Histoires de fantômes

Chapitre 103

Wang Jiangnan made a gesture, and someone pursed their lips and emitted a sharp whistling sound that echoed throughout the villa.

Zhang Baisen was the calmest of them all, even though his Five Elements Formation hadn't actually worked to capture the Hashizu ninja. He held the compass in his hand, constantly adjusting the angle towards the water pavilion.

"Come out, Gemini Killer!" he shouted, throwing the compass which flew out with a "whoosh," piercing the air for more than thirty meters before embedding itself in the black pillar of the water pavilion.

The question I wanted to ask him was actually related to the huge compass I saw on the beam in the study in my dream.

From ancient times to the present, the compass used by Chinese geomancers and sorcerers for directional surveying has remained virtually unchanged, all based on the "Twenty-Four Mountains of the Earth Plate" design created by Yang Yunsong of the Tang Dynasty. Could the giant compass in the dream possess more information capabilities than a regular compass in reality?

The sudden arrival of the Gemini Assassins has made the seemingly trivial matter of Yelan's spell incredibly complicated. Clearly, Watanabe Castle hasn't abandoned his ambition to acquire Xunfuyuan; his temporary retreat is merely a strategic maneuver, a way to find weaknesses in my position. It seems my earlier hasty action against Watanabe Castle was a bit too much; prematurely revealing my intentions and strength was perhaps the biggest blunder in this game.

Watanabe's men are definitely not just those few good-looking but useless bodyguards; his strength can only be described as "deeply hidden and unfathomable."

A girl with long black hair, dressed in white with red flowers, a long knife, and wooden clogs appeared beside Guan Baoling. Her face was hidden behind Guan Baoling's shoulder, and she looked over in a sinister manner.

“Friends of the Qiaojin faction, since you’ve come to deliver a gift to Mr. Feng, why go to such lengths? Are you deliberately trying to antagonize the owner of Xunfu Garden?” Zhang Baisen slowly walked to the middle of the doorway, raising his fists to his waist, adopting a cautious posture ready to throw a punch at any moment.

The girl in the pavilion chuckled coldly, while Guan Baoling remained motionless, as if her acupoints had been sealed.

“Master Zhang, this is a private business in the martial arts world, it has nothing to do with you, you’d better not interfere blindly.” The girl’s voice was deep, powerful, and extremely cold.

Part 3: Ghostly Villa

— Chapter 9 — The Cicada in the Nest —

Zhang Baisen stepped out of the door, walked down the steps, and stood in front of the car with his feet in a very strange, awkward stance.

For a master of his caliber, every move he makes carries profound meaning. I remained silent, afraid of disrupting Zhang Baisen's plans. Of course, I was constantly watching Guan Baoling's movements; from this angle, her long eyelashes trembled incessantly, like two Venetian blinds constantly opening and closing.

Having just witnessed the incredible speed of the Hashizu-style ninjas' sword strikes, even with a powerful sniper rifle at hand, I dared not easily fire at the girl, fearing that even after being shot, she would still have the strength to kill Guan Baoling with a single blow.

I don't want Guan Baoling to die, at least I can't just watch her die.

“Master Zhang, please stop. Also, your two friends seem to be rapidly approaching this place—hehe… In terms of the Five Elements, Eight Trigrams, and the art of stealth and combat, our Qiaojin School is in no way inferior to any other Chinese school—if you don’t want this person to die, it’s best if everyone stays put.” She reached out and lightly brushed the hilts of her swords, causing the five longswords to clang and clatter.

Zhang Baisen cleared his throat and said, word by word, "That's right, there are indeed my good friends within a kilometer. You should have retreated long ago, but now, the formation is complete. Let's see how you escape." His hands were on the hood of the sports car, looking confident.

The girl suddenly looked up at the sky and laughed coldly: "We came here with no intention of leaving alive. The master's orders were a death sentence—either take Mr. Feng back, or take our own corpses back. Your 'Hidden Flight Formation' is extraordinary; we can't break it, nor do we intend to. May I ask, are two 'human bombs' enough to raze Xunfu Garden to the ground..."

Her hand slowly grabbed Guan Baoling's hair, and she let out a sinister laugh.

No bomb was found on the captured girl, but that doesn't mean she didn't have one inside her body. Modern medical techniques have reached the point where any dangerous item can be concealed within a person's body.

"Don't touch her—" Wang Jiangnan finally couldn't hold back anymore and shouted fiercely, then darted out the door.

These warnings are completely useless. I think Wang Jiangnan is bewitched by Guan Baoling, behaving like a clueless novice in the martial arts world. To rescue Guan Baoling, we must find the Achilles' heel of the Qiaojin sect ninjas.

Guan Baoling remained motionless, like a life-size replica of a statue. I began to worry. The longer a person's acupoints are sealed, the more damage is done to their blood vessels and meridians. For a beautiful girl like her, if she were to develop some kind of physical disability, it would truly be the cruelest joke God has ever played on humanity.

“I won’t touch her, but I can kill her anytime—” The girl’s snow-white hand gently brushed against Guan Baoling’s neck a few times, then made a sharp “tsk” gesture.

If I had a gun in my hand right now, I really wouldn't be able to resist shooting her.

The phone in the living room suddenly rang, its deafening ringing echoing loudly. At a time like this, no one would have the time to answer the phone, especially Xiao Keleng, who was lurking in the shadows of the stairs, her eyes darting around incessantly.

If Zhang Baisen's formation is sure to trap the "Gemini Killers," but Guan Baoling is captured, everyone will be hesitant to act, especially Wang Jiangnan, who is blinded by lust.

Zhang Baisen rubbed his hands together and laughed loudly: "Friend, what exactly do you want? Ninjas aren't suicide soldiers, why value your life so lightly?"

Two tall, thin men suddenly appeared on the west and south walls of the water pavilion. They were both wearing gray suits and had long, messy hair. However, they were very skilled in light footwork, leaping over the walls and landing silently.

The murderous aura vanished, replaced by a white mist slowly rising from the withered grass surrounding the water pavilion. The two suddenly appearing figures, together with Zhang Baisen, formed a peculiar equilateral triangle, perfectly encircling the water pavilion in the center.

Xiao Ke breathed a sigh of relief, took his hands out of his pockets, and vigorously wiped the sweat from his palms on his knees.

I have seen photos of these two men countless times in Chinese media. They are two "divine" gossip masters, and descendants of the most famous Zhouyi (Book of Changes) family in history, named Shao Bai and Shao Hei respectively.

“You cannot leave. Moreover, your forehead is dark and your cheeks are red, indicating a bloody disaster. You will surely die within sixty days.” Shao Bai, who leaped in from the west wall, brushed aside his messy hair and completely disregarded the ninja in the water pavilion. He held a bronze compass in his hand, and after landing steadily, he did not move an inch.

"It's strange that the 'Gemini Killers' aren't listed on the Pentagon's 'poker wanted posters,' but I know the FBI has indicated a bounty for you two, which is somewhat attractive. Hmph, your fates have already violated the 'Heavenly Law of Destruction,' destined to die in 'bottomless waters,' yet you dared to run back to the Japanese archipelago from Iraq. It's utterly ignorant, absurd, and incredibly stupid! Your Japanese Five Elements and Physiognomy have only learned a superficial understanding of the Chinese, truly 'a miss by a hair's breadth, a miss by a mile'—the Hashizu school, from Hashizu Mino onwards, hasn't produced a single noteworthy master..." Shao Hei's face was indeed very dark, and clearly showed signs of malnutrition, as if he were a long-term starving vagrant.

Although he was also a fortune teller, he did not carry any compasses or similar tools; instead, he held a two-inch-long, octagonal steel dart that gleamed coldly in his fingertips.

Guan Baoling alone was no longer enough to shield the female ninja from the enemies surrounding her on three sides, so she boldly revealed her face. To be fair, if it weren't for Guan Baoling's beauty, the female ninja's appearance would have been acceptable, at least ten times prettier than the one who had previously ventured alone.

"Alright, since everyone is so disregarding Miss Guan's life, I'll kill her first, and then we'll fight to the death. As long as you're in Japan, the Yamaguchi-gumi will always come knocking and massacre Xunfuyuan. It's just a matter of who dies first." Speaking of death, her expression was utterly calm, as if she could offer her life at any moment without any regrets.

Ninjas were a peculiar group in Japanese society, often described by international humanists as "highly intelligent slaves." Deep down, they saw themselves as "the master's lackeys," their lives entirely belonging to their masters, ready to commit suicide at any moment. Their psychology was utterly perverse, inseparable from the distorted social structure of Japanese society over centuries.

Zhang Baisen chuckled and generously spread his hands, smiling, "Why make it sound so bloody? We can let you go, we can overlook your murder, and we'll even let you take your sisters with you. Isn't that fair?"

This delaying tactic was exactly what I wanted, because behind this sudden incident, the real task was to rescue Yelan and then awaken Tenga. The "Gemini Man" was hated by the US-British coalition forces, and seemed to have no deep-seated hatred for the Chinese.

Wang Jiangnan raised his iron hand, gritting his teeth: "We'll settle this score later. You can leave now without worry."

I suddenly had a premonition that everything was part of a carefully laid trap, and that there seemed to be some tacit understanding among Zhang Baisen, Wang Jiangnan, and Xiao Keleng about "casting a long line to catch a big fish." Xiao Keleng wasn't a coward or afraid of death; since we met, her character had always been resilient and strong, and she never gave up. In the current situation, instead of adopting the demeanor of the villa's owner and speaking to the female ninja, she remained hidden in the shadows of the stairwell.

After all, Xunfuyuan was a real estate project entrusted to her by Scalpel, and Zhang Baisen and Wang Jiangnan were guests. No matter what, it was not their place to take the initiative to negotiate.

I don't like being kept in the dark, so I glared at Xiao Keleng a few times. She noticed and gave me a helpless, bitter smile.

The Shenqianghui's men appeared too weak and easily bullied; this could not be their true level. Otherwise, if they had crossed the ocean and landed in Japan, they would have been wiped out by the Yamaguchi-gumi in just a few months. How could they have risen to such a high level today?

"You can leave, but I need to hold Miss Guan hostage until we are both completely safe before I can release her—"

Wang Jiangnan sneered, took two big steps forward, and stepped over the lifeless body of his brother: "I'll be your hostage, you release her."

Everything was proceeding according to the police's procedures for handling emergencies, including the hostage exchange. It felt like I was watching a pre-arranged scenario; if the "Gemini Killers" used Wang Jiangnan as a hostage, their own deaths would be imminent.

The female ninja suddenly burst into laughter: "You...you're a hostage..." She lightly patted Guan Baoling on the back, and Guan Baoling screamed as if waking from a dream. But after the female ninja patted her on the shoulder again, she fell silent once more.

Xiao Keleng muttered to himself, "Illusion, soul-shifting technique, amazing! Amazing!"

Both of these skills are the signature techniques of the Hashizu school, passed down through generations. Japanese fantasy magazines have conducted detailed discussions on them. Now, seeing them firsthand, I can see that using them to control other people's thoughts and actions is much easier and more practical than the Chinese "pressure point technique."

"Haha... You're not qualified... Mr. Wang, you're just a lackey planted in Japan by the Divine Gun Society. Do you think anyone would care about your life or death?" The female ninja sneered contemptuously.

That rebuke was so satisfying, it made me feel an indescribable sense of relief.

Wang Jiangnan's infatuation with Guan Baoling can be described as "overestimating his own abilities and a toad wanting to eat swan meat." Regardless of whether the tycoon will pursue this matter, in terms of appearance, status, manners, and family wealth, what Wang Jiangnan possesses is indeed insignificant.

According to the long-term development plan of the Sharpshooter Society, their goal was to expand into Europe and America, occupying those major cities brimming with gold, rather than rushing towards the small island of Japan in the vast ocean and confining themselves to a remote corner. From this perspective, Sun Long did not value the Japanese branch of the Sharpshooter Society. He appointed Wang Jiangnan to lead the affairs there, making him a leader on equal footing with the other leaders, but his prestige within the Sharpshooter Society was incomparable to what it used to be.

Wang Jiangnan stood frozen on the spot, caught in a dilemma. Perhaps he had never been so disrespected in his entire life. His ancestor was the infamous "King of Assassins"—once renowned throughout Asia and the world… Zhang Baisen maintained his warm, spring-like smile: “Since Mr. Wang isn’t qualified, friend, who do you think should be the hostage? Anyway, you know Miss Guan is a tycoon’s person. Offending the tycoon will likely make it difficult for your master to survive in Asia and even globally, right?”

When Wang Jiangnan stepped forward and was willing to exchange himself for Guan Baoling, I sensed that he was putting on a show. So I glanced at Xiao Keleng out of the corner of my eye. She was staring intently at the two people in the pavilion, her eyebrows twitching rapidly, clearly thinking at high speed.

I became increasingly certain that this was a meticulously planned scheme, deliberately letting the "Gemini Killers" escape, then seizing the opportunity to track them down and destroy the enemy's lair in one fell swoop. Unfortunately, such a strategy was too simplistic and easy to understand; ancient military texts and strategies abound with similar examples.

The Japanese are ruthless, but not stupid. Their invincible fighting prowess at the beginning of World War II was derived from ancient Chinese military strategy, which they profoundly developed and perfected, forcing the arrogant Russians to retreat time and time again.

“Master Zhang, if you really want to get Miss Guan back, then you can use Mr. Feng instead. It just so happens that my master has something to discuss with Mr. Feng. What do you say?”

My heart skipped a beat: "Me? You want me to go?"

Xiao Keleng subconsciously turned her head to look at me, and ran her hand through her short hair. I wasn't part of her plan; whether I went or not, it would disrupt her schedule.

I stood up, having only a few seconds to think, and prepared to walk out.

“Mr. Feng, this is just a ‘counter-strategy’. We have made a meticulous plan to track you along the way, and there will be no danger. However, if you… if you want to go, the plan may need to be changed…” Xiao Ke said in a short and rapid-fire low voice.

Since it's a plan, it's impossible to guarantee that everything will go perfectly, whether Wang Jiangnan takes charge or I go instead.

"It's okay, I can take care of myself." I smiled. If I was excluded from the plan before, for whatever reason, my initiative to step forward now is actually making up for the biggest flaw in the plan.

Xiao Ke hissed as she gasped for breath, then scratched her hair hard, looking somewhat flustered.

She is my main collaborator and guide in Japan. If anything happens to me, Su Lun will not be kind to her. Moreover, this seemingly old-fashioned and foolish plan was very likely made possible with Xiao Keleng's full support—and if anything goes wrong, Xiao Keleng will be held responsible.

"Am I worried about Guan Baoling? At least I feel that her life is more important than my own? Am I going out for Guan Baoling, or to find Yelan, or both?" As I strode out the door and down the steps, my mind was a little dazed.

Wang Jiangnan and Zhang Baisen stared at my face simultaneously, their expressions a mixture of surprise and admiration. Not everyone has the courage to be a hostage of a ninja. It is said that their methods of torture are subdivided into thousands of variations, capable of dividing a person's life into segments of arbitrary length, until the last drop of blood and the last bit of energy are squeezed from their body.

As he passed Zhang Baisen, he said apologetically in a low voice, "I'm sorry, Mr. Feng, this is just a temporary measure..."

Wang Jiangnan remained silent with a cold face. Perhaps he was too busy hating me to even think that I had ruined his heroic rescue of the damsel in distress!

“Mr. Feng is indeed bold. No wonder my master has always instructed us to treat Mr. Feng with caution…” The female ninja sneered as she grabbed Guan Baoling’s shoulder and pushed her out of the water pavilion.

After regaining her senses, Guan Baoling immediately screamed and ran forward, all the way up the steps and into the living room.

After all, she was a delicate and frail girl. After such a fright, she would probably fall seriously ill! I stood outside the pavilion, facing the enemy, staring at the effeminate ripples in her eyes. Suddenly, a surge of colorful light and color rose up in front of me, rushing towards me and covering me from head to toe.

The Soul Transfer Technique is merely a narrow branch of hypnosis. I could sense the female ninja's methods and was willingly subdued by the Soul Transfer Technique.

I hope to find Yelan in Watanabe Castle's lair. Without his help, there is no hope for Fujika's awakening.

Before I lost consciousness and in the moments before I gradually regained consciousness, the same question kept flashing through my mind: "Is Guan Baoling safe?" Even though she was a tycoon's woman and had a chivalrous figure like Wang Jiangnan by her side, I still couldn't suppress my selfish thoughts.

Guan Baoling's willingness to stay in the villa was undoubtedly based on some promise from Wang Jiangnan. I can guess that he would report to Sun Long immediately and use his influence to forcefully buy the villa.

Thinking of Wang Jiangnan's cold, iron hands, I couldn't help but want to burst into laughter, but a wave of dizziness washed over me, and my throat became so dry it felt like it was on fire, so naturally I lost the mood to laugh. My body was constantly being jostled around, and then I heard the roar of a car engine—"Nineteen, no—twenty-three, can we start?" someone asked softly in Japanese.

"No, Master hasn't given the order yet. It's said that the Divine Sniper Society will send reinforcements. We might as well wipe them all out in one fell swoop. Daring to compete with Master for the 'Great Weapon of Destruction,' these Chinese are tired of living, hehehehe..." This was the female ninja who used the Soul Transfer Technique. The one who asked the question was the one who had been subdued by Wang Jiangnan.

"Sister Mino, what should we do with that Egyptian loser? Should we throw him into the sea to feed the fish?"

"Hey! Xiaomei, why do you always act on your own? How many times has Master told you not to act without his orders? If you keep doing this, it won't be fun if you anger Master..."

My senses gradually returned, and I realized I was lying in the back seat of a car traveling on a rough mountain road. The driver was Xiao Mei—the female ninja I had kicked—who was whistling softly and seemed quite relaxed.

The sound of waves crashing against the rocks could no longer be heard, indicating that the car had moved far away from the coastal road and that it was completely dark outside the car window.

I'm confident I can take down the "Gemini Killer" in an instant. If it weren't for the need to infiltrate the enemy's lair to find Yelan's whereabouts, I could strike at any time.

"Thirty, haha, have all the Divine Gun Society's men left in Hokkaido been mobilized? Mino-neechan, it's been a long time since I've had a good fight. Wait a minute, you have to let me make my move first, okay?"

Mino, sitting in the passenger seat, tossed her hair, but before she could answer, the phone suddenly rang.

She was on the phone with her body turned to the side, her entire back of the neck exposed to my attack range. I could easily kill her with a light chop.

"Master, the pursuers have all appeared, and the person you requested has been subdued by the mind control spell. Please give instructions!" She held the phone respectfully, her voice sweeter and gentler than the sinister one she used in the waterside pavilion. I was unbound and unshackled; perhaps she was too confident in her mind control technique—"Yes, yes, yes, should we continue to interrogate the Egyptian? It's obvious his incantation was fake and had no effect whatsoever? Yes, yes, yes..."

I regulated my breathing, slowly curled my knees, and gathered all my strength into my right palm. The fugitives were in the open, and so were the pursuers; this was a straightforward hunting game, and I was caught in the middle. I didn't believe Xiao Keleng would use such a foolish tactic against the "Twin Assassins," nor did I believe Watanabe Castle's side would allow the pursuers to continue following them. My only target was Yelan; the lives of everyone else were irrelevant to me.

"A powerful weapon, a powerful weapon, a powerful weapon... We've been traveling at sea for half a year for this thing. Sister Mino, where exactly are we going to send it? Hasn't the master given us a clear answer yet?" Xiao Mei started muttering to herself again, like a chattering, immature child.

By the green glow of the dashboard, I saw Xiaomei's hand gripping the gearshift—none of them expected me to regain consciousness so quickly. I heard her repeatedly mention the name "ultimate weapon," but her mind was entirely on Yelan, and she didn't carefully consider its meaning.

"Xiao Mei, go to 'Duo Lan Society.' The master has ordered a retreat. This time, as you wished, we can throw that Egyptian overboard to feed the fish—"

Xiao Mei whistled excitedly, turned the steering wheel to the left, and the car lurched heavily a few times before getting back onto the highway, its speed more than doubling in an instant. My gaze was fixed on Mei Nong's neck as I watched her lean against the cushion, looking preoccupied and utterly exhausted, her head tilted to the side.

There was no light outside the car window. Mino suddenly leaned over and turned on the roof light. I quickly closed my eyes and pretended to be unconscious. With a "snap," she probably opened the drawer on the side of the dashboard, followed by the rustling sound of flipping through photos.

"Sister Mino, now that we've finished this, do we have to go back to the 'Columbia Wolf'? What's our next destination?" Mino frantically floored the accelerator, the engine roaring and the cabin vibrating in unison.

"Of course, as long as the war continues, our goal will never be set—we only hope that our master can find a mysterious weapon that can influence the outcome of the war. At that time, all power of life and death will be in our master's hands. Not only will we be able to dominate Asia, but we can also dominate the entire world without anyone daring to say anything..."