How could I possibly be confined in a cage?

Chapter 145 The Tomb of My Great-Grandfather (2)

Looking at the Bagua diagram, Lü Peijun carefully discerned the directions.

"Young Master Guo, could you please have your men turn on their flashlights so I can see my surroundings clearly?"

"it is good."

They had originally carried matches to light a campfire, but due to the limited conditions in the underground cave, they had to give up.

Eight of Guo Zixing's men came down. They were well-trained and, upon receiving the order, quickly formed a circle and turned on their headlamps and flashlights.

The cave immediately brightened, and visibility extended up to twenty meters away.

“First, divide it into North and South, each with its own fire and water.” Lü Peijun pondered. “Old Hei, was there water where you just found Ruika?”

"Yes, it's water dripping from stalactites, but not much."

"It doesn't matter how many, that's enough. Water corresponds to the north, and fire corresponds to the south. Please look in the direction opposite to water and see if there is any 'fire' there."

"Yes."

Old Hei agreed and immediately picked up his flashlight and walked in the opposite direction.

After walking about a hundred meters, I finally saw the burn marks on the wall. This is what "fire" means.

When Lao Hei returned, he told Lü Peijun about it, and Lü Peijun nodded.

“South is the Li position, North is the Kan position, Li…Wu Horse, Kan…Zi Rat…” Lu Peijun muttered to himself, then suddenly realized, “Do any of you have people born in the years of the Horse or the Rat?”

Guo Zixing was puzzled, but he still sent someone over to ask about the zodiac signs, and they happened to find two.

After arranging the two of them in their seats, Lü Peijun explained to Guo Zixing, "Look down here, doesn't this look like a Tai Chi symbol?"

Guo Zixing looked in the direction Lü Peijun was pointing, and at first glance it was just a jumble of rocks, nothing different from anything else.

Lü Peijun smiled and said, "Look again at the color and arrangement of these rocks."

Guo Zixing looked again and indeed saw that the colors on the ground varied in shade, but it wasn't very obvious in the pitch-black cave.

So that’s it!

Guo Zixing asked, "Then what does this represent? Is there any deeper meaning?"

"You don't know this, but my grandfather was fond of the Five Elements and the Eight Trigrams. Before he died, he specifically instructed that his tomb should be built in the shape of the Eight Trigrams. So I think he was deliberately making things mysterious so that his descendants could figure out his thoughts and inherit his property. It can also be seen as a selection and test for his descendants."

Guo Zixing then understood and chuckled, "That's really unexpected."

Two people, one born in the year of the Horse and the other in the year of the Rat, stood at the Tai Chi eye position and squatted down to feel around.

A moment later, the subordinate born in the Year of the Horse exclaimed, "There's a snake pattern here!"

Everyone looked over and sure enough, they saw a round spot the size of a basin on the ground, carved with intricate snake patterns in white marble, covered with pebbles. It would be hard to find if you didn't look carefully.

There's something here!

They exclaimed in surprise, "It's also a white marble plate with a snake pattern."

Lu Peijun told them to stand still, and the rest of them walked outside the jade plate and pressed it down hard.

The jade plate seemed to have grown out of the ground, seamlessly integrated with it, and didn't appear to be easily shaken. However, upon hearing the order, the subordinates could only press down with all their might.

Lu Peijun stood behind them, watching the two of them strain, and finally a smile appeared on her face.

Yan Ru glanced at Lü Peijun, then suppressed her questions.

Old Hei remained hidden in the darkness, and no one noticed where he was hiding.

No matter how hard the two tried, the jade plate remained unmoved. Whether they used skillful force or brute force, it did not budge in the slightest, and the subordinates gradually became exhausted.

"It seems like it can't be pressed."

Guo Zixing didn't know what was going on either, so he looked at Lü Peijun.

Lu Peijun lifted his robe, cut his finger, and dripped a few drops of blood onto it.

“Ancestor of the Lü family, your unworthy descendant Lü Peijun has come to pay his respects today, hoping that you will grant me your request.”

For some reason, as soon as these words were spoken, the two subordinates seemed to immediately get motivated and hurriedly pressed down hard.

"Click..."

A dull rumble sounded again, and a hole slowly opened in the center, stirring up dust from the ground.

Lu Peijun reached out and brushed away the dust. Once the dust settled, he immediately led his men inside.

That opening was the entrance; a staircase led down to the top, and beyond that, it disappeared from view. Guo Zixing hesitated for a moment at the entrance, but ultimately followed Lü Peijun and the others down into the tunnel.

The air inside the tunnel was dry, and dust swirled in the light; taking a breath felt like swallowing a mouthful of dirt.

Lü Peijun led the way, followed closely by her two daughters. Fortunately, they had matches with them. Every few meters they went in, Lü Peijun would strike a match to light the oil lamp on the wall.

Surprisingly, it could still be lit after all these years. Guo Zixing breathed a sigh of relief; the fact that it could be lit meant there was air inside, so at least he didn't have to worry about suffocating.

After descending the stairs, a short walk led to a spacious inner room, completely square and utterly unadorned. In the center of the room stood a massive coffin, three times the size of an ordinary coffin, its entire body seamlessly integrated, with no discernible trace of a lid.

With a solemn expression, Lü Peijun knelt down with his two daughters and offered another prayer before finally asking Guo Zixing and the others to bow together.

A row of boxes was neatly stacked along the wall in the room, and judging from the material, it certainly didn't look like the style of recent years.

Lu Peijun lowered his eyes. "Young Master Guo, could you please have your men open all the boxes and see what's inside?"

Guo Zixing nodded, and then the eight men drew their daggers, cut open the seals, and opened all the boxes.

"It's gold!"

"These are calligraphy and paintings."

"It's jewelry."

Everyone reported their findings one by one, and the final count revealed a total of thirty-two boxes: ten boxes of gold, ten boxes of silver, ten boxes of jewelry, and two boxes of calligraphy and paintings. A rough estimate put the total value at around one million.

Guo Zixing secretly breathed a sigh of relief, feeling happy that his efforts hadn't been in vain.

Lu Peijun observed his reaction and sneered inwardly, thinking that he at least had some sincerity towards Qingru, but it turned out to be nothing more than that.

However, since he was still needed at the moment, Lü Peijun didn't completely break off relations.

"Young Master Guo, I'll have to trouble you to help me transport these things out. I don't have the ability to do that."

"Of course, I came here to help you."

Lu Peijun smiled calmly and stated his position upfront, "Young Master Guo, as I said before, half of this is yours. Consider it a donation from my Lu family to support the military. Thank you and Commander Guo for protecting our country. I, Lu Peijun, am just a scholar, but I also have a deep love for my country. I can only repay you with gifts."

“Uncle Lü, you’re saying that because you see me for who I am. I’m Qingru’s boss and also her good friend. I was just helping her out this time, it’s really nothing.”

"Haha, although Young Master Guo is kind and righteous, I cannot be ungrateful. Please do as I say. My two daughters rely on your care, so it is only right that you do these things. Firstly, to thank you, and secondly, it is my way of doing my part for the city's defense."

Just as Guo Zixing was about to object, Lü Peijun said again, "There's no need to say anything more. I dare not refuse a gift from an elder. If you want to call me Uncle Lü, then don't refuse anymore."

What else could Guo Zixing say but "helplessly" accept it, especially with Qingru's support.

"However, Young Master Guo, I have another request."

"Go ahead," Guo Zixing agreed readily, partly because of a little bit of guilt in his heart.

"Haha, don't worry, it's nothing difficult. I just want to exchange two boxes of gold for your box of calligraphy and paintings. You know I'm a bit of a fanatic; I just love antiques and calligraphy."

"What you're saying is ridiculous. That's your property, so why talk about exchanging it or not?"

"Oh, you can't say that. A gentleman's word is as good as his bond. I said I'd give it to you, and that's what I meant. Now that I want it, of course I can only exchange it, not take it from you."

Guo Zixing thought of Lü Peijun, who was originally a scholar in the late Qing Dynasty, but later stayed at home and devoted himself to antiques. Looking at his behavior, he could indeed see some of the charm of the ancients. Therefore, he couldn't help but feel a little ashamed.

However, his emotions were not strong and dissipated in a moment, after all, his initial target was the entire Lü family.