82: Chapter 82 I'd like to come again next time I have time

Hu Tian pulled up a chair and sat down next to her. "Tell me about it."

"The first one is ruled out."

Zhou Waner flipped to the previous page. "There is a Tianhou Palace on the island, but it is on the south side, which doesn't fit. The second one is ruled out; the island does not have a stable source of fresh water. Historical records mention that the islanders relied on collecting rainwater for their water supply, so that doesn't fit either."

"What about the remaining three?"

"These three all have a Tianhou Palace, the location is on the north side, and there is fresh water on the islands,"

Zhou Waner said, "but I am currently checking the specific conditions of these three islands during the mid-Qing Dynasty. The era when Zhu Bu was active was roughly from the late years of Emperor Qianlong to the Jiaqing period. I need to confirm whether these islands were inhabited at that time and whether the Tianhou Palace existed then or if it was built later."

Hu Tian nodded. "That is the right direction. If there was no Tianhou Palace on the island at that time, it couldn't have served as a reference point."

"Yes."

Zhou Waner said, "I am checking local gazetteers. A few county gazetteers have relevant records, but they aren't very complete. I'll look around to see if there are other materials."

Hu Tian didn't speak again; he leaned back in his chair, looking at the map of the coastline on her screen. The small islands marked were scattered across the blue sea, as quiet as if nothing had ever happened.

But he knew that under the water of one of those islands, something had been sleeping for nearly two hundred years.

Zhou Waner checked the data for a while longer, then suddenly looked up. "By the way, when do you plan to go to Southern Fujian?"

"Let's wait until the island is decided,"

Hu Tian said, "Any time in the next few days is fine."

"Then it's best to decide within the next two days,"

Zhou Waner said, "because I only have three days of leave. I'm really unhappy; hmph, my advisor is so hateful for only approving three days of leave."

Hu Tian was stunned for a moment. "You aren't coming along?"

Zhou Waner turned her head to look at him, her expression somewhat surprised. "Me? I thought you were going by yourself."

"Aren't you interested in treasure hunting at sea?"

"Of course I am interested,"

Zhou Waner said, "but where would I get so much vacation time? It wasn't easy to get three days this time. Any more than that, and it would be hard to explain to the faculty advisor."

Hu Tian thought about it, and it was true; Zhou Waner was not as free as he was.

"Then let's do this,"

Hu Tian said, "You decide on the island first, and I will handle the rest myself."

Zhou Waner nodded. "Then I will check again and strive to give you an answer today."

After she finished speaking, she turned back to stare at the screen, her fingers typing rapidly on the keyboard, completely entering a work mode.

Hu Tian watched her for a while, then got up to go to the kitchen to pour a glass of water. When he returned, Zhou Waner was still checking data, completely unaware that he had walked away and come back.

He didn't disturb her, walking to the window to watch the sky outside gradually turning dark.

Time passed quickly, and by the time Zhou Waner looked up again, it was completely dark outside the window.

"I found it,"

she said, her voice carrying a trace of fatigue but more excitement. "The third island, Donghu Island, is the best fit. Moreover, the county gazetteer has a clear record that the Tianhou Palace was built in the 40th year of Emperor Qianlong, on the north side of the island. There is a well on the island with very good water quality, and historically, fishermen have always taken shelter there."

Hu Tian walked over and looked at the island she was pointing out to him. "Are you sure?"

"Basically certain,"

Zhou Waner said, "the other two islands either had their Tianhou Palace built late, or the location was wrong. Only this island meets all the conditions."

"Good,"

Hu Tian said, "Then that's it."

Zhou Waner closed her laptop and stretched. "Finally done."

Only then did she notice that it was pitch black outside. "Is it this late already?"

"Yes,"

Hu Tian glanced at his phone. "It's already past seven."

"Oh no,"

Zhou Waner said, "I have to go back, otherwise my grandfather will worry."

When she said this, Hu Tian remembered that Zhou Waner had come in the morning. She had stayed in the villa all day, eating something casual at noon before continuing to work. It was now almost eight o'clock.

"I'll drive you back,"

Hu Tian said.

Zhou Waner stood up and stretched her shoulders. "But seriously, this villa of yours is really nice, even bigger than I imagined."

While the computer was automatically scanning in the afternoon, she had explored Hu Tian's villa from top to bottom, from the first floor to the third, checking every room like a curious little elf, interested in everything.

Especially the collection room on the basement floor; Zhou Waner had stayed there for nearly an hour, staring at those treasures again and again. Especially the imperial seal of the ming dynasty—she had stood in front of that jade seal for a long time, the expression on her face constantly changing, from shock to emotion, and then to a complex feeling that was hard to describe.

"Have you seen enough?"

Hu Tian had asked from the side at the time.

"Never enough,"

Zhou Waner said, "these things should have been in a Museum, but now they are all here with you."

"When I've seen enough one day, I will consider donating some of them in exchange for a red certificate."

Hu Tian said.

Zhou Waner laughed. "When would that be?"

"I don't know,"

Hu Tian said, "Probably a long time."

Now, Zhou Waner packed her things and walked out with Hu Tian. When she reached the door, she looked back at the villa once more. "I want to come again when I have time."

"You are welcome anytime,"

Hu Tian said, "Anyway, you know the password."

Zhou Waner smiled and got into the car.

The car started, drove out of the villa area, and headed toward the city center.

Along the way, Zhou Waner was still talking about Donghu Island, saying that very few people go to that island now, only occasional fishermen passing by who might stop there. The Tianhou Palace on the island has also fallen into disrepair, but the main structure is still there.

Hu Tian listened to her while driving, his mind already beginning to plan the itinerary for going to Southern Fujian.

When the car drove near the Tianhai villa area, it was already completely dark. Streetlights lit up on both sides of the road, illuminating this high-end residential area clearly and quietly.

Zhou Waner's home was deep in the villa area. The car turned in and drove along the road paved with bluestone slabs. On both sides were neatly trimmed green belts, and occasionally a few villas of different styles could be seen hidden in the shadows of the trees.

"It's right up ahead,"

Zhou Waner said, pointing to a villa with a Chinese style in front.

The car stopped downstairs, and the engine was turned off.

Zhou Waner unbuckled her seatbelt and turned to look at him. "Okay, I'm home."

Hu Tian didn't move, his hands still resting on the steering wheel. "Go ahead, get some good rest."

"You've worked hard these past two days."

Zhou Waner didn't rush to open the door, pausing for a moment. "You too."

Both of them didn't speak again.

Hu Tian turned his face, and she had already leaned in first, her hand gently resting on his shoulder, and a kiss fell, carrying a bit of reluctance, and also a bit of something hard to describe.

He kissed her back, slowly, not in a hurry to let go.

Until she pulled back a little first, pressing her forehead against his, and laughed softly.

"Alright, I'm going up."

Hu Tian replied, "Yeah, go on in."

Zhou Waner smiled, pushed open the car door, and got out. After walking two steps, she turned back. "Be careful when you go to Southern Fujian. The situation at sea is complicated, so be careful. I'll wait for you to come back and share it with me."

"Don't worry,"

Hu Tian said.

Zhou Waner nodded and turned to walk toward the villa. Just as she reached the door, the gate opened. Old Master Zhou was standing at the door; it looked like he had come out after hearing the sound of the car.

"You're back?"

Old Master Zhou looked at Zhou Waner.

"Yeah, I'm back,"

Zhou Waner said.

Old Master Zhou glanced at the car parked at the door and nodded at Hu Tian. Hu Tian also nodded in acknowledgment, then started the car and left.

Through the rearview mirror, he saw Zhou Waner and Old Master Zhou walk into the villa together, and the gate slowly closed.

The car drove out of the Tianhai villa area. The road back was very quiet. At this time, there were not many cars on the road. Hu Tian was not driving fast, his mind thinking about the next arrangements.

The location of Donghu Island had been determined. The next step was to prepare equipment and then go to Southern Fujian for a field investigation. This time it was an operation at sea, and the situation would be much more complicated than before.

He needed to prepare diving equipment and also rent a boat. It would be best to find a reliable captain, the kind who was familiar with the local waters.

There was also the weather. He needed to understand in advance what the sea conditions were like in Southern Fujian during this season.

When the car drove back to the villa, it was almost nine o'clock. Hu Tian parked the car and entered the house; the whole villa returned to silence again.

He walked to the kitchen, made something quick to eat, and after eating, returned to the studio, opened the computer, and began to check the weather forecast and sea condition information for Southern Fujian.

He was busy until late at night before he turned off the computer and went upstairs to rest.

The next morning, Hu Tian was woken up by his phone ringing. It was a call from Zhou Waner.

"Hello?"

He answered the phone.

"Are you up yet?"

Zhou Waner's voice sounded energetic.

"Just woke up,"

Hu Tian said.

"I remembered something,"

Zhou Waner said, "if you are going to go into the water at Donghu Island, it is best to find a local to lead the way. That sea area has many reefs, and people who are not familiar with it can easily get into trouble."

"No rush,"

Hu Tian said, "Check the data for these two days first. The day after tomorrow, I will send you back to Jinling, and then I will go to Southern Fujian."

There was a silence on the other end of the line for a second, and then Zhou Waner's voice clearly brightened up. "Really? You're taking me back the day after tomorrow?"

"Yes."

"Then... then do you want to go out for a stroll this afternoon? I remember there is a shop in the city center that I haven't had time to visit,"

Zhou Waner's tone of voice lightened up quite a bit. "Have a meal, take a walk, just to relax. You haven't rested well these past two days either, right?"

Hu Tian leaned against the headboard. The curtains were not drawn, and the room was still a bit dark. "Sure, what time?"

"Four o'clock in the afternoon, you come to pick me up,"

Zhou Waner said, "just in the city center, it's not far. Come over early, and we can stroll around a bit before going to eat."

"Sure, four o'clock."

"It's a deal, no standing me up."

"Don't worry."

Zhou Waner laughed on the other end of the line. "Then go get busy, I'll wait for you."

After hanging up the phone, Hu Tian put the phone on the bedside table and turned his head to look at the time; it was just past seven in the morning.

He closed his eyes for a while, but couldn't fall back asleep, so he simply got up to wash, went downstairs to the kitchen to make some breakfast, and had a simple meal.

After eating, he returned to the studio, opened the computer, and began to officially start searching for information about the treasure of Zhu Bu.

Zhu Bu.

This name is not prominent in the history of Southern Fujian, but in the history of piracy, he is quite a significant figure.

The coordinates Hu Tian had scanned earlier pointed to the sea area near Southern Fujian. Combining this with the terrain and island data that Waner had found, he began his search from another angle.

He started with historical materials.