Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 107

The villa is about 200 meters wide from east to west and 150 meters wide from north to south. All the houses, lawns and trees are extremely desolate, and everything is gray and gloomy.

Winter is always like this, nothing but damp cold.

The only scenic spot in the courtyard is the water pavilion. I imagine that when spring arrives and the flowers bloom, the stream must be filled with clear water, creating a truly beautiful scene. Japanese waterscape garden design is among the most poetic and picturesque in the world. Their designers have skillfully inherited the magnificent and graceful style from the Tang Dynasty in China. From the details to the overall design, everything can be summarized in the word "Tang style".

Guan Baoling sat in the pavilion by the water. She loved this place, even though she had just had an unpleasant experience of being kidnapped yesterday.

Without hesitation, I walked towards the water pavilion, right under Wang Jiangnan's arrogant gaze—Su Lun and Xiao Keleng both misunderstood me, so I might as well let them misunderstand.

Guan Baoling's hair was still smooth and shiny, healthier and more charming than in the shampoo commercials she had filmed before. The sunlight shone on her smooth forehead, like an extremely warm stage light, which made me have the inappropriate thought of gently kissing her there.

She turned her head and glanced at me, her eyes flowing silently like water.

"Miss Guan...you weren't frightened yesterday, were you?" I asked quickly, striding into the pavilion.

"No, thank you for your concern, Mr. Feng, and thank you for your righteous rescue." Her attitude was indifferent.

Wang Jiangnan was coughing loudly, as if it were some kind of warning to me. I couldn't be bothered with him; if getting close to Guan Baoling could provoke him, that was exactly what I wanted to achieve.

“Ms. Guan, I’ve reconsidered the sale of the villa. If you’re willing to tell me your purpose in acquiring it… or who instructed you to do this, we can discuss it, shall we?” I said with a calm smile, but inside I was starting to get nervous.

"Really? Thank you." To my surprise, Guan Baoling didn't react with any great joy.

A philosopher once said that beautiful girls are often not very intelligent. This statement simply doesn't apply to Guan Baoling. Her gaze was icy, almost as if she could see right through me.

I began to regret using such a low-level trick to get information out of her—the reason I came to the pavilion was to make Wang Jiangnan angry.

"I'm sorry." I confessed my sinister intentions frankly, my face burning with shame. After the setback in my call with Suren, my thinking seemed to have frozen, leading me to make this pretentious and foolish mistake.

Guan Baoling smiled, shrugged, and asked resolutely, "Mr. Feng, you will never sell this villa, right? No matter who pleads for you, there is no room for negotiation."

When she spoke seriously about "serious business," every line on her face was taut, giving me a very familiar feeling. In my memory, I seemed to have seen the same expression on the face of a famous person, like a portrait sculpted by a famous artist, with a resolute, decisive, and aggressive aura.

"Yes, unless I have completely uncovered the secrets buried in the villa—Miss Guan, the person behind you who instructed you to acquire Xunfuyuan was also after these secrets, right?"

According to Xiao Keleng's account, Guan Baoling only made the decision to buy the villa after repeatedly entering Fengge Temple. Therefore, I have reason to suspect that someone in Fengge Temple took advantage of her enthusiasm.

A brief silence fell over the pavilion. The wind blew from the northwest, and the courtyard was filled with the incessant sounds of hammering and the piercing noise of an electric impact drill. Against this backdrop, it would be perfectly safe to discuss any secret matter aloud.

“No, it wasn’t human intervention, but a revelation from the ‘Well of Spirits’,” she said with absolute certainty.

I chuckled wryly and touched my nose: "What?"

“You clearly understood; it was that mysterious ancient well that gave me the revelation!” Meeting my astonished gaze, she further emphasized, “The legend of the ancient well at Fengge Temple is not a lie. I clearly received its revelation: destroying Xunfuyuan Villa will break the ‘deathly radiance’ of the black magic.”

"Deathly Glow" is the name of a dark magic spell used in the tycoon's world, and it has been a subject that has troubled many paranormal experts in Hong Kong, Macau, and Taiwan. Everyone watched as the tycoon offered a huge reward, but no one had the ability to claim it.

I stared into Guan Baoling's eyes. If she was lying, then she was definitely a world-class actress, because all I could read in those clear, bright eyes was endless purity and moving passion.

"I didn't lie!" Her long eyelashes fluttered, like a fairy in a fairytale castle gently opening a window and then silently closing it.

Looking into her clear eyes, I couldn't help but feel dizzy. Her lips were bright red and full, with an incomparably sweet allure, like a deep pool that silently tempted men to commit crimes.

"Believe me, including the strange hallucinations I told you about before. And I have no reason to lie—I'm not a child anymore, able to squander the favor others have shown me for the gifts I want. Mr. Feng, I swear by my mother's spirit in heaven, everything I've said, every single word, is true."

I swallowed hard, trying to bring my thoughts, which had been wandering far away, back to reality: "Yes, I believe you."

Su Lun, Tina, and Teng Jia each have their own beauty, but all three combined probably don't match half the allure of Guan Baoling. If they are the sweetest candies, then Guan Baoling is the world's finest, richest chocolate; just a tiny spoonful is enough to make men all over the world swoon.

I took a step back, subconsciously distancing myself from her to avoid falling into this huge and deep vortex of temptation.

Guan Baoling stood up, her long hair cascading down like a waterfall, making the skin on her face and neck appear as white and smooth as a perfectly carved jade. Now I finally understand why so many young men would frantically call her name at every fan meeting—the attraction of a perfect girl to men is absolutely fatal, like the eternal gravitational pull of the earth.

"I will leave here tomorrow or the day after. I've already wasted too much time, and Mr. Ye has called several times to urge me on—"

My head buzzed, and I felt myself plummet from the clouds to the mortal realm: "She's a tycoon's woman! Don't forget, she's already a tycoon's woman. No matter how beautiful she is, she's meant for him... Compared to a tycoon, I'm nothing, and Wang Jiangnan is nothing..."

After taking three steps back, my head started to throb violently. The allure of a beautiful woman is no less than the Gemini Man's soul-shifting technique.

The moment the tycoon's name was mentioned, a captivating smile spread across her face—a smile that was absolutely genuine and heartfelt.

"Mr. Feng, Mr. Feng... Mr. Feng..." Yelan ran out of the hall, waving his severed arm comically. This crippled arm seemed to have become some kind of bragging right for him, exposed to everyone's eyes without any hesitation.

I nodded to Guan Baoling and slowly retreated from the pavilion, feeling weak all over from the strenuous exercise. She was so beautiful; any man would find it hard to resist the allure of her eyes. No wonder wealthy Arab men were so infatuated with her.

The wind rustled the black fox fur coat on her shoulders, giving one an undeniable sense of ethereal beauty.

Yelan, who had rushed over, was stunned. Standing on the grass outside the pavilion, he tilted his head back and kept exclaiming in admiration, "So beautiful...so beautiful...so beautiful..."

Guan Baoling's beauty is universally acknowledged. According to the latest fan poll by Hong Kong Film Weekly, out of 65,000 respondents worldwide, a staggering 54,800 voted her "most liked." Her reputation in the film industry is now approaching that of the legendary American beauty Marilyn Monroe.

I shoved Yelan because Wang Jiangnan's frequent stares in our direction were filled with a murderous madness.

Yelan, as if waking from a dream, withdrew his gaze and tugged at my sleeve: "Mr. Feng, I'll tell you the truth, the whole truth, and I only want a small portion of all the gold, how about it? We'll have a very pleasant cooperation, and you'll become the only super-rich person in the world with gold reserves exceeding those of the US Federal Reserve..."

He was so obsessed with his "treasure map" that he couldn't get out of his head no matter what he did.

I rubbed my slightly flushed face a couple of times, resolutely pulling my wandering thoughts back from the clouds. Suddenly, a new idea came to me: "Yelan, let's postpone the cooperation for now. Tomorrow, I want to take you to Maple Temple to see if that spell will work. If it really can revive Tengjia, I will fully support your 'treasure map' plan!"

Regardless of whether the spell works or not, now that we're at the mountain's edge, we should definitely give it a try.

As we whispered on the grass, Wang Jiangnan strode toward the pavilion and smiled politely at Guan Baoling: "Miss Guan, it's windy outside, would you like to go back to your room to rest?" His iron hand was once again covered by a white glove, and he reached out in time to support Guan Baoling's arm.

Wang Jiangnan is a pitiful man. Once he falls into this beautiful vortex, it will be a long time before he can extricate himself.

In that instant, I felt sorrow for him, like watching a moth stubbornly flying towards the heart of a raging inferno, only to be reduced to ashes with a final "sizzle." At the same time, I worried for the members of the Sharpshooter Gang. As the ancient military strategist said, "A general without strategy can lead to the death of a thousand soldiers." Under the leadership of someone so consumed by love, facing off against a yakuza behemoth like the Yamaguchi-gumi, their demise was imminent.

The Sharpshooter Society doesn't need a gentle, romantic young man, but rather a fierce and unparalleled underworld king. I wonder if Sun Long is aware of Wang Jiangnan's current situation.

Yelan watched intently as Wang Jiangnan helped Guan Baoling leave the water pavilion and slowly returned to her room. Suddenly, she spat angrily on the ground: "When I find the treasure, hmph, I'll buy ten or eight Chinese beauties and hide them in my house, just like you Chinese always say, build a golden house and hide the beauties inside..."

I glared at him with disgust until he shut up with a forced laugh.

Putting aside Yelan's treasure map plan for now, let's take him to Fengge Temple first and see if a miracle can happen—Yelan didn't understand my thoughts. He was already overjoyed that I agreed to cooperate with him in finding the treasure, and he led me toward the door of the room where he had rested last night.

"Mr. Feng, please wait a moment—" A gentle and humble voice rang out from the entrance of the hall.

My memory never fails me; that was the voice of "Steel Nail" Hawk, who had appeared in the Blue Dome last night. The tall young man's leather jacket gleamed in the sunlight, his deep, dark eyes held a hint of cynical smile, and he still wore that long, narrow gray scarf around his neck. He strode towards me with an imposing aura.

“Mr. Feng, we didn’t have time to talk in detail last night. Actually, I’ve long admired your glorious deeds in the Egyptian desert.” He smiled and extended his right hand to me, the platinum ring on his thumb radiating a dazzling light.

Since the other party was so humble, I had no choice but to stop and shake hands with him.

Hawke was probably around twenty-five years old, with thick, dark eyebrows that drooped low over his brow bone. His skin had a healthy, dark "sunshine" tan, the most popular skin tone in major American cities this year, showing that he was a trendy and fashionable young man. His hands were long and strong, with skin as smooth as a live fish.

“I’ve long admired the name ‘Steel Nail’ Hawke!” I said with a smile.

He smiled, revealing two rows of clean, white teeth. His appearance didn't resemble that of a famous Chinese-American gangster boss in the American underworld, but rather that of a Chinese male star who had just entered the film and television industry.

"Things are a bit tricky here in Hokkaido. Mr. Sun asked me to fly over to lend a hand to Brother Thirteen. If I had known Mr. Feng was here earlier, I wouldn't have had to come all this way to add unnecessary trouble. Oh, by the way, Miss Su Lun and I are from the same school. My master, He Hongxin, and Master Guan Nan Wulang both studied under the Japanese judo master Asami when they were young..."

My experience in the Egyptian desert is in the past, and I hope to keep a low profile. After all, everything there was handled by the Egyptian military, led by Tina; Suren and I were just there by chance. But judging from Hawke's tone, he seems to have developed a sense of apprehension towards me. I don't know whether to be happy or unlucky.

"Steel Nail" Hawke debuted at the age of nineteen and rose to fame during several large-scale brawls in the Chinese community in Los Angeles. In just two years, he attracted the attention of various forces in the underworld. Of course, the United States Central Police Department paid the most attention to him and had long ago designated him as a Level 1 terrorist.

I had heard of him long ago. He rarely left anyone alive when he made a move, and at a young age, he had already risen to become one of the pillars of the Sharpshooter Society's American branch. He was highly favored by Sun Long.

“Mr. Feng, please guide me in the future. This is my wish, and it is also Mr. Sun’s wish. There is a letter that he asked me to deliver in person, and he will soon fly to Hokkaido to meet with you.”

He took a brown paper envelope from the inside pocket of his leather jacket and politely handed it to me with both hands.

People like Hawke are not to be trifled with; superficial politeness doesn't mean we can trust each other. I took the envelope, thanked him politely in return, and caught up with Yelan.

Actually, I'd like to know the outcome of last night's battle with the Duolan Society. Hawke and Wang Jiangnan were both unharmed, so does that mean the entire Qiaojin faction was wiped out? Including that bald old man Qiaojinmaru who wore the "General's Sword"?

After a slight hesitation, I didn't ask Hawke directly. If someone needs to let me know something, they'll naturally notify me separately; there's no need for me to rush in and ask. Xiao Keleng didn't say anything, Wang Jiangnan didn't say anything, and Hawke didn't mention it at all, so why should I actively inquire? What benefit would it bring me?

Originally, I was supposed to take over the affairs of Xunfuyuan according to Su Lun's wishes, but now I have become an outsider, and everything has become the private territory of the Divine Gun Society. It is really frustrating.

Yelan stayed in the first room in the left wing of the main building. The room was clean and tidy, furnished like a standard five-star hotel room. In particular, the large and elegant Simmons bed was enough to make a tired traveler feel at ease and rest his head on his pillow.

I patted the envelope in my hand, not in a hurry to open it. Sun Long loved writing letters, especially meticulously crafted ones, and always said that only through writing letters could one show the most sincere respect for a friend. "What will it say inside? Is it about 'The Wrath of the Sun God' again?"

When I think of Sun Long's enormous ambitions, I can only laugh: "What he wants to do is something that even the President of the United States might not be able to think of or do. It's more than just wishful thinking."

I didn't want to waste any more time arguing with Yelan. I glanced at my watch and told him sternly, "Yelan, I'm only giving you ten minutes. I hope you can tell me the truth concisely. Don't try to fob me off with vague physics jargon, understand?"

Only then did my mind, which had been swayed by Guan Baoling's charm, gradually calm down, and I could no longer see her long, fluttering eyelashes.

Yelan didn't sit down. He paced back and forth in the room more than ten times with his head down, then gritted his teeth and blurted out, "Long... is my biological father..."

I was stunned: "What? What did you say?"

"The dragon is my...father, my biological father!" Yelan exhaled a deep breath, as if saying these words had lifted a thousand-pound burden from his shoulders. His face gradually turned ashen, and his expression became utterly somber.

I recalled the dragon's disheveled appearance; no one wanted to talk to him except Yelan, who was the only one in the camp who never looked down on him.

"The sect that the dragon worshipped claimed to be the children of the gods and forbade intermarriage with outsiders. But by his generation, his people had all perished in natural disasters, man-made calamities, wars, and famines, leaving only him. In order to carry on the glorious doctrines of his tribe, he secretly had me with a woman from another tribe—I have never seen my mother. From the time I can remember, he was the only one in my life, and he never allowed me to call him 'father' until his death."

Yeran's narrative wasn't particularly concise, but his simple, heartfelt words, tinged with tears, deeply moved me. I never imagined that such a complex story was hidden beneath the dragon's repulsive exterior.

"Then, Yelan, why didn't you use the 'Resurrection Sand' to save him? You had enough time to save him then..."

If it weren't for the unexpected trouble caused by the tiger, the dragon, who had become a vegetable, would probably still be alive now, just like Fujika, who is currently lying in Fukuji Temple.

My words struck a nerve with Yelan. He pounded his head with his fist, looking as if he were in excruciating pain: "I thought... the camp was chaotic and dangerous, and I hoped he could stay unconscious until the end of the excavation work, then I could wake him up and everyone could leave the camp safely. I never imagined he would mysteriously disappear..."

The dragon did not disappear; instead, it was transformed into a "tiger corpse" by the tiger. A life that had a chance to awaken was tragically killed by a twist of fate.

“From as far back as I can remember, every night the dragon would tell me the secret of our tribe and make me swear a solemn oath to pass this secret down through generations until the gods return. This secret is about the ‘Sea of Gold’ beneath the Great Pyramid of Giza—we have a map to the secret passage into the ‘Sea of Gold’, as well as the secret incantation to open the thirteen stone gates. I’m alive, and I’m going to live happily. I can’t be like all my ancestors, guarding a treasure trove and starving to death in poverty. Mr. Feng, anyway, I’m the only one left in the tribe, and the owners of the gold, those legendary gods, haven’t returned, so I absolutely have the right to control the gold, don’t I?”

When gold was mentioned, Yelan's eyes would light up, as if the "sea of gold" he spoke of was right before his eyes.

The chaotic information he spoke only made things more confusing. The story of the "Sea of Gold" had been circulating in the desert for hundreds of years, with nearly a hundred different versions, but no one knew how to enter that mysterious place.

I remained relatively calm and raised another question that had been on my mind: "Yelan, you said that 'there is more than one Earth in the world.' Tell me, did you see this in a scientific journal, or was it a teaching from a dragon?"

Yelan nodded immediately: "The dragon told me, but he didn't explain the source of the words. There are also many strange characters and symbols on my body..."

He unbuttoned his shirt, took off his suit, sweater, and shirt, revealing a dark chest covered in chest hair. Countless lines of Egyptian hieroglyphs were carved from his breasts down to his belt, totaling more than twenty lines.

“Behind me is a picture. I’ve pondered its meaning countless times in the mirror. Look—” He turned around, and sure enough, the picture was composed of countless irregularly arranged vertical lines, covering the area from his shoulders to his waist, with a total of twelve lines arranged on both sides. Then, on the far left of the vertical lines, below Yelan’s left rib, were three vertically arranged arrows at equal intervals, pointing horizontally towards these vertical lines.

All the text and graphics were etched on with a strange white pigment against the backdrop of Yelan's dark skin, appearing neither as a painting nor as a drawing, and extremely bizarre.

"The dragon said that the gods came from the mirrors, and the two sides of the mirrors are exactly the same world. They travel between different mirrors in order to find their home." He finished speaking with a wry smile, shaking his head in confusion.

I am equally confused and cannot figure out what the dragon meant. As a knowledgeable and professional engineer, Yelan must have conducted extensive research on the dragon's words. His previous statement that "there is more than one Earth" was merely a misinterpretation of the "parallel universe theory" combined with his own conjecture.

Actually, the Egyptian hieroglyphs on his chest translate to the meaning of the passage above.

Yeran was still being deliberately mysterious, because the words and images tattooed on his body did not reveal the secret passage to the "Sea of Gold." Of course, there should have been other relics left by the dragon, such as the "treasure map" he kept talking about.

The knocking noises inside the villa subsided somewhat, perhaps indicating that Wang Jiangnan's renovation project was nearing completion.

Holding the brown paper envelope, I saw that Yelan had no intention of continuing, and stood up with a cold smile: "Are you done?"

Part 4: Reincarnation