July 6, 1985
Many unknown events occurred this year, but most were orchestrated and covered up by Nine Gates.
Among them was the Xisha archaeological expedition. It began when a woman named Chen Wenjin assembled members of Nine Gates with the goal of exploring the Seafloor Tomb in Xisha. Her stated reasons sounded normal enough: first, to protect underwater cultural relics, and second, to conduct research for her ongoing academic projects.
The custom of burial at sea has a long history, and underwater tombs generally come into two categories. The first consists of tombs originally built on land that later sank into the sea due to geological changes, while the second are man-made.
Tombs of this type were once considered the safest, but with continuous advancements in technology and the immense allure of underwater treasures, they were no longer secure.
That year, a man named Zhang Qiling joined the Xisha archaeological expedition, which was primarily composed of the second generation of Nine Gates.
Since the year that turned the heavens and the earth upside down, this nation with five thousand years of brilliant civilization had begun to radiate new vitality, gradually walking out of the trauma of war. Most members of Nine Gates had also abandoned their old trade of grave robbing and turned instead to work related to cultural relics.
For this ancient civilized nation, the century and more from 1840 to 1949 was its weakest period—a stretch of history known as the "Century of Humiliation."
During this time, a vast number of cultural relics were lost overseas or destroyed in the flames of war.
During the War of Resistance, more than half of the national territory fell into the hands of the enemy, leaving no spare energy to protect these cultural relics. It was only after the invaders were driven out and the world was made anew that cultural relic preservation was put back on the agenda.
Although archaeology and grave robbing are fundamentally different, they share much in common. A grave robber's methods are not limited to plundering tombs; they can also be of immense help in protecting cultural relics.
For instance, Fifth Uncle of Nine Gates could peel an entire mural off a wall without damaging it, and his mastery of mural restoration could even be considered peerless.
Another example is the Huo Family, who possessed profound expertise in ancient architecture, particularly the Yangshi Lei designs.
And this was perhaps the most insignificant of their strengths.
The second-generation members of Nine Gates who made up this archaeological expedition had all inherited certain skills from their elders to varying degrees.
Consequently, this archaeological team was entrusted with a mission quite different from most other expeditions.
Zhang Qiling joined to deal with "It" and the Tenth Family; Wu Sansheng and Xie Lianhuan joined to shake off "It's" control and prove the connection between "It" and the Tenth Family.
Chen Wenjin and Huo Ling certainly had motives that went far beyond simply protecting cultural relics.
It could be said that everyone in this team harbored their own hidden agendas. In fact, Zhang Qiling's joining did not cause much of a stir—aside from the members who had secret crushes on the female team members feeling a bit jealous of him, the atmosphere among the team could almost be called harmonious.
As the only married man in the group, he somewhat detested being treated as a romantic rival, and no one in the team suspected that this talking mute was already married.
On the surface, the team's cohesion was exceptionally strong and the atmosphere congenial. In truth, this was because everyone had their own goals, and no one wanted to stand out prematurely.
While still on the boat, they even laughed and chatted with one another.
Though they stood opposed to one another at heart, they maintained a united front on the surface.
When the boat docked at the port, someone suggested taking a group photo to commemorate the occasion. Since they couldn't find anyone to help take the picture, Wu Sansheng voluntarily gave up his chance to be in the frame.
At last, amidst this "harmonious" atmosphere, the boat reached the predetermined coordinates, and everyone began preparing their diving equipment for the following day. That very night, however, Wu Sansheng and Xie Lianhuan slipped into the water in secret. Zhang Qiling was aware of their objective, though he did not know the specifics of their plan.
Just as he intended to follow them stealthily, another member of the team noticed the two entering the water and tailed them as well. That person was Qiyu.
Zhang Qiling did not hesitate; after waiting a moment, he slipped into the water too.
Meanwhile, Wu Sansheng and Xie Lianhuan, who intended to shake off "It's" control, had just entered the Seafloor Tomb. After shedding their diving gear not far from the underwater entrance, they began discussing their subsequent plan. At that moment, they had no idea they were being followed—the tail had entered the Seafloor Tomb right behind them and overheard their entire strategy.
Listening to their plan from the shadows, Qiyu could not help breathing a quiet sigh of relief. It was a good thing he had followed them; otherwise, they genuinely might have succeeded in breaking free.
He resolved to eliminate the two of them and then send someone to disguise themselves as them.
With this thought, his hands were covered in a layer of black *qi*, and two needles condensed from black *qi* were pinched between his fingertips. Doing this would preserve the corpses to the greatest extent possible and make it easier to craft human-skin masks.
The two needles of black *qi* shot toward the pair like bullets from a chamber. Just as he thought the task was accomplished, a flash of golden light crossed his eyes, and he was sent flying backward.
The newcomer was none other than Zhang Qiling. He originally had no intention of showing himself, but seeing that Qiyu was about to commit murder, he was forced to step in.
Channeling the Golden Light Incantation to block the two black needles, he sent Qiyu flying with a single kick. While still in midair, Qiyu suddenly twisted his body in an unnatural maneuver, diving into the ground like a fish entering water.
Zhang Qiling cursed inwardly and rushed forward, only to tear off a corner of the other's robe.
It was only then that Wu Sansheng and Xie Lianhuan, standing nearby, reacted.
Xie Lianhuan dashed to the spot where Qiyu had vanished and reached out to touch it, only to find the hard floorboards. He murmured, "How did he do that?"
Instead of looking at Xie Lianhuan, Wu Sansheng stared straight at Zhang Qiling and slowly said, "It's been a long time, Brother Yude. I had no idea you knew the Tianshi Mansion's Golden Light Incantation."
At this, Xie Lianhuan raised his head in confusion, looked at Wu Sansheng, and asked, "Didn't you say he's the head of the Zhang Family? Why are you calling him Brother Yude?"
"You'll have to ask him about that," Wu Sansheng replied.
Although Zhang Qiling had worn a human-skin mask back in Mount Yimeng and used the name Zhang Yude, the moment Wu Sansheng saw those calm eyes, the two figures instantly merged into one.
Every person is born unique; no matter how one disguises oneself, it can never be completely flawless.
The eyes are the hardest feature on a person to disguise. As the windows to the soul, a person's true self can be seen through them.
Xie Lianhuan looked at Zhang Qiling, but Zhang Qiling merely pulled down his hood and said, "He didn't see me."
Wu Sansheng looked at him, then glanced back at Xie Lianhuan, who looked almost identical to himself.
"We share a common enemy, don't we?" Wu Sansheng said, looking at Zhang Qiling.
Zhang Qiling nodded.
Wu Sansheng pulled a dagger from his pocket and abruptly stabbed it into his own chest. Xie Lianhuan let out a loud cry and lunged forward to stop him, but it was already too late.
Xie Lianhuan saw the dagger plunge into Wu Sansheng's chest, yet no blood flowed out. It was a retractable prop knife.
Xie Lianhuan punched him lightly and said, "You scared the life out of me."
"From now on, Xie Lianhuan is dead," Wu Sansheng said, looking into Xie Lianhuan's eyes.