256: Chapter 256 Rumors

Han Jingyang scrambled up. "Huang Jianyong's treasure?"

"Right."

"What did Huang Jianshe say?"

"He said there's a rumor in Xipo Village that Huang Jianyong's treasure has been found."

"Found?"

"It's not clear, but they're talking as if it's a sure thing, claiming Huang Jianyong handed the treasure to his godmother early on and had her hide it. Isn't that ridiculous? Isn't Huang Jianyong's godmother that old elm tree? A tree can hide things..."

At this point, Shi Xiaoya suddenly realized, "Could it be that the treasure is actually buried under that old elm tree?"

Han Jingyang shook his head with a grave expression. "No."

"Then it's a rumor."

"It is a rumor, but this rumor is very strange, and that old elm tree..."

Han Jingyang stopped there and immediately called Zhou Jianjun. "Old Zhou, take some men and keep an eye on that old elm tree. Bring plenty of people. I'll be there soon."

Zhou Jianjun was confused. "What old elm tree?"

"Huang Jianyong's godmother."

"Oh, oh, what's wrong?"

"Someone has their eye on it. Remember, that tree must not be lost; at the very least, hold them off until I arrive."

"Tree thieves?"

"If their goal is the tree, that would be fine. I'm just worried they have other motives."

"What do you mean?"

"It has to do with Xipo Village. It might be a ploy to shift the trouble onto us."

Zhou Jianjun realized what was happening and immediately cursed, "Damn that Huang Ergou!"

Han Jingyang urged, "Hurry, bring more people."

He hung up the phone, quickly washed up, got dressed, and headed out.

On the way, Shi Xiaoya asked cautiously, "Hubby, do you suspect people from Xipo Village are behind this?"

"It's highly likely a ploy to shift trouble. So many outside martial artists have gathered in Xipo Village with only one goal: the treasure left by Huang Jianyong. This group has turned Xipo Village into a chaotic mess. You can't drive them away, and you can't beat them. If you were the village chief, what would you do?"

Shi Xiaoya was silent for a moment. "Shift the trouble."

"Exactly. Most people don't know about Huang Jianyong's godmother; only the elders in Dongpo Village and Xipo Village know a little about it. Spreading such a rumor at this time makes the motive all too obvious."

"But a rumor is just a rumor. What if those people dig up the big elm tree and find nothing? They'll just go back to Xipo Village, and they might even vent their anger on Xipo Village for being deceived. Those people aren't fools. Didn't the person who created this rumor think of that consequence?"

"They must have thought of it, but a rumor... can become a fact."

"What do you mean?"

"What if they actually dig up something under the big elm tree?"

"You mean? Faking it?"

"Yes."

Shi Xiaoya thought for a moment, then suddenly became excited. "If that's true, it's good for us! We can just wait for those martial artists to leave with the fake treasure, and then dig up the real one."

Han Jingyang shook his head. "No, that tree cannot be dug up."

"Ah? Why?"

"I still have a use for it."

"What do you mean?"

"Conducting an experiment."

Shi Xiaoya suddenly understood. "Hubby, do you mean that big elm tree has something special about it?"

"Yes."

"Then what should we do? Stop them directly?"

"They probably won't act for now, but that might change by night. Besides, you can stop them for a moment, but not forever. It's easy to be a thief, but hard to guard against one. We need a foolproof plan."

"A foolproof plan is a bit difficult. We need to protect the tree and guard the treasure. It seems quite hard; one of them will always have to be sacrificed."

"There must be a better way. Let me think."

"Okay."

"Let's go to Dongpo Village first to check the situation."

"Okay."

Dongpo Village.

Zhou Jianjun led a dozen men in their forties and fifties, carrying hoes and shovels, straight toward the big elm tree. Seeing some people wandering under the tree from a distance, he immediately roared, "What are you doing?"

The seven or eight people under the big elm tree were startled. After seeing who was coming, they exchanged glances. One old man wearing a white long gown with a white beard stepped out and cupped his hands. "We are tourists."

"Tourists? What are tourists doing here?"

"It's our first time seeing such a large elm tree, so we came to take a look."

"There's nothing to see. Get going, get going. This isn't a tourist attraction."

"Alright, alright, we'll leave immediately," the white-bearded old man said, cupping his hands again. "May I ask if this tree has an owner?"

"This is our village's collective property. Whoever touches this tree is the enemy of our entire village."

"No, no, no, we won't touch it. We were just curious. May I ask who you are..."

"I am the village chief here."

"I see. I'm sorry, very sorry. We just heard that someone in Xipo Village took this tree as their godmother and were curious, so we came to take a look. We meant no harm."

"Get going, get going."

"Alright, we're leaving, we're leaving."

The white-bearded old man and his group slowly retreated. Once they were out of sight of Zhou Jianjun and the others, they immediately began arguing.

"This tree really is strange."

"I can't say exactly what the situation is, but it just feels off."

"It's normal to take a tree as a godmother, right? There are many in our area, as well as stone houses, wells, small hills, and so on."

"That kind of behavior is normal, but this tree itself is not normal."

"What's not normal about it? Isn't it just an old tree?"

"There are many old trees, but very few that have that kind of feeling."

"Old Li, what do you think?"

"Yes, let Elder Li explain the situation. He has the highest seniority and the strongest ability here."

Everyone looked in unison at the silent white-bearded old man.

The white-bearded old man cupped his hands. "We've gathered here by chance to group together for self-preservation. Unity is the most important thing. If we can snatch the treasure, that's great, but if we can't, we shouldn't lose our lives. Survival is what matters most. So, before that, we must not hurt our harmony, and even less should we suspect or argue with each other. If there are any problems, let's communicate amicably."

"Okay."

"Elder Li is right."

"That's how it should be."

The white-bearded old man nodded. "As for that big elm tree, it is indeed different from ordinary big trees, but it's nothing special. It's just that Huang Jianyong's act of taking it as a godmother accumulated some incense for the tree. Trees like this are common in temples and graveyards. There's nothing special about it, other than being a bit older. When alive, it can suppress earth qi, but when dead, it's just a pile of elm wood, not even as good as common lightning-struck wood."

"I see."

"Yes, it's that simple."

"Then about the treasure..."

"I suspect there's a problem with the treasure; this news spread too suddenly."

"Then what should we do next?"

Before he could finish, a middle-aged woman received a message. She opened it and exclaimed, "We've fallen into a trap! It's Han Jingyang's diversion tactic!"

"What do you mean?"

"Han Jingyang is driving an excavator to dig for treasure in Xipo Village."

"What?"

"Damn it!"

"How cunning!"

"Elder Li is truly wise to realize there was a problem. Fortunately, we didn't rush into action; otherwise, it would have been bad to clash with those people in Dongpo Village."

"Let's go, back to Xipo Village. No matter what, we cannot let Han Jingyang succeed."