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“So Wang was assassinated,” Hulan prompted

“Not at all!” Lily exclaiuards and poof—disappeared To hear people around here tell the story, it’s as though he had supernatural powers One minute he was in the courtyard, the next he’d vanished fro that no one knows exactly how he got out, except that he showed up three years later in Hong Kong He was only sixty-seven He ain, outlived that wife by a couple of decades, andlives in great opulen

ce in Hong Kong”

“How do you know all this?” Hulan asked

Lily looked at therove’s has represented the fa didn’t have much cash, but with the profits froled out with him, he was able to start an i tycoon” She shook her head in adet richer even when they ‘lose’ everything?”

“Did he ever explain how he got his treasures out of the co?” David asked

“Of course not! A fa did capitalize on the mythical elements of those stories, which only added to the rove’s is tied to this godforsaken place We still do business for the fa once a month”

“She owns the property now?”

“Mr Wang lived just long enough to get his properties back during the PRC’s ca in capital fro has even relaunched the salt business”

“Are the salt wells near the Ba dig?” Hulan asked “Is that why that area is so barren?”

Lily smiled “There are other reasons for that—”

“If the family’s so wealthy,” David cut in, “ould they turn their compound into a hotel?”

“Money,” Lily answered, rubbing her thuether “The faovern learned that the compound would be inundated, she abandoned further renovations and decided to open a guesthouse to recoup her initial investment The Panda Guesthouse, no less! How many Panda Guesthouses do you think there are in this country? Thank God for the discovery of Site 518, otherwise she would have gotten none of her money back”

And on it went Lily’s tales ela seehten After dinner, David and the three woht The rain still came down in a warm rush, and the air smelled of wet bamboo They walked under the covered corridor to the next courtyard When they reached a door ht to bed I’ back out to the dig toht, but I’d be delighted if I could avoid riding with that lot”

They agreed to meet her downstairs at 7:30 and take her with theht wave, and her cheeks had that heightened color that e As she slowly closed her door, David thought that Brian McCarthyman to have attracted tomen as different as Lily Sinclair and Catherine Miller