“Let’s go find the brigade leader and a few reliable elders to clarify things. I suspect they probably know something about this.”
Song Wei nodded in agreement.
After finishing his meal, Lin Zhen went to see his great-uncle.
He recounted everything about the giant serpent on Dabei Mountain and the spies. The news of Zhao Yuyin and Widow Hu’s capture couldn’t be hidden.
After listening, the great-uncle let out a deep sigh. “So they’ve still set their sights on it.”
Song Wei looked at him curiously.
“Very few people know about this. Many who did are no longer alive.”
“The people of Dazao Village originally belonged to just three families. These three families were the most loyal subordinates of that prince. After the prince was buried here, the ancestors of these three families settled here to guard the tomb.”
“From the time of our ancestors, only the clan leader was allowed to know this truth. But as the years passed, what clan leader remains? Among our Lin family, the last clan leader was my grandfather, Lin Zhen’s great-great-grandfather. He told my father, and my father, on his deathbed, passed the secret to me.”
The great-uncle took a puff of his cigarette. “This secret is too heavy. I had planned to take it to my grave, so no one would ever know. I was afraid that after I died, the younger generations might not be able to keep their mouths shut and would bring disaster upon our village.”
This matter had always been buried deep in his heart.
“I never thought it would still get out.”
The first generation of people were absolutely loyal to the prince, but who could guarantee that every subsequent generation would remain just as loyal, heeding their ancestors’ words and resisting the temptation of that wealth?
“Now, finding out who leaked the secret is no longer important. It likely happened during the war years—otherwise, those people wouldn’t have taken notice.”
The great-uncle tapped his pipe. “Since everyone knows now, I’ll gather the others who are aware. Oh, and bring the brigade leader too. We need to discuss how to handle this.”
Lin Zhen nodded and went to fetch the brigade leader.
Old Man Lin, with his hands behind his back, went to find the others.
Soon, everyone who knew about the matter gathered at Old Man Lin’s house.
Only one person came with Old Man Lin—an elderly man surnamed Jiang, who looked even older than the great-uncle.
“There’s no one left in the Wang family who knows about this.”
The brigade leader was completely in the dark.
“That giant serpent cannot be killed.”
As soon as they sat down, the elderly man surnamed Jiang spoke.
“Here, many of us worship Lord Snake, a tradition passed down from the royal tomb.”
He clearly knew more than the great-uncle.
“There’s a legend that the serpent was saved by the prince buried in the tomb. It was raised for many years, and after the prince’s death, it slithered into the tomb to guard him. The Taoist priest who selected the feng shui site for the tomb recorded this and told our ancestors that the serpent was spiritual and must not be harmed.”
“There are many snakes in that area, and the older generations often warned the children not to go there.”
The old man’s clouded eyes held a sharp intensity. “Since you know about it, I assume you’ve seen the giant serpent. Did it eat anyone?”
Lin Zhen replied, “It swallowed a few spies but didn’t kill them—it spat them out later.”
“Lin Zhen, I have a favor to ask of you.”
He stood up as he spoke. “Don’t kill the giant serpent. It’s spiritual. Killing it will bring disaster upon our village.”
Lin Zhen supported him by the arm. “Uncle, I will convey what you’ve said to the authorities.”
The discussion had reached a point where things were mostly clear, and the brigade leader finally understood the whole story.
“Those bastards really won’t rest!”
He felt a lingering fear. If they had remained unaware and unprepared, and those people had actually found the treasure, their brigade would never have known peace.
“Thankfully, you discovered it in time.”
Lin Zhen said, “I need to leave for a while.”
Song Wei knew he was probably going to see his old superior. It was best to keep this matter under wraps.
“Go ahead. I’ll wait for you to come back.”
After returning home, Lin Zhen packed his things. Without even resting for the night, he prepared to set off.
Before leaving, he hugged Song Wei.
“Wait for me to come back.”
“Okay.”
Song Wei, Hei Dan, and the other animals at home watched as Lin Zhen left Ping’an Brigade that evening.
Afterward, Song Wei moved directly into Lin Zhen’s house.
Within a couple of days, everyone in the brigade learned that Lin Zhen had gone on a long trip, though no one knew what he had left to do.
However, compared to Lin Zhen, they were more focused on another matter.
The police had come to their brigade and arrested Wang Shu, the man Widow Hu had remarried.
Not only Wang Shu but also Wang Shu’s father had been arrested.
It was only then that everyone learned that Widow Hu, Educated Youth Zhao, and another educated youth had been arrested.
Moreover, among the police officers who came to make the arrests, two were also from the newly arrived group of educated youths.
Although the police officers didn’t explain clearly, the scale of the operation and the number of arrests led everyone to suspect espionage.
Otherwise, why would so many people be arrested for no reason?
After the arrests, the brigade leader tried to calm the crowd.
“Stop speculating. Everyone, go about your business. If you keep guessing, you might end up getting yourselves arrested too.”
As soon as he said this, everyone immediately fell silent.
The scene earlier had been somewhat frightening.
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