Only Grandma Lin would educate a child in such a manner. Lin Han's face turned bright red. That day, due to youthful ignorance, she had taken a sip of wine and for a long time afterward, she thought her grandfather was a monster.
After successfully diverting Lin Han's attention, I smiled and asked Lu Yao, "Tu Ke La, are you familiar with Xi'an?"
"Although I left eight or nine years ago, my connections in both the underworld and legitimate circles should still be useful."
"Go investigate what Zhao Shicheng is up to now. Even though he's younger than Grandpa, he should be a retired old man by now, retired for over a decade."
"Got it."
Lin Han pondered for a moment and then chimed in, "Zhao Shicheng came from an archaeology team, but why have I never heard of him in the antique collector's circle?"
"Let's investigate. I think if we can find Zhao Shicheng, it might be easier to return this set of 'Jing Ke Assassinating Qin Wang'."
Lin Han nodded, her expression softening. Just as I was about to speak, I heard someone talking to Lin's mother outside. Lin Han's eyebrows shot up, and she quickly strode out.
Chang Dachun had arrived!
Upon seeing Lin Han, Chang Dachun clasped her shoulders and looked her up and down. "Are you injured?"
"No."
I pointed to the bandages on myself. "Brother, I'm the one who's injured."
Chang Dachun was about to speak when I gestured for him to be quiet. Chang Dachun glanced knowingly at the kitchen, understanding that Lin Han and I were keeping this from Lin's mother. He smiled. "It's good that you're safe."
"What about Second Brother?"
"Don't worry about him, he's eating and drinking well. What exactly happened here?"
"Let's go to the study to talk."
At that moment, Lin's mother emerged from the kitchen, smiling warmly. "Don't rush your reunion. Dinner is ready. Dachun, wash your hands and eat. There's wine by the wine cabinet."
The meal was a warm and joyful affair. Lin's mother hadn't been this happy in a long time. Lin Han felt a pang of sadness, but seeing her mother's joy, she decided to keep the secret to herself. This, she thought, was perhaps the Lin family's legacy.
Not long after dinner, Lu Yao left. He was going to investigate Zhao Shicheng's whereabouts. Lin Han was in the study, telling Chang Dachun about my experiences since the New Year. I went into the kitchen to help Lin's mother wash dishes.
"You don't need to, Xiao Tang. What happened to your arm?"
"Fell off a motorcycle."
"Oh dear, then you shouldn't do this, you might get an infection."
"Mom, it's my arm that's injured, not my hand."
Lin's mother smiled. "It's all the same, don't pull on the wound."
Watching Lin's mother busy herself, I pondered the events that might unfold. National treasures were a matter of great consequence. For the happiness of my family, I absolutely could not let things escalate. Even if it cost money, returning it quietly would suffice.
The next day, after breakfast, I met Lu Yao. Lu Yao had a sly grin on his face. "Absence makes the heart grow fonder, were you tired out last night?"
"Why are you here so early? Didn't you have breakfast? Too bad, you're late, we've already eaten."
Just then, Lin's mother came into the living room. She glanced at Lu Yao and asked with a smile, "Xiao Lu, so early, have you had breakfast yet?"
"No."
"I'll warm up some flatbread for you, and the lamb soup from yesterday."
"Thank you, Sister-in-law."
After Lu Yao spoke, he saw Lin's mother go into the kitchen and then gave me a show-off glance.
"Did you make some connections yesterday?"
"Everything's taken care of."
"So quickly?"
"Who do you think I am? I'm one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse serving your successor, The Schemer!"
I was shocked and looked at Lu Yao seriously. "Aren't you Four Color Old K? Why have you become the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse again?"
Lu Yao chuckled. "We discussed it yesterday. Four Color Old K was a nickname used in 'Zhengqi.' Using it again might cause trouble for you, so we decided to change our names. It's not finalized yet, but for now, I'll call myself one of the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse."
Perhaps because Li Jiu was called Long-Tongued Ghost, the people in Li Jiu's training class were particularly fond of nicknames. It was as if being a martial arts hero without one meant losing face.
"If you're the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse, then what do you call me? Jesus Mary?"
"You're so funny. We call you 'The Leader.' By the way, Leader, when are we going to see Zhao Shicheng?"
"Is it at the stage where we can meet him already?"
Lu Yao chuckled. "I may not be good at setting up schemes, Tu Ke La, but this little matter is well within my grasp. Leader, after breakfast, we'll go."
Lin Han had to return to the company. After all, she hadn't shown her face for months, and the managers were anxious, with many matters awaiting her attention. Lin Han, elegantly dressed, headed to work, while Lu Yao and I went to meet Zhao Shicheng.
Outside, Lu Yao pointed to a sleek Audi. "Leader, what do you think of this car? Understated, yet grand."
"Did you buy it?"
"Mm-hmm!"
"How much?"
"As the Leader, money isn't much of a concern for you. Don't ask too many questions. Let's go, we're off to see Zhao Shicheng."
Before meeting Zhao Shicheng, I had already prepared myself mentally. However, upon seeing him, I was filled with emotion. We met Zhao Shicheng in a mental hospital. He was dazed and foolish, sitting motionlessly, not uttering a word. Sometimes, saliva would dribble onto his clothes and pants. The staff would come over expressionlessly to clean him up, their movements as if they were wiping a table with a rag.
"He's gone mad. When did this happen?"
"About ten years ago."
"How could this happen?"
"I'm not entirely sure of the specifics. We've contacted his family, we'll ask them."
We met Zhao Shicheng's family, a mature and elegant woman who appeared to be well-off. Upon seeing me, she extended her hand. "Hello, I'm Zhao Zhichao."
"Are you Zhao Shicheng's daughter?"
"I'm his niece."
It turned out that Zhao Zhichao was Zhao Shizui's daughter. After Zhao Shizui was executed, his wife remarried. Zhao Shicheng took Zhao Zhichao into his own home and raised her as if she were his own daughter.
Zhao Shizui's death had tormented Zhao Shicheng. Ever since Zhao Shizui died, Zhao Shicheng had abandoned his underhanded schemes. He had a son and a daughter, as well as Zhao Zhichao, three children, and his wife was a homemaker. To support these three children, Zhao Shicheng worked tirelessly. However, due to suspicion of stealing national treasures, Zhao Shicheng's position was repeatedly demoted, and before retirement, he had become a gatekeeper.
After Zhao Shizui's death, Zhao Shicheng was awakened by nightmares almost every night. But he gritted his teeth and persevered for his three children. Once all three children had their own families and successful careers, Zhao Shicheng finally collapsed. Initially, his memory deteriorated, and he would constantly tell people that he had failed the country and the people. Later, he would grab anyone he saw and insist that he, not Zhao Shizui, should have been shot.
The three siblings collectively decided to send him to a mental hospital, but his condition worsened day by day, to the point where even eating became a problem.
After explaining Zhao Shicheng's situation, Zhao Zhichao asked the question weighing on her mind. "In my memory, my uncle had almost no friends. Why were you looking for him?"
"Our elders, before they passed away, had mentioned that a national treasure case was related to him."
"Who were your elders?"
"Curator Lin!"
"You're Lin Han's husband, Tang Nan?"
I hadn't even introduced myself, yet Zhao Zhichao had guessed my identity, which puzzled me. I looked at her. "How do you know Lin Han?"
"Who in Xi'an's antique circle doesn't know Lin Han, the Queen of the Underground Palace, and her husband who lives off her."
There wasn't much goodwill in that statement. This woman, who had always exuded elegance, suddenly spoke with such venom, indicating a certain resentment towards the Lin family. I gave an awkward smile, contemplating how to ask Zhao Zhichao about the national treasure. But before I could, Zhao Zhichao stood up. "If I had known you were from the Lin family, I wouldn't have met you. Don't disturb my uncle. If you don't heed my warning and continue to disrupt my uncle's life, I will call the police."
At this moment, Lu Yao spoke, "Ms. Zhao, we're all businessmen in the same circle. We'll meet again. What's with this attitude?"
"I apologize, Mr. Lu! Zhao Zhichao would rather starve than do business with anyone from the Lin family. If you intend to act as an intermediary between me and the Lin family, then the cooperation we discussed yesterday is null and void."
Zhao Zhichao finished speaking and turned to leave. Lu Yao looked at me helplessly. Just as I was about to chase after her, my attention was caught by a local news report on the nursing home's television. The news stated: A major artifact theft had occurred at the Shaanxi Museum. A bronze funerary object from the Terracotta Army pit had been stolen. The reporter suggested that this object was related to the twenty-year-old rumor of Jing Ke assassinating Qin. The police suspected that unscrupulous individuals were attempting to exploit this rumor to sell the national treasure at a high price.
After watching the news, I looked at Lu Yao and asked seriously, "Did you do this?"
"It wasn't me!"
"Have they arrived in Xi'an?"
"Who?"
"The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse!"
"No, Lao Ke is in the Northeast, Ye Qingcheng is in Beijing, and Xiao Zi'an is still in Foshan. Even if we wanted to help the Leader resolve his troubles, we wouldn't do it behind your back."
Something was strange. I had just returned to Xi'an, and someone had already taken action. The style was very much like Senior Sister's 'demonic style, clever schemes, and foreknowledge.'
I guessed it was likely the "Yanluo Hall" team Senior Sister had sent that had arrived, but why did they only steal that single bronze dagger and not the俑 heads?
Puzzled, I was about to call Lin Han when she called me. "Did you see the news?"
"Yes."
"Let's talk about it when you get home."