HDRDTH -Chapter 46 New Year’s Day — Master Yu Solves Another Case

The water surface split open.

A colossal object covered in aquatic weeds and thick rust was dragged up from the lake.

No scales. No tail. No gills.

It was a heavy iron box, about one meter long and half a meter wide.

The four corners were reinforced with thick copper plating. Although heavily corroded by decades underwater, its craftsmanship was still evident.

Yu Xian held his rod in a raised position, the wild excitement on his face freezing instantly.

He stared blankly at the rusty iron box hooked onto his lure, his mind buzzing.

A cold wind swept across the lake, lifting the mist and slapping his face—now darker than a wok bottom.

“What the hell… is this thing?” Yu Xian’s voice carried deep despair and a crisis of faith.

The cold morning wind howled through the royal forest.

Yu Xian stood like a weathered statue, stiffly holding the titanium alloy rod bent into a full arc.

His eyes were hollow, locked onto the iron box half-submerged in the shallow mud.

“This… is this some kind of armored fish?” Feng Dagang rubbed his eyes, holding the landing net awkwardly, his expression twisted in disbelief.

“Armored your ass!” Yu Xian finally exploded.

He slammed the priceless titanium rod into the snow.

“God damn it! I just wanted to catch a peaceful fish! Even a tiny two-tael crucian carp would’ve been fine! And you give me a rusty iron box?! Has every fish in this lake been wiped out after thirty years of sealing it?!”

His roar echoed across the empty lake, startling a flock of crows from the dead trees.

Feng Dagang swallowed hard and cautiously stepped closer to the water, inspecting the object.

“Brother Yu… don’t rush to anger. This box looks ancient. And the copper corners, the rivets… this craftsmanship doesn’t look ordinary. Maybe… you’ve hooked a treasure?”

“A treasure? Do I need treasure? Am I short on money? I want fish! LIVE fish!”

Despite his rage, Yu Xian stomped over in flip-flops, stepped into the freezing water, and grabbed the box with Feng Dagang to drag it ashore.

It was heavy—at least a hundred pounds.

After struggling together, they finally pulled it onto land.

The old guard, hearing the noise, hobbled over with a cane.

“You two caught something big? Huh? What is this thing?”

“No idea. Just pulled it out of the water,” Feng Dagang said.

He picked up a stone and smashed the rusted copper lock.

Clang! Clang!

After more than ten strikes, the lock finally snapped open with a click.

Yu Xian kicked open the lid with a dark face.

A strong stench of mold and swamp water rushed out.

Inside, layers of waterproof oilcloth were tightly wrapped.

Suppressing his disgust, Yu Xian cut through it with a folding knife.

When the cloth was peeled away—

All three of them froze.

There was no gold or silver.

Instead, dozens of sealed kraft paper envelopes were neatly stacked inside.

Beside them lay a bronze beast head.

Ancient, lifelike, and solemn.

Its surface was covered in a dark green patina. Even after decades underwater, it still carried an unmistakable imperial aura.

“This… this is…” Feng Dagang sucked in a breath, eyes nearly popping out.

He had worked in film, but in Beijing circles he had seen enough antiques to recognize what this was immediately.

“T-the Zodiac Beast Head… Snake Head?!” he stammered.

A national treasure.

One of the twelve zodiac bronze heads looted after the burning of the Old Summer Palace by the Eight-Nation Alliance, long lost overseas.

How could it be here, at the bottom of this forgotten lake?!

The old guard’s face turned ghostly pale the moment he saw it.

His legs gave out and he collapsed into the snow, his cane falling aside.

“We found it… we finally found it…” he cried, tears streaming down his face.

“Thirty years… Thirty years ago, thieves broke into the forest security office at night. The top-secret documents and this bronze beast head—recently recovered from an underground bunker—vanished without a trace. The station chief resigned in disgrace… and I’ve been guarding this gate for thirty years… so they never found out the truth…”

He pointed trembling fingers at the box.

“They didn’t escape. They dumped it in the lake!”

Yu Xian listened with a splitting headache.

He took a deep breath and calmly dialed 110.

“Hello? Yes, 110? It’s me again. I’m in the royal forest outside Beijing. No murder, no submarine. Just fished up a national treasure and solved a thirty-year cold case. Yes… please come quickly. I need to go back and cook dinner.”

Half an hour later.

Police sirens shattered the silence.

Seven or eight police cars with flashing red and blue lights stormed into the forest reserve and lined up by the lake.

The door opened—and the lead officer was none other than Captain Zhang from the Beijing Criminal Investigation Unit, the same man who had raided Xingmang Entertainment the day before.

He rushed over with armed officers.

When he saw Yu Xian standing by the lake—utterly lifeless—he stopped abruptly.

He looked at the bronze beast head on the ground.

Then at the titanium alloy fishing rod in Yu Xian’s hand.

He took a deep breath, stood straight, and saluted.

“Master Yu.”

His voice carried undeniable reverence.

“Yesterday you helped us dismantle a criminal empire from afar. Today, on New Year’s Day, you personally recovered a national treasure and solved a thirty-year-old cold case. Your… scope of work is expanding too fast. Even our entire police system can barely keep up.”

Yu Xian stared at him expressionlessly.

“Captain Zhang… if I say I just wanted to catch a fish, do you believe me?”

“I do! Of course I do!” Captain Zhang nodded solemnly. “You are purifying this world through fishing!”

He continued seriously:

“This case is top secret. We will not disclose your identity. However, the Ministry of Culture and the Ministry of Public Security plan to award you a Special Merit Medal and request an official meeting…”

“NO! NO TIME! NOT MEETING!” Yu Xian jumped like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

He grabbed his titanium rod, shoved it back into the ebony box, and turned furiously toward Feng Dagang.

“Director Feng! THIS is your ‘guaranteed fish spot’?! I trusted you?!”

He slung the box over his shoulder and stormed toward the G-Wagon.

“This Beijing water is cursed! The feng shui is insane! I’m leaving! Right now! Back to Jiangcheng!”

Captain Zhang and Feng Dagang looked at each other.

Their eyes were filled with admiration as they watched the retreating figure.

“To leave without a trace, to hide merit and fame…”

Captain Zhang sighed sincerely.

“Now that… is the true demeanor of a master.”