Tang Tianyuan's heart sank. He forced himself to calm down and did a second headcount. This time, he also found that Cong Shun was missing with Tan Lingyin.
Everyone else’s mood also changed from the surprise of discovering the gold to the fright.
"How can living people just disappear like that..." Zhao Xiaoliu's voice trembled.
These words were ambiguous. Tang Tianyuan didn't like to hear these types of pessimistic words, so he glanced at Zhao Xiaoliu coldly. Zhao Xiaoliu cleverly hid behind Li Dawang.
Li Dawang had just crawled out of the water. He was shivering with the cold, so he had no time to be nervous.
The Feng Shui Master said, "My lord, I think we offended the owner of this tomb, so they were taken away." He glanced at Li Dawang and pointed to the gold brick in his hand, "Hurry up and put it back! "
Li Dawang quickly threw the gold brick back into the water.
Tang Tianyuan didn't want to listen to their nonsense anymore. He didn't believe in strange powers and entities. According to preliminary analysis, there were roughly two reasons why Cong Shun and Tan Lingyin disappeared quietly at the same time. First, they may have accidentally touched some mechanism. Second, Cong Shun were never on their side...
Tang Tianyuan took the torch and walked back into the room where the coffin was. He saw wet footprints on the floor. Just now when they came down, the soles of their feet were dry, so it was impossible to leave such footprints. It was only possible to do so when they walked back from the river.
In other words, they took the initiative to walk back here. If Cong Shun saw something suspicious, he may have acted without reporting to him. But Tan Lingyin will not, Tan Lingyin will definitely discuss with him first…
The guess in his heart was somewhat confirmed. Tang Tianyuan shouted "Cong Shun, come out and speak" to the surroundings, and finally, his gaze stopped at the passageway above.
Cong Shun's voice really came from there. "My lord. Come up and speak."
Zhao Xiaoliu and others soon realized that Cong Shun was a traitor. Cong Shun's martial arts skills were good and as an easy-going person, his popularity has always been good. Zhao Xiaoliu and the others all regard him as a good brother, but they didn't expect... Tsk tsk.
Tang Tianyuan hesitated. The passway that opened from the fake coffin was not big, only one person could walk out at a time. If Cong Shun was guarding outside, then he could easily deal with them one by one.
But Tan Lingyin was in his hands...
Tang Tianyuan said, "I want to confirm Head Commissioner Tan's safety first."
Tan Lingyin's anxious voice came from above, "My lord, don’t come u—"
She stopped midway. Her mouth was probably covered by Cong Shun.
Tang Tianyuan was very angry, but he pretended to be calm on the surface. He asked, "What exactly do you want?"
Cong Shun sneered, "The Lord is an intelligent person, why bother talking nonsense? You should be very clear about what I want."
Tang Tianyuan asked, "Are you Zong Yinglin’s person?"
Cong Shun didn't answer.
"All of this doesn’t matter," Tang Tianyuan said, "Even if you get the money, you will no longer be able to live to spend your lifetime of wealth."
"My Lord, don't bother with the 'Zong Yinglin will silence' idea. I know this better than you."
"No. I mean you're going to die right now."
Cong Shun was silent for a while. He couldn't figure out Tang Tianyuan’s meaning.
Tang Tianyuan explained, "You have already said that I am an intelligent person. Do you think an intelligent person would carelessly bring so many people to find treasure? No one else may know how much gold is in that water, but you should be very clear."
Cong Shun couldn't help asking, "What are you implying?"
"Yesterday, I had poisoned all of your food. Those who take this medicine will experience symptoms after twenty-four hours. The specific onset time varies slightly from person to person. However once it starts, you will feel an unbearable abdominal pain. If you don’t take the antidote within ten minutes, then you will die. This medicine was created by a famous doctor's secret method. Although it is not incurable, it will take at least a month to gather the medicinal materials to refine the antidote. Even the healthiest of bodies may not be able to wait until then."
Tan Lingyin: "My lord, well done!"
As soon as she said this, her mouth was covered again.
Not to mention Cong Shun, but the people in the tomb had already turned pale with fright. They collectively knelt on the ground and begged for mercy, "My lord, have mercy! Have mercy!!"
"Get up, if you are loyal, I will not treat you badly. Not only will I save your life, but I will also promote all of you and reward you well."
Several people quickly swore to show their loyalty.
The Feng Shui Master leaned over, "My Lord, have I– Have I eaten too?"
Tang Tianyuan nodded, "You are different from them. You consumed the poison this morning."
The Feng Shui Master suddenly felt his stomach ache. "My lord! Not good! I think the poison is acting up! Please give me the antidote!"
"Are you sure? Randomly taking this antidote is equal to taking another poison."
The Feng Shui Master rubbed his belly, "Ah...the pain subsided. This little one must have eaten something bad, there is no rush to take the antidote."
Cong Shun wondered if he should believe Tang Tianyuan's words.
But in the end he chose to believe him. This was because Tang Tianyuan's motives were irrefutable. A careful person would never take in so many people who they do not fully trust, unless they had control of the other party’s life.
So Cong Shun tried to negotiate, "My Lord, if you don't want to see Head Commissioner Tan perish, then give me the antidote."
Tang Tianyuan replied coldly, "If you dare to hurt her at all, then just wait for a death without burial."
Negotiations had reached a stalemate, and no one was willing to give in first. Tang Tianyuan was afraid that Cong Shun would not let Tan Lingyin go if he gave him the medicine. While Cong Shun was afraid that Tang Tianyuan would not get the antidote if he let her go.
After a while, Tang Tianyuan said, "Why don't we talk? What did Zong Yinglin promise you?"
Cong Shun's voice was a bit gloomy. "My parents, wife and children are all in Chizhou Prefecture."
It turned out that his family members were held as bargaining chips. Although Tan Lingyin hated Cong Shun, she suddenly felt some sympathy for him. Her own brother had also been held hostage before. During that time, she had felt flustered and felt that she had to comply with the other party’s every wish.
