Courtyard House: A Start with Black Gold Swallowing 100,000 Silver Dollars

Li Wenguo's lips drooped, and he shook his head inwardly: There's really no way out. The efficiency of the Party and the State is simply laughable. The Japanese have at least three copies in their hands, but you guys only have one map, which I personally handed over. No one would believe it if I told them.

"Hmm... this picture is hard to find, I really can't guarantee it."

He didn't rule out any possibility of definitive conclusions.

"No rush, take your time. We already have one copy. Even if we collect all four copies of the notebook, we still won't be able to open that door."

Song Qingzhi raised his hand in acknowledgment, his expression calm.

"become!"

Li Wenguo felt quite at ease—anyway, the other two copies of the drawing were safely in his safe. He could delay for half a year, and when the higher-ups pressed him for more information, he would take out one copy to hand in, and also keep a high-definition copy, without missing any rough edges.

"Alright, it's getting late. You have dinner plans with Cai Die, go on your way."

Song Qingzhi stood up with a smile, his eyes full of warmth as he considered how to care for his niece.

Li Wenguo gave a wry smile. Actually, he had already made plans with Xu Wanqing tonight. While they couldn't really cross any lines, holding hands and having a private chat would be enough to satisfy their cravings. And if she hesitated for a moment, and then gave in, it wasn't impossible…

But since he had already agreed to have dinner with Song Caidie, he had to put an end to that idea.

After saying goodbye and leaving, he picked up Song Caidie, who was dressed in her finest attire, and the two walked side by side toward the time-honored restaurant on the street corner.

This time, we went straight to a newly opened Italian restaurant in the city. The Parma ham was so thin it was translucent, the bread was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside, and the smoked salmon was oily and shiny. The pasta was springy, the macaroni was covered with sauce, the lasagna was layered, and the cheese dumplings had a molten center when you bit into them.

The filet mignon was seared to a golden brown and tender perfection, the garlic-roasted chicken sizzled with oil, the mushroom-sauce beef tenderloin was incredibly fragrant, and the Roman rolls were crispy and crumbly; plus a whole platter of freshly mixed beef, chicken, and seafood salads—I wanted it all! Whether I finished it all or not, I had the money in my pocket, so I ate to my heart's content. I even finished off with a tiramisu.

Ah!

That's just right!

Li Wenguo rarely tried foreign flavors, and as he chewed, he actually tasted a bit of freshness and aroma.

Song Caidie was trying Italian food for the first time. She picked up a piece with her fork and touched it with her tongue, and nodded and smiled: "This tastes just right!" The sweet, sour, salty and fresh flavors were all just right, and the texture was so smooth that you wanted to chew it a few more times.

"Where to next?"

After getting on the bus, she turned to the side and looked at Li Wenguo with bright eyes.

"You decide."

He smiled and asked in return.

It's only a little past eight o'clock, and all I can do at home is sit there in a daze.

Her eyes darted around slightly, and she suggested with a smile, "We've just finished eating, how about we find a dance hall to go dancing and stretch our muscles?"

She loves to dance, and the moment her toes move, she wants to keep time with the beat.

Li Wenguo raised an eyebrow slightly, as if an idea was forming in his mind, and a subtle smile curved his lips...

"Okay, my little wish will be granted."

Song Caidie felt a surge of warmth in her heart and couldn't help but lean over and give him a quick kiss on the cheek.

He turned his head to meet those red lips and kissed them back.

Since we've already kissed, why worry about boundaries?

With a casual tug, he pulled the carriage curtain down completely.

Not long after, the car stopped in front of an old-fashioned dance hall run by foreigners.

Because the boss was a foreigner, the local thugs didn't dare to cause trouble, and even the spoiled brats who were used to being arrogant would avoid him—once you came, you had to follow the rules: no getting drunk or causing trouble, and you couldn't forcibly take away anyone you wanted, otherwise you would just be asking for trouble.

As soon as he entered, Li Wenguo saw Manager Tong standing by the booth, holding a glass of whiskey in his hand, his gaze calm.

That's right, this is the place where Xu Wanqing arranged to meet someone.

As the two approached, Li Wenguo pretended to bump into them by chance and raised his hand to greet them.

Manager Tong, ever quick-witted, immediately smiled and replied, "My young lady is alone. If you don't mind, would you like to sit with us?"

Song Caidie was completely unsuspecting and readily agreed, without even considering whether she would be in the way, let alone not noticing the subtle exchange of glances between the two.

"Wanqing, what a coincidence! You're here too?"

She lifted the curtain and entered the booth, greeting Xu Wanqing with a natural smile.

Xu Wanqing glanced quickly at Li Wenguo, then smiled and said, "Yes, it's so stuffy at home, I came out for some fresh air and a drink. Would you mind if we sat down together?"

"Sure, we can chat anywhere."

Li Wenguo chuckled as he replied, but his eyes subtly glanced at Xu Wanqing, a knowing look that could only be understood.

Xu Wanqing remained calm and, while Song Caidie was adjusting his bag strap, glanced at him sideways with a hint of reproachful warning.

Just as he sat down and poured his wine, Li Wenguo felt a light touch on his calf with the toe. He looked up without making a sound and saw Xu Wanqing chatting with Song Caidie about desserts with a smile, her expression open and without any flaws.

Good composure!

Even more exciting!

A quiet warmth stirred within him.

Later, after dancing with Song Caidie, he waited for her to get up and touch up her makeup. Then he turned back to the booth, embraced Xu Wanqing, and kissed her deeply. They only separated when Manager Tong coughed twice to remind them to come back quickly.

Fortunately, the smell of alcohol and the flushed face made her seem quite charming, so no one suspected anything.

Only her eyes, glistening with moisture and brimming with allure, made Song Caidie glance at them a few more times, muttering to herself, "Why are they so unusually charming today?"

Then came washing hands, touching up makeup, and coming back...

As she went home after the event, she remained completely unaware that she had become a warm pawn in the game.

Since accepting Song Qingzhi's commission, Li Wenguo has been visiting the Lixing Society much more frequently, one trip after another, like a wound-up toy.

He really put his heart into finding maps and digging for treasure.

After all, that was the wealth accumulated by the Qing Dynasty over hundreds of years. Even just prying open a corner of it was enough to make people dizzy with shock—there were also many rare national treasures lying inside.

However, he doesn't care about money when it comes to national treasures, and he certainly won't sell them abroad. As a Chinese person, this bottom line cannot be crossed; but he also feels it's a pity to lock them up in a safe and let them gather dust—treasures should ultimately be exposed to the sunlight so that everyone can see, touch, and remember them.

What he really cared about were solid, hard-to-find items like real gold and silver, ancient silver ingots, jade thumb rings, and pure gold Buddha statues.

If he could collect all five treasure maps first, he would definitely make a quick buck and then hand over the rest untouched.

Director Kang Bin and Team Leader Chang Binghui were well aware of the situation and not only cooperated fully, but even wanted to promote him to the position of captain of the fourth team—which he politely declined.

But his authority has indeed increased significantly: all three action teams treat him like a commanding officer.

To uncover the map, we need to broaden our approach: keep a close eye on Japanese spies while also tracing the remnants of the Boxer Rebellion.

He didn't believe that all the maps had fallen into the hands of the Japanese. He thought that some clever descendants would have hidden them in the walls of their ancestral home, in the shrines of their ancestral halls, or passed them on to their most reliable bloodline.

After all, how can you expect to survive if you try to cooperate with a wolf?

If he can't even grasp this basic principle, then the mountains of gold and silver left by his ancestors deserve to fall into other hands, if not his.

Therefore, those descendants must also be identified and thoroughly investigated one by one.

The biggest leader among them is surnamed Sai, so let's start by questioning him.

……

This side of Wang'er Mountain.

A wide, flat area halfway up the mountain was fenced off to form a village, with a specially cleared space in the middle used for drills, competitions, and roll call.

At this moment, on the training ground, two groups of people were facing off with swords and spears, the air taut like a fully drawn bowstring.

The left side had a larger and more imposing force, with almost everyone holding a rifle, the muzzles of which were all pointed forward.

The right side was outnumbered and outgunned; the few in the front row were barely holding rifles, while most of the men in the back row were carrying machetes, hatchets, and chipped swords.

The outcome was clear at a glance.

The man on the left, a towering figure with a face full of scars, roared at the slender woman opposite him, "Sai Xishi! If you know what's good for you, surrender now—hand over your stuff, and she'll come back to my stronghold with me as my wife, and I'll guarantee your lives! Otherwise, I'll chop you all up and feed you to the dogs!"

"When the time comes, everything will still be mine; even if you, Sai Xishi, are dead, I'll drag your corpse out and whip it three times—hahahaha!!!"

He threw his head back and laughed wildly, spitting saliva far and wide, as if victory was already nailed to his coffin.

That is indeed the case.

"Zhang Xiong'an, you're delusional!" Sai Xishi's eyes were red-rimmed, her teeth grinding together. "We'd rather die on the spot than bow down to a traitor like you!"

"I was blind to have put you in the second-in-command position—who would have thought you'd collude with the secret police and betray your country for personal gain! You deserve to be torn to pieces!"

"Hmph! Don't pretend to be so high and mighty, Sai Xishi!" Zhang Xiong'an spat. "Look at what our brothers are eating with you! Porridge so thin you can see your reflection, pickled vegetables so salty it's suffocating! You dare not kill officials or rob treasuries, and you're ashamed to rob and plunder—if we don't do bandit things, are we supposed to starve? This stronghold will starve to pieces and crumble into dust sooner or later if you put it in your hands!"

"Look at what happened after I joined forces with Little Ben—I had plenty of fatty meat at every meal, and crates of guns and cannons were being shipped into the village! Teaming up with Little Ben is the only way to survive! Only when the village is strong can the brothers have a way to live! Brothers, am I right?!"

He turned around abruptly and roared at the top of his lungs.

"right!!!"

A chorus of echoes came from behind, the sound waves crashing against the mountainside with a buzzing sound.

"Bullshit!" Sai Xishi interrupted sharply. "What is this little notebook? It's a jackal! A robber! A thief who skins people alive and pulls out their tendons! Today we give you a few guns and a few bags of rice, but that's just to use you as a weapon! Once we're done with you, we'll crush you to dust, even your bones! Don't be so cocky now, you'll have nowhere to kneel and cry later!"

Her words were like nails, striking the ground.

"Zhang Xiong'an, stop wasting your breath on her!" A man in his thirties with short, neat hair and a sinister look lowered his voice beside him. "Take her down! Don't forget what you promised me."

"Understood, Mr. Jingcun!"

Before the words were finished, the gate of the village was suddenly kicked open—a round-faced, slightly chubby young man stumbled in, shouting as he ran:

"Stop! Anyone who dares to move, I'll set it on fire! I'll blow you all to bits!"

All eyes swept over in a flash.

The man's abdomen was wrapped with explosives, and his waist was densely bound with detonators and fuses; his left hand held a pulled-string grenade, and his right hand held a fuse, the flame just a finger's width away from the detonator—a slight tremor and the world would collapse.

"Xiao Zhuang? Are you crazy?!"

Sai Xishi's heart tightened, and her voice changed tone.

Of course she knew why the child had come.

"Boss, let's go! It'll be too late if we don't leave now!"

Sure enough, he came to cover the retreat—to trade his life for a chance to survive.

"Xiao Zhuang! You bastard! Disarm the explosives right now! Or I'll skin you alive!"

Zhang Xiong'an's forehead veins bulged, but his feet seemed rooted to the spot, and he dared not move an inch.

Mr. Jingcun, standing beside him, remained calm and slowly moved his hands to his lower back.

"Pah! Traitorous lackey, you dare to scare me?" Xiao Zhuang grinned, a fierce glint in his eyes. "If you dare raise a gun, I dare set it on fire—we'll all go together!"

His face was ashen, and his eyes were burning with fury. He wasn't just trying to scare people; he was genuinely prepared to drag everyone down with him.

"Boss, run! Don't let Xiao Zhuang die in vain!"

"Let's go! Stay alive, so we can turn the tables later!"

"As long as the green hills stand, the firewood will never run out!"

"We will avenge Xiao Zhuang ourselves!"

……

Cheers rose and fell behind him.

Sai Xishi dug her nails deep into her palms, and finally stamped her foot: "Let's go!"

"Xiao Zhuang, don't worry—we'll avenge you for this blood debt!"

He suddenly turned around and strode out, with the crowd immediately following behind.

"Don't make a move! Anyone who dares to step forward, I'll detonate the explosives immediately!"

Seeing Zhang Xiong'an and his group slightly shrug their shoulders and shift their feet, Xiao Zhuang's eyes sharpened, and he shouted to stop them.

Before he could finish speaking, Jingcun suddenly looked up and stared straight behind Xiaozhuang, saying coldly, "Your boss has come back again."

Xiao Zhuang instinctively turned his head to look back—

"Bang!!!"

"Bang!!!"

Two loud explosions tore through the air. The first shot hit his wrist, which was gripping the explosive charge, precisely, while the second shot ripped open his skull.

"Chase them! Don't let a single one escape!"

In an instant, a desperate escape ensued.

One side raced away, while the other pounced on it.

Because their firearms were far inferior to the enemy's, all of his men died on the spot while covering Sai Xishi's death.

She alone leaped onto her swift horse and charged straight into the woods—the very place where her alter ego "Liu Erkui" had previously met with Chen Jiang; the horse's hooves thundered, and it sped off towards Chen Jiang's garrison. Several days later, Wen San finally confirmed that the direct descendant of the Boxer Rebellion leader Sai was indeed this person—Sai Xishi.