Chapter 102: Gold and Jewels Scattered Everywhere

The location was likely nearby, and it wasn’t long before Black Sunglasses and I found the spot. There stood a dilapidated River God Temple, evidently quite old, though its exact construction date was unknown. No one had maintained it for years, and it had collapsed into a pitiful state.

Near the temple, the riverbed was unusually rich with gold and silver, and the water was remarkably deep. I probed the riverbed with a two-meter branch but couldn’t reach the bottom. Along the way, I had noticed that most parts of the Lishui River were not very deep, generally no more than one and a half meters. This spot, where even two meters wasn’t enough to touch the bottom, was a rare find. The water here was also murkier, and the stretch upstream held far fewer precious metals, which confirmed that this had to be the place we were searching for.

According to Black Sunglasses, although we were not tomb raiders, it would be a pity not to take a look after discovering this. Besides, curiosity gnawed at us. This place was likely linked in an essential way to the ancient tomb of King Loufan, which itself had ties to the ancient Li tribe. That connection alone was reason enough to explore further. We also anticipated that the government would soon intervene. When that happened, the site would likely be sealed off. It would become much harder to visit then. Once authorities got involved, large-scale excavations would begin, and any valuable artifacts or clues would be swept away, leaving the site utterly stripped clean.

However, we lacked diving suits or other proper underwater gear, so we could only feel our way around. Neither Black Sunglasses nor I had any real interest in the gold and silver; our motivation was purely the tomb’s possible link to King Loufan and the ancient Li tribe. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have bothered searching.

I rolled my pant legs up to my knees and waded into the Lishui River. The weather had turned autumnal, and the water was chilly but still bearable. Black Sunglasses stayed on shore, probing around. I felt many objects brushing against my feet and scooped up handfuls—mostly gold and silver ingots. There was no doubt we were at the right place.

As I neared the deep water spot, suddenly my foot sank sharply. I tried to pull it out, but my right foot seemed trapped in deep mud, refusing to budge. I called out to Black Sunglasses for help. He was close by and quickly reached out to pull me free. But the harder I struggled, the deeper I sank. Black Sunglasses noticed and cautioned me to stay calm and take it slow.

Just as I steadied myself, my left foot also gave way beneath me. The river water instantly surged past my waist, and it happened so fast I felt as if I’d stepped into thin air. Instinctively, I grabbed Black Sunglasses’ hand, but my whole body was swallowed by the mud.

Before I could release my grip, Black Sunglasses fell in as well. This time, I had truly dragged him down with me. But there was no time to worry about him. Enveloped by the sludge, even breathing was difficult, and without preparation, I was close to suffocating. Just as I was about to lose hope, my body plunged into a water pool. It wasn’t very deep — about a meter or so. At first, I flailed about, but when I realized the water wasn’t deep, I hurriedly stood up.

Gasping for breath, covered head to toe in mud and unable to open my eyes, I quickly washed my face and looked around. Indeed, this was an underwater palace. Nearby, I heard Black Sunglasses’ voice; he was also cleaning mud off himself.

“You really got me into trouble,” he said.

I smiled but said nothing. It was true—I had caused both of us to fall in. But since we were here now, there was no use fretting about our lack of diving equipment. Rather than staying curious on dry land, it was better to come down and see for ourselves.

The palace was vast and grand. It was clear that enormous resources had been invested in its construction. My earlier guess was accurate: this was no ordinary structure.

After tidying ourselves up, we retrieved the waterproof flashlights we had brought. We switched them on and scanned the surroundings. The palace had collapsed extensively; rubble and broken pillars were scattered everywhere. We stood in a corner where a few columns still supported a sloping section with less water.

Despite the destruction, we noticed a remarkably advanced drainage system. For its time, it was an extremely sophisticated engineering feat. It was apparent the palace had suffered a massive collapse, though the cause remained unknown. The surrounding abundance of gold and silver jewelry showed how the floodwaters had ravaged the place before settling down. The drainage system was only slightly damaged and had begun to function again; otherwise, the palace would have been completely flooded.

Though I was trained in engineering, my knowledge of hydraulics was limited to the basics. Besides, this was ancient technology, much of it difficult to comprehend. I examined the site carefully with the flashlight and concluded the collapse was unlikely caused by rain. First, if rain were responsible, the palace would not have stood for thousands of years only to collapse now. The recent rainfall hadn’t even been severe enough to classify as a storm. Second, the collapse patterns suggested foundational problems rather than surface water erosion. The force required to cause such damage pointed to seismic activity or geological shifts deep within the mountains. Yet, there had been no recent earthquakes, implying the mountain’s interior must have changed somehow. Otherwise, such destruction of a millennia-old palace would be impossible.

Black Sunglasses and I began moving through the water, the flashlight beams illuminating glints of gold and silver everywhere. The floor was strewn with treasures, mostly silver ingots. I picked one up to examine. The inscriptions varied, with some broken pieces and others shaped like official sycees. Though I couldn’t read the characters, I recognized they were official currency from the era, given their standardized shapes.

This place, despite its ruin, held countless secrets waiting to be uncovered.