Chapter 7: What Ifs

The next day, rescuers arrived at the ancient town, consisting of police, firefighters, and even the ancient town's residents were mobilized to search the mountain, trying to find Zhao Rui, who had disappeared the previous night.

Du Jun had explained in detail the circumstances of the previous night, and had led the search party to the secret chamber as well, but beyond that, there were no useful clues.

As for the secret chamber, the villagers did not even know about its existence before. If it weren't for the earthquake, this secret chamber would have been forever concealed, and their ancestors never mentioned such secrets.

However, Du Jun's strange tale of mechanisms and glowing symbols were considered absurd assertions, as they discovered nothing.

In fact, when Du Jun led them to the secret chamber, no matter how hard he tried stepping on the Tai Chi Diagram, the ceiling of the secret chamber would not open. This made Du Jun distressed, not understanding what was going on.

As for the skull, according to the villagers, their ancestors were all buried in the mountains, and it wouldn't be impossible that the earthquake had caused the soil to collapse and exposed the remains. After all, it had shaken out such a big secret chamber.

The villagers' explanation was proven true, there was indeed a graveyard that had been affected by the earthquake, and some bones could still be seen in the soil.

From morning till afternoon, as evening was about to darken the sky, they had searched the mountain countless times and found nothing. Some people speculated that in the chaos of the previous night, Zhao Rui might have run in the wrong direction and got lost in the deep mountains.

Gu Fan believed it was possible: firstly, if Zhao Rui was the last to exit the secret chamber, it was very possible he had lost sight of the rest of the group; secondly, the batteries of their flashlights were limited, and Zhao Rui might have run aimlessly in the dark, crossing over from one side of the mountain to another, and got lost as a result.

However, Gu Fan found this explanation questionable. The path up the mountain was simple, and it wouldn't be difficult to return as one came. Zhao Rui wasn't directionally challenged, and even if he paniced and ran in the wrong direction, the shouts and commotion from everybody else running downhill should have guided Zhao back to the right path. Zhao, however, never caught up.

Even if Zhao Rui had slipped and fallen down the mountain, it was unlikely that they would not have found him after so many searches.

At this point, Gu Fan had a terrible suspicion. If someone had intentionally targeted Zhao Rui, who was at the back of the group... The more he thought about it, the more shivers ran down his spine. He glanced back at the villagers. Their eyes were apathetic, as if they were completely uninvolved in this matter.

Gu Fan carefully asked the police about the history of the ancient town, but was disappointed with their response. Over the years, none of the tourists who visited the town, including those like Du Jun's group who had climbed the mountain at night, ever went missing. All of them had returned safe and sound.

Gu Fan furrowed his eyebrows and pondered. No such incidents had taken place in the past, but no previous visitor had discovered a suspicious secret chamber like Du Jun's group did.

They couldn't afford any more waiting. The police ordered Gu Fan, Lu Yi, Lin Xi, and the college students to leave immediately. The students' assistance was not needed there, but they assured them that the search for the missing person would continue.

Although everyone was very concerned about Zhao Rui, they knew that staying there would be of no help. They could only follow the arrangement of the rescuers and plan to leave the ancient town before nightfall.

Du Jun spoke little and even avoided making eye contact with Gu Fan. He was worried that he would see a mocking expression on Gu Fan's face. He still remembered when he suggested climbing the mountain at night and Gu Fan had strongly objected. Now, an accident had occurred.

But Du Jun was overthinking. Gu Fan had no intention of blaming him. In Gu Fan's heart, the most important thing was to find their missing fellow student. He picked up his backpack and wandered around the ancient town's streets, hoping to find a peculiar place. Finally, he saw the old man who had been sweeping the floor the previous night in a decoration shop.

The old man still had his gentle and kind demeanor. Upon seeing Gu Fan, he smiled and called him over, "Young man, since you're leaving already, it's fate that brought us together. Why not buy some souvenirs from my shop as a memory? This could help an old man like me with his business, and make your trip worthwhile."

"Worthwhile? We are mysteriously one man short." Gu Fan said, feigning despair, then added, "Grandfather, you sell trinkets during the day and sweep in the evening, you really know how to keep busy."

The old man nodded, "Of course, I need to eat too."

Gu Fan sighed, looking anxious, "I'm really worried about our missing friend. If you happen to find him, grandfather, please let us know immediately and assure us of his safety."

The old man nodded again, "Of course, it's only right. He disappeared in our town, so we will spare no effort to find him."

Upon hearing this, Gu Fan thought back to the indifferent look in the villagers' eyes which made him doubt the reliability of the old man's words.

However, the finely crafted trinkets in the old man's shop caught Gu Fan's attention. The items looked great and included bracelets, carvings, figurines, and more. These things, seemingly not available elsewhere, appeared to be entirely handmade by the old man.

The elder saw that Gu Fan had some thoughts, so he said, "How about it, young man, buy something in gratitude for the things I taught you last night."

"Did you teach me anything? I don't seem to have understood anything." Gu Fan looked confounded, feeling as if this kindly old man was bringing everything up for the sake of making a sale.

But the elder didn't give up, "Last night may have been a bit indirect, but I trust in your intelligence and exceptional understanding. Sooner or later, you will understand, and by then you will thank me."

Gu Fan shook his head, looking very dismissive, "Sorry, I don't think I possess any of the traits you mentioned. Please be more straightforward."

"Well, it seems there is no alternative, I will reluctantly teach you some more." Having said that, the old man put on a deep demeanor and sighed, "Isn't it just trying to make a bit of business with you? The stuff I painstakingly make, and it's not even the tourism peak season, it's not easy for me at all, is it?"

Gu Fan looked disdainfully, "Old man, can you see, I am a poor student, and you still want to exploit me?"

The elder shook his head, "Even if you are poor, you are still a student. At least your parents give you money, while we adults need to work hard to earn money for our family. After consideration, students like you have it better."

Gu Fan replied, "We students also envy adults for being able to earn money, to spend, to buy what we want. I also want to graduate quickly so I can find a job and make money."

The elder let out a bitter smile, "When I was a student, I too wished to make money as soon as possible to support a family. When I had money, I thought I could buy what I liked. But it turned out the more I earned, the more I wanted, the more expensive it got, and no matter how much money I made, it was never enough. Now I realize this is just the beginning, greater troubles in life lies ahead. It's great to be a student, only assignments and exams to worry about."

After hearing these words, Gu Fan felt a sense of desolation. He didn't know how to respond, so he changed the topic, "Old man, didn't you say you were going to teach me something? Please do."

"What I just said were pearls of wisdom. Didn't you grasp that?" The elder asked, bewildered. He seemed to be genuinely surprised, leaving Gu Fan even more bewildered.

Then the elder urged again, "Young man, my mouth is dry from talking, please buy something."

"Alright, fine. Let's say you taught me something useless." Gu Fan reluctantly decided to buy something. Not knowing what to choose, the old man recommended a mediocre painting, claiming it was a rare masterpiece. He said the average person wouldn't part with it, but since Gu Fan has a special destiny, he offered it for 50% off, just ten dollars."

Gu Fan was speechless. He paid the money in silence and took the painting, bidding farewell to this peculiar old man. He marvelled at how perfectly the old man had combined kind looks with cunning business techniques.

Just after Gu Fan and the others had left the ancient town, a gloomy-faced old man entered the kindly old man's shop, with an air of accusation, "You really are meddlesome. Aren't you afraid of causing trouble?"

The kindly old man shrugged it off, "What kind of trouble could it cause? To him, it's just an ordinary item. Plus what I said was very obscure. If this works, it means it's meant to be, and we can't force it."

"Well, all that talk is one thing, but you shouldn't have given him that painting." After saying this, the gloomy-faced old man stormed off.

The kindly old man remained silent for quite some time. The townspeople's glances were filled with coldness, accusation, and stood off at a distance, as if he was a pariah.

Meanwhile, Gu Fan, Lin Xi, Lu Yi, and Du Jun were on their way back. Everyone was dispirited, after all, a person had gone missing, and they didn't know how to explain it to Zhao Rui's parents.

People are always selfish. While everyone was worried about Zhao Rui, they were also secretly glad that it was not them who disappeared.

Gu Fan put away the painting. He didn't have the mood to look at it. Besides, the painting wasn't much to look at. However, the kind-faced old man's grandiose act had left Gu Fan amused. He really hadn't seen such a character before.

Nevertheless, the old man's parting words made some sense. Just because he's going graduate and make money doesn't mean things will get easier, much troubles lie ahead, and it's just the beginning.

As Gu Fan watched Lin Xi looking dispirited, gazed at her beautiful cheeks, and glanced at the equally despondent people around him, he suddenly felt something pinch his heart. His face became serious—something occurred to him.

"Zhao Rui is missing. If this isn't the end, but just the beginning, what if more people go missing?"