Chapter 214: Departure, Xinjiang!

In recent months, Uncle Diao’s shop has been rather quiet. Occasionally, a customer would come in, take a look, and leave. Even the regular customers haven’t shown up. Perhaps it’s due to the current economic trends, and the feng shui doesn’t seem to be favorable either.

At this moment, Bai Bing walked over to Liu Dashao with a cup of tea and said, “Young boss, you’ve been reading for so long, you must be thirsty. Have some tea to quench your thirst.” With that, she bent down and placed the tea on the coffee table.

Liu Dashao, without meaning to, caught a glimpse of her cleavage, and his blood rushed to his head. Realizing he was about to have a nosebleed, he quickly turned his head away and said, “Bing, that’s enough. Just leave it here. You can go back to your work.”

Just then, someone hurriedly ran towards the shop. Liu Dashao took a closer look and recognized him as Old Wu, one of Uncle Diao’s regular customers. Old Wu usually came with bags full of stuff, but today he arrived empty-handed.

Seeing a customer approaching, Bai Bing quickly went to the door to greet him. As soon as Old Wu entered, he called out, “Welcome!”

Old Wu nodded at Bai Bing and headed straight for Liu Dashao.

Catching his breath, Old Wu asked, “Young boss, you’re here. Where’s your Uncle Diao?”

Liu Dashao nodded and replied, “I have no idea where Uncle Diao has gone off to. He’s always wandering around and won’t be back until late. What do you need him for?”

Old Wu said, “Of course, it’s something big, something good, something worth pursuing.”

Hearing this, Liu Dashao exclaimed, “Eh, Old Wu, did you stumble upon a bronze tree a hundred meters tall? You usually carry your treasures with you, but not this time. Tell me the truth, did you?”

Old Wu chuckled, “Oh, young boss, don’t tease me. Where would I find a bronze tree these days? Even if I did, just a couple of branches would be enough to last me a lifetime.”

It seemed Old Wu hadn’t found anything significant, but he was in such a hurry to find Uncle Diao that there must be something important. Liu Dashao continued, “If you didn’t find anything good, why are you looking for my Uncle Diao? Did you find some strange tomb and need him to take a look?”

Old Wu hesitated, perhaps surprised that Liu Dashao knew about Uncle Diao’s past in tomb raiding. He said, “Young boss, you don’t need to know too much about this. Even if you did, you wouldn’t be able to help.”

Hearing this, Liu Dashao felt a bit indignant. He thought to himself, “I’ve been to the resting place of the Ming Dynasty emperor and the burial cave of Zhang Jiao, the leader of the Yellow Turban Rebellion. Are you looking down on me?” He replied with a hint of sarcasm, “Old Wu, are you underestimating me? Haven’t you figured out what I do?”

Old Wu suddenly had an epiphany and slapped his thigh, “Ah, right! Young boss is a Taoist priest. How could I forget?” He then took out a wooden box and said, “Young boss, take a look at this and see if you can figure anything out.”

Liu Dashao took the box, which was carved with Buddhist images. He immediately recognized it as being made of poplar wood from Xinjiang. He said, “Isn’t this just a poplar wood box? It’s valuable, but why are you making such a fuss about it?”

Old Wu sighed, “Young boss, I’m not asking you to study the box. I want you to look at what’s inside.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Liu Dashao opened the box, and a fragrant scent immediately wafted out. His first thought was that the box contained poison, and he quickly covered his nose.

Old Wu laughed heartily, “Young boss, don’t be afraid. It’s not poisonous. I’ve opened this box many times. It’s safe.”

Hearing this, Liu Dashao relaxed but felt a bit ashamed. He thought Old Wu must be laughing at his lack of experience. He decided he had to figure out what was inside to save face.

He took out the contents and was stunned. It was a piece of parchment covered in dense, intricate patterns that were clearly of Western Regions origin.

Having been in Hong Kong for two years and learning from Uncle Diao, Liu Dashao had gained considerable knowledge about ancient Chinese history, antiques, and burial practices from the Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn, Warring States, Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. However, when it came to artifacts from the Western Regions, he was at a loss.

He tactfully said to Old Wu, “Old Wu, I really can’t make sense of this. You should wait for my Uncle Diao.” He then placed the parchment back in the box and handed it to Old Wu, feeling quite embarrassed.

Old Wu declined, “Just keep it here. When Uncle Diao returns, please give it to him and ask him to contact me after he’s examined it.” With that, he turned and hurried away.

Liu Dashao watched Old Wu leave and muttered, “What a strange man.” He then went back to his book.

At nine o’clock in the evening, Uncle Diao returned, humming a tune. Bai Bing quickly went to greet him, and Uncle Diao couldn’t resist teasing her a bit.

Seeing Uncle Diao back, Liu Dashao immediately handed him the wooden box and relayed Old Wu’s message.

Uncle Diao was also surprised. He opened the box, and his expression darkened. Without a word, he took it to his room to study.

“Young boss, your phone,” Bai Bing called from the counter, holding the receiver.

Liu Dashao wondered who could be calling so late and asked, “Who is it?”

Bai Bing replied, “It’s that Mr. Wang again. He says he needs to speak with you.”

Hearing this, Liu Dashao quickly calculated the date and understood. He hurried over to the counter and picked up the phone, “Hello, this is Liu Dashao.”

The voice on the other end said, “It’s your old friend Wang. Have you made up your mind?”

“Let’s do it! As long as you don’t mind,” Liu Dashao replied with a bitter smile.

“Great! I knew you’d be straightforward. Don’t worry, we won’t let you down. This time, we’re heading to the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang. Get ready, but don’t worry about food and clothing—we’ve got everything covered. Come over tomorrow morning!”

Liu Dashao was taken aback and wanted to confirm, “What? Where are we going?”

He had heard clearly but found it hard to accept. Xinjiang? That meant going back to the mainland. And the Taklamakan Desert? That desolate place, known as the “Sea of Death” by Western adventurers, was said to be a place where one could enter but never return.

To be honest, Liu Dashao would have been thrilled to go anywhere else—money and adventure, who wouldn’t want that? But the desert made him uneasy. Still, he had already taken the deposit, so he had no choice but to brace himself and go.

“Alright, I’ll be there tomorrow,” Liu Dashao replied before hanging up.

Since he had to go to Wang Zhicai’s place the next day, Liu Dashao decided not to stay up too late. After washing up, he went to inform Uncle Diao.

He arrived at Uncle Diao’s door and noticed only a faint light coming from the window. Was Uncle Diao already asleep? That wasn’t like him. So, he pushed the door open and entered.

Inside, he saw Uncle Diao intently studying the parchment. Liu Dashao found it strange—Uncle Diao had seen countless high-end antiques, so why was he so fascinated by this old piece of parchment?

Liu Dashao walked over and asked, “Uncle Diao, what are these squiggly lines? Can you make sense of them?”

Startled by the sudden question, Uncle Diao put the parchment down and said, “I find it odd too. I wonder what Old Wu’s intentions are with this.”

After taking a sip of tea, Uncle Diao asked, “What brings you here so late?”

Liu Dashao explained, “A friend just called and asked me to prepare for a trip to Xinjiang tomorrow.”

Uncle Diao was surprised, “What? Where to?”

“The Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang,” Liu Dashao replied.

Uncle Diao nodded, but his face showed clear concern for Liu Dashao.

After bidding Uncle Diao goodnight, Liu Dashao returned to his room and lay down, but he tossed and turned, unable to sleep. The thought of the desert’s dangers kept him awake. Finally, he made a foolish decision—to count sheep.

After counting for what felt like an eternity, he still couldn’t sleep. Then, an idea struck him, and he got up to research the Taklamakan Desert on his computer.

He had never looked into this before and didn’t even know what the desert looked like. But now, his screen was filled with information.

After reading for a while, Liu Dashao learned that several archaeological teams had been there before and had made significant discoveries. This puzzled him—why would tomb raiders go to a place that had already been explored by archaeologists?

From what he knew of the trade, they wouldn’t undertake an expedition unless there was something valuable. Why would they suddenly decide to go to the Taklamakan Desert, which had already been visited by other teams? Had Wang Zhicai lost his mind?

The thought made him laugh. But since others had been there before, the danger this time would be minimal. At least they wouldn’t be wandering aimlessly like headless flies. Feeling much more at ease, Liu Dashao finally fell asleep.

He woke up the next morning at around nine. The expedition team had prepared all the equipment, so Liu Dashao didn’t need to bring much. He hailed a taxi and headed to Wang Zhicai’s mansion.

As soon as he got out of the car, he ran into Wang Zhicai and quickly went over to greet him, asking about the trip to Xinjiang.

At this moment, Bai Bing walked over carrying a cup of tea and said to Liu Dashao, “Young Master, you’ve been reading for so long, you must be thirsty. Have some tea to quench your thirst.” As she spoke, she bent over and placed the tea on the coffee table.

Liu Dashao inadvertently caught a glimpse of her cleavage. His heart raced and he immediately sensed a nosebleed coming on. He quickly turned his head to the side and said, “Alright, Ice Sister, just leave it here. You can go back to work.”

Just then, someone hurriedly ran toward the shop. When Liu Dashao looked closer, he recognized the figure as Lao Wu, one of Master Diao’s regular customers. Usually, Lao Wu came carrying many items, so why was he coming empty-handed today?

Seeing a customer arrive, Bai Bing quickly went to the door to greet him. As soon as Lao Wu entered, he called out, “Welcome!”

Lao Wu nodded at Bai Bing and headed straight toward Liu Dashao.

After catching his breath, Lao Wu asked, “Young Master, is Master Diao around?”

Master Diao often ran off when Liu Dashao was around and rarely returned before eight or nine in the evening. Liu Dashao nodded and replied to Lao Wu, “I don’t know where Master Diao has gone gallivanting off to. What’s the matter? Do you need him for something?”

Lao Wu said, “Of course! It’s something big, something good, something worth doing.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Dashao let out a curious “Hmm,” and said, “Hey, Lao Wu, did you happen to dig up a bronze tree over a hundred meters tall? Usually, you carry treasures with you, but today you came empty-handed. Be honest, what’s going on?”

Lao Wu replied, “Oh, Young Master, don’t tease me like that. In this day and age, where would one find a bronze tree? Even if I did, just a couple of branches would be enough for me to live comfortably for the rest of my life.”

Judging from his words, it seemed like he hadn’t found anything valuable. But since he was in such a hurry to find Master Diao, Liu Dashao continued, “If you didn’t find any treasures, why are you looking for my Master Diao? Don’t tell me you’ve discovered a mysterious tomb and need him to step in?”

Lao Wu hesitated for a moment, perhaps surprised that Liu Dashao knew about Master Diao’s past in tomb robbing. He said, “This is something you, Young Master, don’t need to know too much about. Even if you did, you wouldn’t be able to help.”

Upon hearing this, Liu Dashao felt a bit offended. He thought to himself, *Didn’t I once enter the sleeping quarters of a Ming Dynasty emperor? Didn’t I explore the corpse cave of the Yellow Turban rebel leader Zhang Jiao? How dare he underestimate me!* So he said lightly but pointedly, “Lao Wu, are you looking down on me? Don’t you know what line of work I’m in?”

Upon hearing Liu Dashao’s words, Lao Wu suddenly seemed to wake up from a dream. He slapped his thigh and said, “Right! You’re a Taoist priest, Young Master! How could I forget?” He then took out a wooden box and said, “Young Master, help me figure out what this is. See if you can make any sense of it.”

Liu Dashao took the wooden box. He immediately recognized the carvings on it as Buddhist figures and noticed it was made of poplar wood from Xinjiang. He said to Lao Wu, “This is just a poplar wood box, though it’s quite valuable. Why make such a big deal out of it?”

Lao Wu sighed and said, “Young Master, I’m not asking you to study the box. I want you to look at what’s inside.”

Feeling a bit embarrassed, Liu Dashao opened the box. A fragrant aroma immediately filled the air. His first thought was that it might be poisonous. *Was Lao Wu trying to kill me?* He quickly covered his nose.

Lao Wu laughed heartily beside him and said, “Don’t worry, Young Master. It’s not poisonous. I’ve opened this box many times already, and nothing’s happened.”

Hearing this, Liu Dashao finally relaxed a bit and felt a little ashamed. *Lao Wu must be secretly laughing at my lack of experience,* he thought. *Well, I’d better figure this out properly, or I’ll lose face.*

He took out the item inside and was stunned. It was a piece of parchment covered in dense, mysterious markings—clearly something from the Western Regions.

Liu Dashao had spent two years in Hong Kong studying under Master Diao. He had participated in actual tomb explorations for about half a year and had a solid understanding of Chinese antiquities and burial customs from the Shang, Zhou, Spring and Autumn, Warring States, Qin, Han, Tang, Song, Yuan, Ming, and Qing dynasties. But when it came to Western Region artifacts, he was completely lost.

He politely said to Lao Wu, “Mr. Wu, I really can’t make sense of this. You’d better ask Master Diao.” He then put the parchment back into the box and returned it to Lao Wu, feeling rather embarrassed.

Lao Wu declined and said, “Leave it with you. When Master Diao returns, please give it to him and ask him to contact me immediately after he’s seen it.” With that, he turned and hurried away.

Liu Dashao watched Lao Wu leave and muttered, “What a strange man.” Then he returned to his book.

At nine o’clock in the evening, Master Diao strolled back humming a tune. Bai Bing greeted him cheerfully, and he couldn’t resist teasing her.

Seeing Master Diao return, Liu Dashao quickly handed him the wooden box and relayed Lao Wu’s message.

Master Diao listened with interest. After taking the box and opening it, his expression suddenly darkened. Without a word, he took it into his room to study.

“Master Liu, there’s a call for you,” Bai Bing said, holding the phone at the counter.

Liu Dashao wondered who would call so late and asked, “Who is it?”

Bai Bing replied, “It’s that Mr. Wang again. He says he has something to discuss with you.”

Liu Dashao thought for a moment, realized what it was about, and hurried over to the counter to pick up the phone. “Hello, this is Liu Dashao.”

A voice came from the other end, “It’s your big brother Wang. Have you made up your mind yet?”

Liu Dashao replied with a bitter smile, “I guess I’ll go along with it, as long as you’re not reluctant.”

“Great! I knew you’d be straightforward, Young Master Liu. Don’t worry, we’ll treat you well. This time we’re going to the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang. Get ready. You don’t need to bring anything for food or clothing—we’ve got everything covered. I’ll come pick you up tomorrow morning!”

Liu Dashao was surprised and couldn’t believe his ears. He quickly asked in astonishment, “What? Where did you say?”

Actually, he had heard clearly. But he couldn’t quite accept it. Xinjiang? Back to the mainland?

And the Taklamakan Desert? A place where not even birds dared to fly, where Western adventurers called the “Sea of Death,” and locals said one could enter but never leave.

Truthfully, Liu Dashao would have been thrilled to go almost anywhere else—there’d be money and fun. But the desert? Ugh! But he had already accepted the down payment. He had no choice but to grit his teeth and go.

He replied, “Alright, I’ll be ready tomorrow,” and hung up.

Since he had to visit Wang Zhicai the next day, he didn’t stay up late. After washing up, he went to inform Master Diao.

He approached Master Diao’s door. The window emitted only a faint light. *Has he already gone to sleep? That’s not like him.* He pushed the door open and walked in.

Inside, he saw Master Diao intently studying the parchment. Liu Dashao thought, *Strange! Master Diao has seen countless precious antiques—why is he so interested in this old scrap of parchment?*

He approached and asked, “Master Diao, what’s drawn on this? All these twists and turns. Can you make any sense of it?”

Startled by Liu Dashao’s sudden question, Master Diao carefully put the parchment away and said, “I find it odd too. I wonder why Lao Wu gave me this.”

He took a sip of tea and asked Liu Dashao, “What brings you here so late?”

Liu Dashao replied, “A friend just called. He wants me to prepare for a trip to Xinjiang tomorrow.”

Master Diao was taken aback and asked in surprise, “What? To Xinjiang?”

Liu Dashao confirmed, “Yes, the Taklamakan Desert in Xinjiang.”

Master Diao nodded slowly, his face showing concern for Liu Dashao.

Liu Dashao said his goodbyes and returned to his room. He lay in bed but couldn’t fall asleep, thinking about the terrifying desert. Finally, he made the foolish decision to count sheep.

After counting sheep for a long time without success, he suddenly got up, turned on his computer, and began researching the Xinjiang desert.

He had never studied this before and didn’t even know what the Xinjiang desert looked like. But once he searched, the screen was filled with information.

After reading carefully, he learned that several archaeological teams had previously visited the area and made significant discoveries. Liu Dashao was puzzled. *What value could a barren desert have now? Why would tomb robbers go there?*

According to his knowledge of the trade, no one undertook fruitless expeditions. Why would someone suddenly decide to go to Taklamakan, a place already visited by other teams? Had Mr. Wang hit his head and started imagining things?

The thought made him chuckle. But since others had already been there, this trip might not be too dangerous. At least it wouldn’t be like wandering aimlessly like a headless fly. Feeling more relaxed, he finally drifted off to sleep.

He woke up the next morning at over nine o’clock. The expedition team had already prepared the equipment, so Liu Dashao didn’t bring much. He hailed a taxi and headed to Wang Zhicai’s mansion.

As he got out of the car, he just happened to meet Wang Zhicai and hurried over to greet him, asking about the Xinjiang trip.