Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 155

“Feng, I’ve always admired you. After reading the information Helen and Handcuffs gathered about you recently, I have a deeper understanding of you. Before his death, Scalpel repeatedly praised your intellect, martial arts skills, and wisdom. I understand that he hoped we could have a chance to cooperate. Now, such an opportunity has arrived. What I lack most around me is a young person with pioneering thinking like you, who can stand alone and find new paths.”

I smiled and politely responded to his praise, but inwardly I was pondering the strange behavior of the elephant monk. Before the truth came out, everyone around me was worth suspecting, especially the elephant monk who behaved so unusually.

Part 3: Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain

— Chapter 5 — Retreating to Advance (Part 2) —

"Business and politics are an inseparable whole. Lacking either one is like a person missing a leg or an arm, unable to compete fairly with others. Feng, if you're willing, I can recommend you for a position in American politics, and then mobilize manpower, resources, and funds to get you onto the stage of democratic elections and become a key figure in the Republican Party. You should understand that Americans will be a mainstay in driving global development, and having a place in the core of their government will mean—"

I raised my hand to interrupt his grand vision and smiled as I retorted, "Mr. Ye, I'm afraid there are significant errors in your words. Even President Bush has repeatedly stated publicly that the future of the world will be determined by the Chinese. I am Chinese; wouldn't it be a waste of my abilities to jump into the political torrent of Americans and seek something far away instead of something close at hand?"

The tycoon laughed, shook his head, and sighed: "Young man, what you see is just the tip of the iceberg. The world will never be what you see on the surface. Coming with me may be the wisest choice you ever make."

I smiled along with him, but I didn't buy into his offer.

Zhang Baisen and Xiao Keleng reappeared at the door, each carrying one of the paintings drawn by Guan Baoling.

These materials only describe a small part of the mysterious well beneath the meditation hall; the truly useful information is all in my mind. Unfortunately, I don't have Guan Baoling's skillful pen to draw them out smoothly for Xiao Keleng to see.

"Feng, let's go back to Xunfu Garden first. The car will arrive at the gate in half an hour." Zhang Baisen's face was pale, his back was slightly hunched, and his eyes had lost their luster.

Xiao Ke smiled wryly, feeling uneasy: "Mr. Feng, I hope I can stay. At least I can provide backup for you. Isn't it too risky to leave Xiao Lai alone by your side?"

Xiao Lai didn't appear in the courtyard; he knew his duty. I'm so glad I unintentionally gained such a loyal and capable helper. After these strange and eventful days are over, I will train him well and take him with me to explore the world.

I slowly shook my head: "Xiao Xiao, Xunfu Garden needs you more. After the counter-terrorism experts finish setting up the defense system, you must take on the heavy responsibility of coordinating all forces and ensure that no further incidents occur."

Unbeknownst to me, with the triple admiration and trust of Sun Long, the tycoon, and the big shot, I had become the spiritual leader of both Fengge Temple and Xunfu Garden, and Xiao Keleng's most valued reliance.

She obediently agreed, "Yes, I will try my best and report to you immediately if anything happens."

Just as the tycoon was about to say something, the door to Guan Baoling's side was slowly opened, and her elegant and melodious voice rang out: "I want to stay—" All eyes fell on her face, and the tycoon quickly rejected her absurd suggestion: "No, it's not safe here, I don't agree."

Below her earlobe, two bloody teeth marks stood side by side, sending chills down my spine.

“I once received an oracle from the ‘Well of Spirits,’ which almost gave me a chance to break the rampant ‘dark magic,’ but—” She looked at me with a half-smile, her black hair flying, half-obscuring her beautiful face. Last time, if I hadn’t insisted on refusing, she might have actually achieved her wish in the attempt to acquire the Xunfuyuan villa.

“I have a feeling that as long as I have time, when the next divine oracle arrives, I will definitely be able to break the ‘black magic’ and create a miracle. Believe me.” She leaned against the door frame, her slender waist swaying gracefully, biting her lip tightly, her tone full of certainty.

I tried to look away, but suddenly I realized that her gaze held a deep, sticky magic that once I made contact, I could never look away.

The tycoon approached her, took her hand, and shook his head urgently: "That's too dangerous. No, you have to leave with me."

Xiao Keleng sighed softly beside me, "She'll only become a troublesome burden, won't she?"

She understood my complicated feelings and spoke up first to remind me so that I wouldn't be distracted by emotions. She also clapped the drawing in her hand vigorously, trying to divert my attention.

“Yes, Fengge Temple is so dangerous, she can’t stay here,” I muttered to myself.

Zhang Baisen's gaze swept across everyone's faces. He silently took the painting from Xiao Keleng's hand and walked out of the courtyard. In this delicate situation, he had no room to speak, because no one would listen to his advice.

"Soon, I will have a way to break the 'black magic,' trust me this once. You have taken care of me for so many years, and I only want to repay you in some way, even if it is just a tiny bit, it will represent my heart, okay?" Guan Baoling pressed her other hand on the tycoon's hand and pleaded in a low voice.

When she frowned, pouted her red lips slightly, and tilted her head back while laughing coquettishly, my heart felt as if it were being squeezed hard by an unseen ghostly hand, or like an icicle falling from the sky and shattering suddenly in the sunlight-drenched corridor.

“Baoling, I shouldn’t have allowed you to come to Hokkaido alone, you know? Last time you went missing, I almost impulsively massacred the Divine Gun Society. You are more important to me than life itself…” The tycoon’s heartfelt confession pierced my heart more sharply and frantically than a swarm of arrows.

These words should have been spoken by me in a romantic setting, under the moonlit flowers, instead of being dryly uttered by the aging tycoon in front of me and Xiao Keleng.

Xiao Ke frowned, opened her mouth as if to say something, but in the end, she replaced all words with a sigh and left in a hurry.

Only Daheng, Guan Baoling, and I remained in the courtyard, along with the increasingly biting north wind. Countless icicles hung menacingly from the eaves above Daheng's head. For a moment, I even wished they would all break and then, with the force of gravity, pour down on Daheng's head.

"As long as the wind blows, I'll be fine. Besides, didn't you set up a lot of people around me to protect me at any time? Give me a week. If I don't succeed, I'll leave obediently." Guan Baoling's tone became more and more resolute. This seemingly gentle girl, once she became stubborn, would not give in at all.

I gave a wry smile, unsure whether her words should bring me joy or sorrow.

"Him?" The tycoon turned around, his sharp gaze fixed on my face. No man could entrust his beautiful woman to another man with complete peace of mind. I understood his feelings and instinctively straightened my back, like a provoked beast ready to fight at any moment.

“Yes, him, I believe him.” Guan Baoling repeated her words clearly once again, and raised her hand, pointing her index finger at me, her eyes sparkling with a mischievous or mocking light.

"Haha, you've only known each other for such a short time, how can you trust him so much?" The tycoon was about to get angry, his chin raised arrogantly again.

In this situation, I could have had many ways to interrupt or retort, but I said nothing. I pushed open the door to the room where Guan Baoling used to live, and when I looked up and saw Shao Hei lying there stiffly, my stomach churned. Thankfully, he died of exhaustion, unlike Shao Bai, whose chest was ripped open and whose body was left unburied.

I took a few sheets of white paper and considered making a simple plan for the defense of Xunfuyuan Villa. The counter-terrorism expert focused more on military resistance and sniping, but he probably wouldn't understand that the villa was situated in a perilous "nine-headed bird struggling for its life" yin-yang configuration. Given the Americans' stubbornness, they certainly wouldn't listen to any other opinions, so I needed to break the deadlock of the "nine-headed bird struggling for its life" based on the expert's plan.

"Fine, if you like staying here, then stay. Call me anytime." The tycoon reluctantly chose to back down.

Guan Baoling laughed triumphantly, her voice like silver bells tinkling in the wind.

I stared at Shao Hei's lifeless face, deeply saddened by his death. If the brain tissue slices of the two brothers could have been sent to a specialized medical laboratory in the United States, it might have significantly advanced projects exploring human brainwave function. Unfortunately, research in this area in mainland China had not even begun, and such valuable resources could only be wasted.

"If Shao Hei's energy could last another ten or even five minutes, what would I see? Would I get any more news about my brother?" I don't expect to see my brother Yang Tian, who has been missing for fifteen years, all at once. I just hope I don't get any bad news or see his body.

I walked to Shao Hei's bedside, feeling no fear of the dead, only immense regret and the deepest apology. In answering my questions, he had lost such a rare and exceptional talent—a loss to the entire world.

“You shouldn’t have died. If you could have conserved your energy and not burned out your life so quickly, we might have been able to have a longer-term partnership, right?” I muttered to myself, reaching out to pull the sheet to cover his face. But in an instant, my heart felt like it had been struck by lightning. I bent over and stumbled back, hissing as I gasped for breath three times.

Suddenly, her mind became clear and bright, all the chaotic and uneasy factors were swept away, and a brand new thought jumped out: "No, no! Guan Baoling's attitude in front of the tycoon is not the coquettishness between a man and a woman at all, but more like a girl's fearlessness in front of a loving father. What's going on? There doesn't seem to be any physical intimacy between them, the closest action is just holding hands tightly."

"So, what secret lies between the tycoon and Guan Baoling?" I straightened up and strode towards the door. If my discovery is meaningful, it will be of immense help to my and Guan Baoling's future.

The door opened, and the tycoon stood in front of it, his hand hovering in the air, also about to make the "open the door" gesture.

I took a deep breath and peeked out to see where Guan Baoling was.

"Feng, leaving Baoling here isn't a great idea, but as long as she's happy, that's fine. Please take care of her and call me anytime." The tycoon's expression was cold and serious, without a trace of a smile.

I smiled, not wanting to say a word.

“Someone has died in this courtyard, so it’s no longer safe to live in. I hope you can find her a new place to live immediately. Also, if the Fang Demon reappears, you can agree to any condition it asks for, except to protect her, as long as the curse on the bell can be lifted.”

He paused briefly, then sighed dejectedly. Perhaps he was thinking about how he hadn't yet resolved the "black magic" afflicting him, and that Guan Baoling was repeating the same mistake, which naturally made him increasingly depressed.

Part 3: Wind, Forest, Fire, and Mountain

— Chapter 6 — Did the Second Epang Palace Really Exist? (Part 1) —

"Of course, I'll take care of the accommodation, don't worry." I suppressed my wildly beating heart and tried to keep a low profile. If the tycoon and Guan Baoling were in a godfather-goddaughter relationship, then there would naturally be a difference in seniority, and there wouldn't be a head-on confrontation of "me competing with the tycoon for a woman."

The tycoon looked around at his surroundings, casually tidied his messy hair, and turned to walk towards the entrance of the courtyard.

Guan Baoling was still standing by the door, smiling as she watched the tycoon leave, her expression utterly captivating. A spark of hope ignited within me; it felt as if my previously bleak future had suddenly been illuminated by light.

"As long as she's not the tycoon's woman, as long as she has me in her heart, that's more important than anything else—"

Only the two of us remained in the courtyard, and a subtle awkwardness gradually arose between us, much like the slowly approaching twilight. When we're busy, time flies by like a grinding wheel; before we've even finished any of our plans or projects, the cycle of sunrise and sunset has already ended once again.

“Miss Guan, I hope your stay will be worthwhile. I will do my best to assist you.” My words carried a double meaning, but if the oracle from the “Well of Spirits” was still to demolish the Xunfuyuan Villa, I certainly wouldn’t refuse outright.

Guan Baoling laughed again. Since the tycoon appeared, she had laughed more and more, as if she had found a source of strength in life. I was no longer angry. On the contrary, I found her laughter to have a touch of childlike innocence, which was more admirable than when she was sad or frightened.

"If I were to consider acquiring Xunfuyuan again, would you give me a chance to discuss it?" She curled the corners of her lips, slowly combing her long hair with her right hand, and brought up this difficult question again.

“I will, I definitely will, or on some thorny issues, we can form an alliance that leads to the same goal, don’t you think?” I hoped to glean something from her words, and I had great doubts about all the previous paparazzi reports surrounding Kwan Po-ling. Her relationship with the tycoon was very subtle and intriguing.

Before dark, Guan Baoling and I moved out of the small courtyard and into another guest room set two rows away to the east. Whether intentionally or unintentionally, it was obvious that this was the same courtyard where Su Lun and Schiller had stayed. It had the same layout of two rooms and was just as quiet. The only difference was that, because of the series of strange events that had recently occurred in the temple, the young monk who came to open the door was unusually nervous, and the keychain in his hand was jingling incessantly.

I've already instructed the monk to prepare for the cremation of the Shao brothers' bodies, and I've added a laptop and fax machine to the new room, and connected it to the internet. Xiao Yan said she wanted to send me some information, so I need to be able to easily access the internet at any time.

The real battle has not yet begun. Hidden deep within the meditation hall is the profound and expansive background of Tanino Shinshu, beyond imagination.

After the young monk left, the courtyard returned to its initial silence, with only the night wind, which came hastily with the twilight, blowing ever stronger.

Outside, the weather was unusually cold, while inside, the newly lit charcoal brazier glowed with a warm red light. How wonderful it would be to warm a pot of old wine and chat with one's most tender and considerate confidante under the lamp.

When Guan Baoling knocked on the door, I was spreading out a sheet of white paper and drawing a simplified structural diagram of Xunfuyuan, hoping to find a way to break the "Nine-Headed Bird Struggling for Life" pattern through theoretical discussion.

"Feng, do you have time to talk? Talk about 'black magic'." Her black hair, black eyes, black fur coat, and black dress, against the backdrop of the dim night, were mysterious and alluring, carrying an incomparably profound and seductive power.

A beautiful woman's visit at night was more than I could have hoped for, and we sat down together by the brazier.

Her hands were cupped over the fire, and the red glow of the embers reflected in her large, bright eyes.

Regarding "black magic," I have consulted numerous medical and metaphysical texts. This strange art, prevalent in Central and South America, is very similar in principle to the "Gu" magic of southern China, but its effects are even more miraculous. Sometimes, they don't need to rely on insects or medicines; they can make the cursed person's life worse than death simply through their control over the soul.

The tycoon's erectile dysfunction (ED) is a prime example, because given his age and physical condition, there was virtually no chance he would develop this male disease. Top medical experts worldwide were baffled, and even the most effective medications offered no relief.

“Feng, I’ve read your autobiography and know about the strange things that happened in the desert: the Eye of the Moon, the Pyramid of the Earth-Cracked Khan, the Giant Pit of the Strange Serpent… At first, I thought they were just fantastical legends, like plots made up by screenwriters in front of their computers, but now I believe them. You must possess extraordinary abilities, so I hope you can help Mr. Ye break the ‘black magic.’ Since the evil curse descended, he hasn’t had a single day of peace. Chinese people value the principle of ‘returning a favor many times over.’ He has done so much for me, so I must repay him with everything I have. As long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will do it without hesitation.”

She suddenly laughed awkwardly, probably recalling her embarrassing experience when she first went to Xunfuyuan Villa.

I took out Reese's ring, held it between my fingers, and let the firelight warm the woodpecker embedded in the amber. It was another black and silver ring; I wondered what kind of curse lay hidden behind it?

If Resica were here, perhaps she could give us a truly brilliant answer?

I can only tell you the truth: "Ms. Guan, there are over three thousand documented cases of people being harmed by 'black magic' in Europe and the United States alone. Each victim's situation is different and bizarre. Initially, major hospitals and top medical laboratories tried to find a way to crack it from the perspective of physical medicine. Almost everyone stubbornly believed that 'black magic' was a type of bacteria that humans had not yet correctly discovered, and they conducted hundreds of millions of research experiments in this direction, but unfortunately, they still have found nothing to this day."

In Miao Gu practices, the presence of Gu worms and Gu seedlings can be clearly seen. As long as one stays away from the one who casts the Gu, one can escape unharmed. Of course, many Gu practitioners have said that this method of casting Gu is merely a low-level technique. The most advanced Gu techniques are rare and can involve insidious methods that "kill without leaving a trace."

Guan Baoling held out her hand: "Please let me see it."

I gently placed the ring in her fair palm, and thinking of Resica's mysterious disappearance, I couldn't help but shake my head and laugh: "Where do you think that American girl went? Did she enter some mysterious underwater structure?"

I searched the glass box thoroughly, but there was no body of hers. Could it be that, just like Guan Baoling and I miraculously escaped, she also instantly traveled to some other space?

The lights weren't bright enough, so she held up the ring and examined it with difficulty, pointing it at the fluorescent light tubes hanging from the ceiling.

I knew she wouldn't notice anything, because I had already touched and examined the ring countless times before, and there was nothing special about it. I even suspected at one point that it was just a counterfeit made by some busybody.

"Where did she go? When she saw the 'Poseidon's Plaque,' her overly excited expression was definitely not feigned; it was as if she had longed for that plaque for a long time. My personal feeling is that she had also foreseen the existence of the glass box, and she wasn't panicked at all. Feng, don't you also find it strange?"

Guan Baoling's words stunned me for a moment: "As a reporter for Discovery magazine, Reese may have experienced many strange and unusual things before, which is why she remained calm when the upheaval occurred? But she is a young girl, could her composure be stronger than mine, and she didn't feel scared at all when she was in the strange space?"

I have my doubts about this.

Just as I was deep in thought, Guan Baoling started trying to slip the ring onto her little finger and showed it to me: "Feng, the size is just right—"

I jumped up abruptly, shouting angrily, "No, no—what are you doing? Take it off right now!"

She was startled and took a big step back, her face changing drastically.

I jumped over, grabbed her wrist, and quickly took off the ring.

"Feng, how could you...you hurt me?" She angrily shook her fingers, gasped, and glared at me fiercely.

I gripped the ring tightly, as if I were holding a black beetle that might leap out and harm me at any moment. The instant she slipped the ring on gave me an extremely unsettling sense of foreboding. If the ring was tainted with a vicious curse, it would surely reach the first person besides the Gu master. I've had the ring in my hands for quite some time, but I've never tried wearing it.

*Splat*—A drop of blood landed on the white paper on the corner of the table, quickly spreading.

I was too rough when I took off the ring, and I cut her left pinky finger. It was a classic case of making a mistake in the heat of the moment, and the more I rushed, the more chaotic things became. In the middle of the night, there was nowhere to find a band-aid, and I could only watch as four or five drops of blood fell one after another, making a complete mess of the sketch of Xunfuyuan that I had just finished drawing.

"I'm sorry, I just forgot to warn you that you shouldn't casually put a black silver ring on your finger, it might bring unforeseen disaster... I'm really sorry, please forgive me!" I explained incoherently.

Guan Baoling put her injured finger in her mouth, her long eyelashes trembled twice, and a tear slid down from each eyelash, hanging shakily on the tip of her eyelashes.

I froze again, hating myself for taking out the ring on a whim and ruining this beautiful night. But what I found very strange was that, normally speaking, a ring made from high-quality hand-forged metal should not cut the skin no matter how hard you try to remove it, because all the metal burrs have been polished away by more than a dozen polishing processes. But now, it had cut Guan Baoling's finger, and I couldn't find any burrs anywhere. So I suspected that there was some kind of mechanism hidden inside.