Chapter 152: Gold Mining Company
At the entrance to the underground palace, the old town mayor trembled as he stood at the very front, his shriveled hands gripping the barrel of his gun. He thrust forward, straining his neck, and shouted as if risking his life, pleading for them to stop: “You—you will be punished for this! Stop immediately! This is a grave disrespect to our ancestors!”
Someone nearby scolded him, and when he still tried to move forward, they bound him as well.
Although the old mayor was advanced in years, at this moment the force he exerted was considerable. It took two people just to restrain him. Soldiers nearby tied ropes around him but dared not pull too tight. Seeing that he was still struggling, they muttered sharply: “Behave yourself!”
“You—you violate the rites of our ancestors, you traitors and villains! Everyone should punish you…!”
Lord Bai Jiu walked over. The soldiers carrying guns at his sides parted in two rows, clearing a path. The men restraining the mayor stopped, but the old mayor still glared at the newcomers, his face full of hatred.
Lord Bai Jiu stood before him, expression cold: “I’ll give you one more chance. Have someone lead the way.”
The old mayor laughed harshly, trying to lunge forward, but he was held back and stumbled to the ground. His robe was filthy at the edges, ropes looped around his neck and shoulders, his melon-cap gone, and his messy white hair fanned out behind him. The torchlight flickered across his face, casting eerie shadows. He looked up at Lord Bai Jiu and spat out slanderous words: “Who are you talking about? Cao Yunzhao, Lord Cao? If you want to ask about him, I have a question for you too—where did he abduct my wife to?”
The flames around them danced, and the old mayor, hair disheveled, shouted to those nearby: “Cao Yunzhao and the woman I was to marry were old acquaintances. That man had a wolfish ambition. I invited him in good faith to officiate the wedding, and who knew that after seeing my wife, he hurried away. When he returned, she had been abducted! To take someone else’s wife… worse than a beast!” He turned to Lord Bai Jiu, spat on the ground, and hissed hoarsely: “You’re no righteous man either, sheltering such a villain. You must be in cahoots…”
Lord Bai Jiu stepped closer, his face hardening. The old mayor’s curses caught in his throat for the first time, fear rising in his heart. Yet his obsession with the underground palace ran so deep that even with only one breath left, he refused to leave.
Lord Bai Jiu said: “Hold him down and tie him tighter. Today, he will watch clearly. Before dawn, dig everything out. I want the people found!”
The old mayor’s eyes glimmered with madness: “What if they’re gone, hahahaha!”
Someone nearby scolded him: “There’s no trace of vehicles; how could they vanish into thin air? They are definitely under this government office!”
But the old mayor laughed, his face unnaturally flushed. “They were chosen… chosen, and once here, they cannot leave. You’ll never find them again—”
“Even if it’s three feet in the abyss, I will find them,” Lord Bai Jiu said, eyes half-lowered, dark currents of killing intent and coldness radiating from him. “Alive, I want to see them. Dead… you will all accompany them in death.”
Lord Bai Jiu had the area surrounded, inside and out, encircling the entire government office. Torches blazed brightly, and the sound of digging never ceased.
The old mayor was restrained, veins bulging on his forehead, eyes fixed on the soil being shoveled from the underground palace entrance, his chest rising and falling with agitation.
At dawn, the diggers reached several smaller outer tomb chambers and rescued Cao Yunzhao.
Lord Bai Jiu acted decisively, immediately arresting all the townspeople of Shuiniu Town and locking them in the prison.
Cao Yunzhao had been unconscious for some time, with minor injuries, but nothing too serious. His slumber was partly due to drugs. Being the first to be abducted and then rescued, he recovered after a brief rest. He was helped to the underground palace entrance, only to find a huge pit dug out. The opening was so large a cart could fit.
The men supporting him led him inside. The sides were reinforced with wood, and soldiers came and went, wielding tools. The digging progressed quickly.
After walking a short distance, Cao Yunzhao finally saw Lord Bai Jiu, standing at the forefront, his face taut, eyes bloodshot.
The men assisting Cao Yunzhao were Bai Family guards. One whispered: “Young Master Cao, our lord hasn’t slept since he learned of the incident. If possible… please try to persuade him.” He said no more.
Cao Yunzhao exhaled. He had already learned roughly what had happened along the way: the East Courtyard lost several men, and now even Xie Jing was missing. Words of persuasion were useless. He approached Lord Bai Jiu and quietly asked, “How long has it been?”
Lord Bai Jiu’s voice was hoarse: “Two days and one night.”
Cao Yunzhao looked ahead, his expression complex.
Bai Jiu had done everything possible. In two days and one night, a path into the underground palace had been dug.
After a moment, Cao Yunzhao said: “I don’t know where Xie Jing and the others are. After I was knocked unconscious, I only woke once, vaguely remembering being confined in a side chamber. They are skilled with herbs; you might try tracking dogs to get a general direction.”
Lord Bai Jiu: “Tried. It rained yesterday, plus the chamber was sealed with soil. No luck.”
Cao Yunzhao heard the sound of pipes and a water pump. “The underground palace is flooding?”
Lord Bai Jiu: “Water is seeping in from below. Those digging said it could be a trap set in the tomb, or possibly an underground river.”
Cao Yunzhao shuddered: “If it floods, won’t it collapse? These people will destroy the palace…” He glanced around, then said: “Interrogate some of the townspeople, those who were always by the old mayor’s side. They must know something. Get them to lead the way and rescue the people!”
Lord Bai Jiu shook his head: “They won’t. They destroyed the mechanisms when they entered. Water in the palace rises. We can’t try again. If it weren’t urgent, I wouldn’t dig so fast.” He closed his eyes, voice trembling slightly: “I was too impatient. Even sending someone to scout would be fine. Now we can only dig as quickly as possible.”
Cao Yunzhao was anxious, reaching for his phone, but Lord Bai Jiu stopped him: “We have enough manpower. I’ve already recruited help.”
Lord Bai Jiu’s reinforcements included soldiers and Huang Renfeng as a coordinator, and also Xie Siquan.
Huang Renfeng was connected to the chief of staff, loyal to the Luo family. Lord Bai Jiu and Cao Yunzhao had ties with Luo Nianqiu, and family connections added influence. After Huang Mingyou’s incident, a single call brought quick agreement to lend manpower.
Though Luo Nianqiu agreed, the chief of staff at the Jiangkou barracks was reluctant.
He had been excavating the submerged treasure at Jiangkou for over two months, nearly bankrupt, only digging up three baskets of small coins, no gold or silver. Fearing military punishment from Commander Luo if he failed to yield profit, he was hesitant. A favor from Luo Nianqiu mattered little compared to his own life.
Military law and commerce are different.
Lord Bai Jiu returned in half a day, bringing two regiments. He and the chief of staff established a Jiangkou Gold Mining Company, investing 100,000 silver dollars, agreeing to excavate Shuiniu Town together. Profits would be split 30/70—30% to the Bai Family, 70% to the military.
Had procedures not been necessary, Lord Bai Jiu could have mobilized manpower in less than half a day. The chief of staff treated him like a living gold mine and immediately dispatched workers to Shuiniu Town. Even without underground treasures, the 100,000 silver resolved immediate financial concerns, compensating for prior losses in the river and preventing Commander Luo’s wrath.
Lord Bai Jiu had arrived slightly late. Cao Yunzhao and Xie Jing were in trouble, and the town’s tomb was discovered.
People were shocked.
Lord Bai Jiu dug to rescue people, while the chief of staff pursued the gold and silver. Military forces, cranes, and metal detectors were mobilized to accelerate excavation of Shuiniu Town’s underground palace.
He shared all treasure maps with the Bai Family. Although the maps didn’t lead to river treasure, they showed tomb layouts similar to Shuiniu Town. The Bai Family hired specialists to analyze and estimate tomb locations, speeding up excavation.
Huang Renfeng and several local surveyors worked inside the palace, scouting rather than digging. Two surveyors used slender iron probes with rounded tips to tap the soil, listening for echoes to identify bones, ceramics, or metal. One, nicknamed “Wind Ear,” was accurate in locating tombs by sound.
After several attempts, they shook their heads.
Huang Renfeng said: “Nothing here. Check further ahead; they’ve dug another passage.”
The surveyor clicked his tongue: “First time doing this during the day. How long will Lord Bai and the military search?”
Huang Renfeng: “No one knows. Apparently, the whole town was bought by Lord Bai. If no one is found, digging continues day and night.”
“Dig up the entire town?”
“Maybe.”
Huang Renfeng sighed. Dressed in black, sunken and thin, he stood hunched over.
Two days into excavation, Xie Siquan arrived with a dozen men, including skilled workers from Sichuan and some from Shanxi, experienced in digging wells and large pits. They immediately got to work, with Xie Siquan leading. Soldiers, wary of damaging antiques, hesitated, but Xie Siquan cared only about speed to find his nephew.
Previously, some men following Xie Jing had been injured; Xie Siquan let them rest and personally stayed, hands blistered yet unyielding.
Sichuan workers assisted greatly. Minor collapses in the soil were stabilized.
On the third day, some gold ingots and silver bricks were uncovered, causing excitement.
Lord Bai Jiu paid no attention to the treasures, eyes fixed on the passage entrance, waiting for familiar figures.
Shuiniu Town was small.
In just two days, excavation fragmented the area, revealing a long passage. A narrow entrance was cleared.
Xie Siquan wanted to jump in immediately but was stopped: “Master Xie, Lord Bai Jiu said you have full responsibility above. He has already gone down…”
Frustrated, Xie Siquan clenched his brows, staying on the surface.
Inside the stone tomb, water had risen to cover the phoenix bed and reached the ankles of those standing. The space on the stone bed was extremely cramped.
Huang Mingyou threw down some gold books and bamboo slips, protecting only the manuscripts in his hands. The lamp was dim, his eyesight poor; he could barely see the tiny characters, yet he clutched the books tightly. Normally he found a teapot heavy, but now with ten-plus pounds of books, he only wished he had more to protect.
Others helped him hold some scrolls. Hu Da’s arm was still injured, lips chapped. He scanned the surroundings, seeking a way out.
