was still recovering from the great shock he received at the blood corpse tomb. It’s obviously unlikely that he suddenly recovered and decided to devote himself to another project once he knew that there was an ancient tomb at the bottom of the sea. The only thing that could attract his attention at that time was something related to the silk books of the Warring States Period. So, we can infer that his recovery was also related to the silk books. Qiu Dekao must have been enticed by some information found in the silk books, and only then did he notice that there was a connection to Xisha.

“It’s impossible to guess what spurred him into action again, but based on what happened later, I think it’s very likely that he met someone who had been in the undersea tomb before. There’s a good chance that this person helped Qiu Dekao understand the hidden meaning behind the silk book’s star map. There must have been a connection between this hidden meaning and Wang Zanghai’s tomb, which prompted Qiu Dekao to turn his attention to Xisha. That’s why Qiu Dekao returned to China, found Xie Lianhuan, and asked him to infiltrate the archaeological team.”

“Why are you so sure it’s because he met someone, and not because of something else?” I asked.

“Because of the information,” Uncle Three replied. “Qiu Dekao’s information about the ancient tomb was too detailed and accurate, which means that someone must have gone in and gathered the intel. There’s no other way he could have known such details.”

I nodded. It made sense, but why would a star map from a silk book of the Warring States Period have any relation to a Ming Dynasty tomb? It seemed a little too incredible to believe. Did Tie Mian Xiansheng look at the arrangement of the stars and predict that a thousand years later, a colleague would build a tomb in that place?

If the arrangement of the stars could have predicted such trivial things, I was sure such an art wouldn’t be lost now. This point still needed to be verified.

Then there was the Xisha incident. After it occurred, everything became chaotic. The whole archaeological team disappeared in the ancient undersea tomb, except for Uncle Three. Qiu Dekao once thought that Uncle Three had killed them all, but based on how Uncle Three acted after that, he didn’t seem to know what had actually happened. In the end, the whole thing became a huge mystery, and the “truth” of the matter depended on what Uncle Three had to say.

After a short break, Uncle Three waved his hand, indicating that he was ready to continue. I quickly pulled myself together and sat up straighter.

He took a deep breath first, his mood obviously changing. What he had told me so far was from Qiu Dekao’s perspective, so he didn’t have any strong feelings about it. Now, however, he was about to talk about his own experience.

After exhaling, his expression darkened and he started talking a little slower, as if he was hesitant to voice the next part.

Taking another second to gather his thoughts, he then said to me, “I’ll be frank with you. When we were in Jinan, there are some things about Xisha that I lied to you about. But I had no other choice. This matter has always been a sore spot in my heart and I never wanted to bring it up again. You have to understand me.”

I nodded but didn’t say anything. I already knew that he had lied to me, but I wasn’t going to blame him. All I cared about was finding out the truth.

Uncle Three took a sip of water and continued, “In fact, when I helped the archeological team discover the undersea tomb, it was all just an act—Xie Lianhuan and I had actually already been inside earlier that morning. But the place where we went in was different from where you guys entered because Xie Lianhuan had very detailed information that led us directly to the main part of the tomb. Per Qiu Dekao’s instructions, our goal was the chamber where Wang Zanghai’s coffin was.”

I thought of the layout of the undersea tomb and asked, “Are you talking about the middle of the three chambers?”

Uncle Three shook his head and gave a wry smile, “No, the place you’re thinking of is only the first level of the tomb. That sunken ship is a lot bigger than you can imagine. Wang Zanghai’s coffin was buried at the lowest level, but the situation there was very strange… It’s a little hard to describe it in words.”

At that time, the information Xie Lianhuan received from Qiu Dekao was very detailed, so it became clear that the original information was legit. Qiu Dekao also provided Xie Lianhuan with an American flash camera that was said to be the most advanced model in the world—it was very compact and also waterproof.

According to the information, there was a place about a quarter of a kilometer to the left of the reef where the archaeological team was investigating. The locals called it “Shatou Reef”. It was a forest of submerged reefs, consisting of dozens of main reefs and countless underwater reefs scattered around like stars. These various reefs were all connected underwater, forming a part of a giant coral reef. On one of the reefs was a karst cave, which was located below sea level. Even at low tide, only a small trace of it could be seen. This was likely the place where the craftsmen who built the ship let it sink into the sea. From here, you could enter the reef and see how the huge shipwreck was embedded in the sand and reef at the bottom of the sea.

In order to get inside the sunken ship, all you had to do was enter the karst cave and follow it all the way down to the bottom. There were even detailed instructions on where to go and what things to be careful of—it was almost like Qiu Dekao was the one who designed the tomb.

Even ordinary ancient legal documents might not contain such detailed information. That was why Uncle Three thought that someone might have entered this undersea tomb before. Maybe that person wasn’t able to find what they were looking for even though they made it in, so that was why Qiu Dekao had to ask someone else to help him.

Xie Lianhuan, as someone who was well aware of his own skills and worth, usually wouldn’t agree to any requests asking him to go into the field himself. But Qiu Dekao was different. First, Xie Lianhuan felt that he owed him; second, Xie Lianhuan had participated in many family affairs over the past year and finally gained some experience in the field. As a result, his courage and skills were much different than before. In addition, Qiu Dekao had offered very good conditions and Xie Lianhuan was at that age where he was full of blind confidence. So, in the end he agreed to go.

When Uncle Three first learned that Xie Lianhuan was working together with that foreigner, he initially wanted to oppose his cousin joining the archaeological team. However, many things happened afterwards, which made Uncle Three feel that something strange was going on. In order to figure out what their real purpose was, Uncle Three decided to take a risk—he deliberately persuaded Chen Wen-Jin to let Xie Lianhuan join the archaeological team and then secretly watched him to see what he would do.

The whole thing unfolded in a strange way, and there are still many secrets that have yet to be revealed, but they’re not important enough to discuss here. I’ll just focus on Xie Lianhuan and what happened the night before his accident in Xisha.

It was the first day when the archaeological team’s work entered the final stage. They were almost done salvaging and the work was easy, so everyone decided to have a few drinks before going to bed.

Xie Lianhuan had been waiting for this opportunity. There were only a few days left before the work was finished, so he knew that it was now or never—he would never get another chance like this. After ensuring that everyone was sound asleep, he quietly got up, pretending that he had to go to the bathroom. In fact, he was really checking to see what the situation was like up on the deck so that he could decide whether to go out to sea or not.

But what he didn’t know was that his childhood playmate, that pushover Wu Sanxing, had already become experienced with the ways of the world and was now more cautious—he had been watching Xie Lianhuan’s every move ever since he got on the boat.

Uncle Three felt quite depressed at that time. He was already upset with Xie Lianhuan, but now it was so much worse because he couldn’t figure out what the other man’s goal was. Xie Lianhuan’s presence on the boat was like a ticking time bomb—Uncle Three didn’t know when it would explode or how powerful the blast would be. So, instead of spending time wooing Chen Wen-Jin like he had originally planned, Uncle Three had to constantly stay alert and keep a close eye on his cousin.

There was also another reason why my uncle was so cautious around Xie Lianhuan. He didn’t come out and say it directly, but I could tell from his story that Xie Lianhuan liked Chen Wen-Jin a lot. First, this rich guy knew how to gain a woman’s affection (and was much better at it than Uncle Three); second, Xie Lianhuan’s appearance and personality were in no way inferior to that of Uncle Three. It was only natural that Uncle Three, who was inexperienced when it came to love, was jealous.

As a result, Uncle Three was ecstatic when Xie Lianhuan finally made his move. Right as Xie Lianhuan lowered a kayak into the water and prepared to row away from the fishing boat, Uncle Three suddenly appeared and pulled the kayak back.

Xie Lianhuan didn’t expect someone to suddenly appear like that, but when he saw that it was Uncle Three, he no longer felt afraid—if it were anyone else, they might have accused him of defecting to Vietnam, but Uncle Three knew him too well to do such a thing. So, Xie Lianhuan quietly asked Uncle Three let go of the kayak.

But Uncle Three had been holding onto his grudge for a long time and was very upset. How could he possibly let Xie Lianhuan go so easily? Gritting his teeth, he grabbed his cousin’s arm, twisted it behind his back, and asked him why he was going out to sea so late when he had tried so hard to join the archaeological team.

While Uncle Three did want to know the answer, this was also a bit of an excuse to vent some of his anger. Xie Lianhuan remained stubbornly quiet at first, but then he became angry—in Changsha, no one dared to treat him like this except for his elders. Keeping his voice low, he started cursing up a storm.

Uncle Three was used to his behavior, so as soon as heard him cursing, he immediately pushed the other man’s head into the water. He kept him submerged until Xie Lianhuan’s eyes were rolling into the back of his head, and then lifted him up and dunked him again. After repeating this several more times, Xie Lianhuan’s resistance faded away and he started to beg for mercy.

Uncle Three asked his question again, and this time, Xie Lianhuan told him everything in detail.

After listening, Uncle Three’s eyes lit up with interest and he could hardly believe his ears—as it turned out, there was actually a shipwreck tomb at the bottom of the sea! This was truly unexpected. In the old man’s journal, there were notes about his predecessors mentioning the existence of shipwreck tombs, but this kind of undersea tomb was extremely rare. Even the old man had only heard about them and had never found one himself. But that was to be expected—in the vast sea, where the sand could travel thousands of kilometers, it was ten thousand times harder to find a clue than on land. Yet, this foreigner somehow knew everything in such detail? What was he, a god?

Suddenly feeling antsy at the thought of a tomb being down there, Uncle Three wanted to go check it out right away. Releasing his hold on Xie Lianhuan, he said softly, “That’s it? Then why the fuck didn’t you tell me earlier? What kind of relationship do you think we have that you felt the need to remain silent? Do you think I’d steal from you?”

Xie Lianhuan, who was still recovering from his dunking just now, said to him, “I’m trying to keep this a secret from my old man, so of course I wouldn’t say anything to you. Besides, we don’t know each other very well. If I told you, I was afraid it would cause a lot more trouble. But be honest with me—if I had been truthful and told you everything from the start, would you have let me join the archaeological team?”

Uncle Three thought it over and realized that he made a good point. Feeling more relaxed now, he said to Xie Lianhuan, “You may be right, but let me remind you that this Qiu Dekao is called ‘Bulbul’ in Changsha.⁽¹⁾ He’s not some trash on the side of the road. As your cousin, I’ll be frank with you—I don’t think robbing this tomb is a good idea. You can either give up now—we can go back, find some more people, and come up with a better plan before returning later— or let me go with you. I’m not trying to brag, but I have more experience than you.”

Xie Lianhuan snorted, “People always say that Wu Sanxing is smarter than a monkey. I thought it was just flattery, but I see that’s not the case. If you want to join me, just come out and say it. No need to beat around the bush. We’re basically two grasshoppers tied to the same rope. Do you really think I can refuse you now that you know everything?”

Hearing this, Uncle Three couldn’t help but sneer to himself—it seemed that this spoiled rich guy fully understood what position he was in. So, the two men agreed to a temporary partnership. After they entered the tomb, they planned to take what they needed without bothering the other, regardless of what the outcome was.

Uncle Three’s behavior at that time was driven by profit rather than honor, which kind of reminded me of Fatty. Clearly, he hadn’t matured much over the years.

After swearing to adhere to the terms of their agreement, they gathered up the necessary equipment, climbed into the kayak, and went out to sea under the cover of darkness. They rowed in the dark, relying on their compass to point them in the right direction. Soon, they arrived at the place the foreigner had called “Shatou Reef”. Uncle Three looked up at the night sky and was surprised to find that the moon was hidden behind a cluster of dark clouds—no wonder the reef looked so dark. “You really chose a good time to do this,” he said to Xie Lianhuan. “Now even the moon is gone. With such thick cloud cover, we’ll be entering that cave blind. Two of us might go in, but there’s a good chance only one will make it out. If we both want to survive, we’ll need to be very careful.” 

<Chapter 12><Table of Contents><Chapter 14>

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TN Notes:

(1) A bulbul is a species of songbird that favors lightly wooded habitats. The bulbul bird holds a variety of meanings in cultures across the world, however, the most common interpretations are that it is associated with intelligence, endurance, eloquence, and good luck.