Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 171

"Even the King of Tomb Raiders, no matter how powerful, still fell into your hands, didn't he? Such an important item was stolen from him." Looking at this item that once belonged to my elder brother, I couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion.

The plague didn't heed my sarcasm, and a more bitter smile appeared on its face: "Unfortunately, no one knows its hidden secret. What use are two lotus flowers? Or is there really some magical power in this world? Without any written explanation, is this a book or a flower?"

The snow was falling heavier and heavier, constantly pounding against the south-facing window in the wind.

I opened the door, and the courtyard was already a blanket of white. To the southeast, the towering Tower of the Dead remained eternally silent, obscured by the dense blood. I stepped into the courtyard, where Xiao Keleng, half-hidden behind the roof tiles, was covered in snow from head to toe, looking like a snowman that was mostly finished.

"Xiao Xiao, what's going on?" I called out, looking up at him.

She silently shook her head, the snowflakes on her short hair were shaken off, but then denser and larger snowflakes fell, covering her black hair again.

The rooftops of the surrounding houses were thickly covered with a blanket of white snow. The dazzling snow light eclipsed the streetlights, and the world seemed to be filled with endless, boundless snowflakes. The murderous intent I had sensed in the darkness seemed to have been purified by the heavy snow and never appeared again.

"Xiao Xiao, come down first, the snow is too heavy--"

Xiao Keleng shook her head again, facing the direction of the Tower of the Dead. Perhaps she was recalling the past about Jin Chunxi? I know that some things buried deep in the heart, once they surface, need time to settle before they can be forgotten again.

I walked into the house, stamped my foot, and stepped over the threshold. At that moment, the Plague was still at the table, head bowed, facing the wooden sign. But just as I was one foot in and one foot out of the door, five thin men in black suddenly appeared beside the Plague, five short guns pointed at his head.

At the same time, three gun barrels were thrust into my back and elbows.

“Mr. Feng, we meet again.” A young girl’s voice drifted down from the dark corner. I remembered her name, and I also remembered her ten sharp, gleaming fingernails. They were the group of people the plague least wanted to see, but fate had other plans. They just happened to come knocking on my door on this snowy night, and they appeared suddenly when my attention was most diverted.

The golden finger's face was hidden in the darkness, its ten fingers interlocked, making a "click-clack" sound as its metal fingernails clashed.

“There are thirteen of us outside who will take good care of Miss Xiao. Mr. Feng, the snow is heavy and the night is cold, and I don’t want to beat around the bush. Tonight, we only want the ‘Book of Purgatory’ and will not touch a single hair on Miss Xiao’s head. So, please cooperate to avoid a fight that would look bad, okay?”

She was indeed frank; now that she had the situation under control, there was no need to hide anymore. My premonition was entirely correct; it was only because Xiao Keleng had left her position that the "Dark Angel" was able to infiltrate silently.

The desire to possess treasure is universal. If the "Book of Purgatory" truly possesses the legendary power, it would indeed drive many people to desperation, such as this well-trained team of master thieves—the "Dark Angels Gang."

The Fifth Undersea Mystery

— Chapter 1 - The True Book of Purgatory? (Part 2) —

I took a step forward, and three guns followed closely behind, pressing down on me even harder.

“Mr. Feng, I’ve come for the treasure. Surely you wouldn’t risk your life for this inexplicable sign?” The voice of the Golden Finger was as cold as ice, as crisp as an icicle falling from the eaves.

I slowly exhaled a puff of steam and smiled faintly: "Miss Jin, it's lonely at the top. Wouldn't it be better to talk down here?"

Suddenly, a blur flashed before her eyes, a dark shadow streaked by, and Golden Finger was already on the table, casually picking up the wooden plaque. Holding it up to the lamplight, she examined it closely. Her hands were extremely small, barely able to support the plaque, her golden nail guards gleaming with a chilling light. The wooden plaque was about an inch thick, its shape somewhat irregular, and its back was completely blank.

After looking at it for about half a minute, Golden Finger couldn't help but mutter to herself, "What exactly is this—two flowers? What secrets are hidden in the flowers?" She brought the wooden plaque close to her nose to smell it, and then put it to her ear to listen. It seemed that if she didn't find it a little dirty, she would have bitten it with her teeth.

As the saying goes in the martial arts world, every thief has their own path. In this line of work, there are many strange and unusual methods of appraising treasures, numbering in the hundreds and thousands of different schools and techniques.

She found nothing, so when she looked up again, she gently weighed the wooden plaque in her hand, then her gaze fell on the face of the Plague. I thought she was going to ask something, but just as a flash of golden light appeared, and with a whoosh, the Plague's two sleeves suddenly broke off at the elbows, then were ripped lengthwise, and floated to the ground, revealing the two lotus flowers tattooed on his arms.

As a key member of the "Night Angels Gang," Golden Finger, despite being just a young girl, had a mind that worked incredibly fast, earning my silent admiration. If I were in her shoes, I would have done the same, comparing the flowers on the wooden sign with the pattern on the Plague Arm.

The Plague sighed, "No need to compare, they're exactly the same. I had the tattoo artist carve them exactly like the wooden plaque; the strokes and proportions are identical."

The atmosphere in the room suddenly became dull and strange. Golden Finger was not murderous, but her sharp fingers could tear the plague's chest apart at any moment.

"Then, could you tell me what the two flowers actually represent?" Goldfinger smiled politely.

Her face was so fair and delicate, her nose small and straight, her eyes watery and sparkling, as if they could speak. She had the standard pretty features of a Korean girl, a slender figure, and her long hair was piled on top of her head and held back by a sturdy net, making her look capable yet alluring.

The plague expert sighed again and shook his head.

"Mr. Plague, as a spy from the Crimson Flame Squad infiltrated into our gang, you've long been on the gang's kill list. Last time, you escaped by faking your death, but no one can be so lucky twice, and neither can the brothers in my gang. So, this time, I'm sorry, unless you can give me some useful information as a way to atone for your sins. Perhaps the gang leader will be merciful and spare your life..."

With a gentle, persuasive gesture, the golden finger suddenly pointed out the window: "Gentlemen, if the information you provide does not satisfy me, I may not be able to guarantee Miss Xiao's safety."

This is the magical world of crime, capable of transforming a beautiful South Korean girl barely over twenty into a criminal machine capable of "killing with a flick of the wrist." Had she not entered this world, she might now be like many other South Korean actresses, active on the Asian film and television stage, leading a completely different life.

It's snowing outside, a slow, gentle, and dense snowfall. Tomorrow morning, the entire Fuuki-ji Temple and Mokuwan-zan area will be transformed into a silver-clad world. Perhaps after this last auspicious snowfall of winter, the cherry blossoms on the Japanese archipelago will begin to bud?

“Miss Jin—” I called out.

Her gaze quickly fell on my face, like that of an incredibly sensitive cat.

"I know your fingernails can spring out in rapid succession, their destructive power exceeding that of a heavy-duty spring-loaded crossbow magazine. According to Interpol, you never poison your fingernails, relying solely on skill and accuracy during firing, so you should be able to see—"

My body suddenly shrank, turning ninety degrees to the side. In that instant, at least two guns lost their target. By the time the two men in black raised their arms again, ready to point at me a second time, I had already snatched the gun from the third man and pointed it at one of them, while the knife in my right hand was precisely pressed against the Adam's apple of the other man.

Killing these three people instantly is not difficult for me.

Golden Finger wasn't surprised; he simply shrugged casually. "Mr. Feng, what do you mean?"

I raised the gun in my left hand high, holding it with only my thumb and middle finger, and firing with the other three fingers. In a few seconds, the pistol had shattered into more than a dozen pieces, clattering to the ground.

"What I mean is, take the baby with you, but don't touch my friend. Can we do this deal?" I didn't want Xiao Keleng to get hurt. If we hadn't tracked down the plague tonight, none of this would have happened.

Golden Finger snorted: "I've read Mr. Wind's legendary tales in the Egyptian desert, but you're alone. Besides these three guns, there's still—"

I interrupted her without any politeness: "Miss Jin, I don't care about anyone else. As long as I can kill you, I can stop all the unpleasantness tonight. Can you escape my attack within ten steps?" At this moment, the distance between us was about eight or nine steps. With gunshots and throwing knives, two assassins, I would have a more than 70% chance of taking her life.

Golden Finger's red lips curled into a gentle smile: "Mr. Feng is a great hero among the Chinese. Would he really stoop to the level of a bunch of nobody like us over everything? However, I will give you face. Tonight, we'll each get what we want and go our separate ways. But since I'm in charge of the 'Black Angel Gang's' punishment hall, how can I explain letting a traitor go? This... well, it really puts me in a difficult position..."

She reached out and patted the plague's right shoulder, but before she could finish, her sharp fingernails snapped back.

"Plague, you should thank yourself for making a friend like Mr. Feng. At least you have a life-saving umbrella in the martial arts world. Congratulations! I hope you'll be so lucky next time we meet!" She patted Plague's right shoulder three times, then walked towards the door, brushing past me.

"Mr. Feng, until we meet again?" she chuckled softly, her breath sweet as orchids, a strange fragrance lingering in the air.

Outside the door, the snow was falling in a raging storm. Watching her, dressed in all black, take a step out, it was as if a huge exclamation mark had been suddenly thrown onto a blank sheet of paper, and I couldn't help but feel a sense of amazement.

She waved to the rooftop, and a series of hurried footsteps sounded on the tiles. Then, more than a dozen people leaped down and joined the five people who had come out of the house, filing towards the main entrance. This large group of people were all dressed in black, following behind Golden Finger like two lines of black ants foraging for food in the snow.

The gate creaked open, and I suddenly realized that there was a third team of reinforcements hiding outside, all of them carrying submachine guns, numbering more than thirty.

The Golden Finger's strategy of having eight people enter the house to attack, thirteen appear on the roof to subdue Xiao Keleng, and leaving a large force to follow up, was precisely the "Surging Tide Ambush Formation" from ancient military texts. This echeloned attack method ensured that the enemy would never be able to defend against it. Although it was a small-scale, uneventful skirmish, it already demonstrated her seasoned experience in troop deployment, a skill that neither Xiao Keleng nor Su Lun possessed.

Xiao Keleng jumped off the roof, brushed the snow off her body, and looked visibly defeated.

Suddenly, the Plague Man collapsed to the ground, pressing his right ear to the earth as he listened intently. A minute later, he suddenly broke into a joyful expression, jumped up, clapped his hands, and laughed: "Alright, I've finally fooled them!"

Xiao Keleng stepped in with surprise, rubbing her hands, which were red from the cold.

"Actually, that wooden plaque was just a temporary forgery I made based on my memories from back then. I could never learn the skill of stealing from the King of Tomb Raiders, nor would I ever find an opportunity to do so." The weariness and gloom on his face vanished, replaced by a strange excitement.

Xiao Keleng closed the door behind him, raising an eyebrow: "So, where is the real 'Book of Purgatory'? Is it still in the hands of Hero Yang Tian?"

Beyond the changes, yet another change occurred, and a sudden sense of relief washed over me. In my eyes, my elder brother was an invincible hero, and any detail that tarnished his image would fill me with unease. The plague revealing the truth at least showed that my brother was indeed the flawless "King of Tomb Raiders."

"That winter, I lay in ambush in the snow seven times, spending a total of over forty hours, but still couldn't find a chance to strike. His martial arts skills and insight were beyond words. On several occasions, I was still thirty paces away from him when he noticed me, warned me, and told me to back down. So, I had to resort to a different method—"

I understood. Pointing to his arm, I said it for him: "You saw the lotus image of the 'Book of Purgatory' through the telescope, and then carved it bit by bit onto your arm. That's equivalent to obtaining the contents of that wooden plaque?"

He looked down at his arm and nodded with a hint of pride: "Yes, to the naked eye, a lotus is just a lotus, but under 80x magnification, it becomes countless densely packed, irregular numbers. What Golden Finger got was just a woodblock print with lotuses carved on it; it wouldn't sell for much at the night market. It's a standard fake."

The world of martial arts is full of deceit and trickery. A skilled conman can command the wind and rain, taking whatever he wants, but one day, he will encounter an even more formidable opponent. The ambush plan of the Golden Finger was flawless, but the self-inflicted injury plot to cover up the plague was even more ingenious, and it even fooled me and Xiao Keleng.

"Where is the real 'Book of Purgatory'?" I noticed my hands trembling violently from excessive tension.

Plague frowned. "I don't know, because then something very strange happened—something I will never forget, something incomprehensible." He walked to the corner of the room, poured a cup of still water from a bamboo thermos, and gulped it down.

Xiao Keleng was intrigued and eagerly asked, "Strange thing? What strange thing? Could it be that enemies have appeared in Xunfu Garden again?"

I composed myself, looked up, and carefully searched the roof beams. In the world of martial arts, any carelessness can lead to unpredictable and devastating disasters. Just now, Xiao Keleng's casual loss of position, which lasted no more than twenty minutes, had already given the "golden finger" an opportunity to exploit.

“No, it’s not Seeking Blessings Garden, but the ‘Well of Spirits.’” Plague poured a second glass of water and held it in his hands.

Clearly, that "strange incident" had greatly shocked him. Even today, when it is brought up again, he is still full of doubts and has no clue what to say. Before he can speak, he can't help but carefully sort out his thoughts.

"Tell me quickly, what strange thing is it? Tell me quickly—" Xiao Keleng urged loudly, his hands and palms already red from rubbing. He then raised his hands to rub his face and ears, staring intently at the plague.

Having roamed the world for years, if even an old hand like him calls it a "strange thing," then it must be quite interesting. So I gestured for Xiao Keleng to sit down, calm down, and listen carefully so as not to miss any details.

The snow outside showed no signs of slowing down or stopping; in front of and behind the house, the snow was breaking and snapping against the bare branches, making a constant "crackling" sound.

The Fifth Undersea Mystery

— Chapter 2 — Is the King of Tomb Raiders in the Well of Spirits? (Part 1) —

"That day was January 23, 1991, which was the ninth day I had been spying on him. The snow had just stopped, and the weather was extremely cold, with water freezing instantly. At ten o'clock at night, I saw him leave the back wall of Xunfu Garden and walk quickly towards Fengge Temple. So I secretly followed him and followed him all the way to the courtyard of the 'Well of Spiritual Connection'. You don't know, at that time, the tourism value of Fengge Temple had not been fully developed. There were very few tourists, and the houses and walls were not very proper. At night, there would be wild wolves hunting in the mountains. So everyone hid in their houses, locked the doors, and slept soundly. Even if the sky collapsed outside, no one would come out to check."

I sat at the table, picked up a pencil from the pen holder on the side, and was ready to take notes at any time.

Xiao Ke flicked her nails nervously and interrupted again, "What is he going to do?"

The Plague wasn't a great storyteller, and his narration lacked vividness, but the story involving the "King of Tomb Raiders" seemed to have never been told by anyone else before, so Xiao Keleng listened with great interest and concentration.

“I dared not approach the courtyard, fearing he would discover me, so I quickly climbed the ‘Tower of the Dead.’ With binoculars, distance was no problem, and I soon caught his movements. No one could have guessed that he was slowly pacing by the well, stretching his arms and legs, doing warm-up exercises before going into the water.”

Xiao Keleng let out an "Ah!" and opened her mouth wide in shock.

I simply nodded calmly: "Very interesting! What? Is Hero Yang Tian going to dive into that ancient well?"

Plague was completely absorbed in his memories: "The moment I realized his intention, I broke out in a cold sweat. It was so cold, and we were in a freezing pool. What's more, he didn't have any diving equipment with him, not even the most basic compressed oxygen or a mask. Everywhere was bathed in the cold, clear light of the snow. I adjusted the focus of my binoculars to the clearest setting, and it all felt like an unbelievable nightmare. And then...and then he jumped in..."

Xiao Ke slammed his hand on the table and jumped up: "What? Swimming barehanded? Would the great hero Yang Tian do something so pointless?"

She was simply considering things from a conventional perspective, taking into account human breathing limits, water pressure, and physical capabilities, and thought that jumping into the well with bare hands was pointless. But if this could be connected to the "twin lungs of mermaids," it would naturally become logical. At least, I didn't show excessive surprise.

"My thoughts were exactly the same as my little sister's. We immediately rushed down the tower and sneaked near the 'Well of Spirits.' The well was empty. He hadn't even taken off his outer clothes before going down. Don't you think that's strange?"

"And then?" I didn't want to answer a pointless question.

“There was no 'later.' After he jumped in, he never resurfaced.” As soon as Plague said this, Xiao Keleng and I simultaneously asked in astonishment, “What? He… he actually…”

A surge of blood rushed through my chest, because if I understood the meaning of the words about the plague in context, it meant that Yang Tian, the "King of Tomb Raiders," had sneaked into the "Well of Spirits" with his bare hands on a winter night and had never been seen since.

"He's dead?" Xiao Ke asked coldly.

"He...should be...dead..." The plague's answer was ambiguous.

"So, he disappeared from that year onwards and never came back. Mr. Scalpel once told me that he officially took over Xunfuyuan after the Qingming Festival in 1991 because he really couldn't find the great hero Yang Tian at the time—was he already dead? A legendary figure in the martial arts world, just like that, died silently?"

Xiao Keleng paced back and forth in the middle of the room several times, shaking her hair, and said loudly, "No, I don't believe it will end up like this! Mr. Scalpel has said many times that 'King of Tomb Raiders' Yang Tian will not die, never—"

In an instant, I felt the lights on the roof suddenly become unusually cold. I couldn't help but raise my hand to tighten my collar, but the cold air seemed to emanate from every bone in my body, coming from the inside out, and I couldn't resist it.

“I saw him jump in, from midnight to five o’clock in the morning, at least six hours. Little sister, everyone with a scientific mind knows the time limit for free diving. Even if you have a portable canister of compressed oxygen, the largest volume can't last that long. And I can guarantee that he had nothing on him.”

The plague-stricken man drank another cup of water, his face filled with confusion. It was clear that even after fifteen years, the shock of this scene still lingered vividly in his memory, and could never be erased.

If everything he said was firsthand, I think it's appropriate to use these words to describe the whole process with extreme caution: "After arriving at the 'Well of Spirits,' my brother did sufficient warm-up exercises before entering the well. He did not resurface in the well for the next six hours." There are two possibilities: he may have left through another exit, or he may still be in the well, at least underwater for the six hours under plague surveillance.

"And then?" I asked, still calmly pretending not to care.

"I installed extended-range cameras at four high points surrounding the 'Well of Spirits,' capturing a frame every two seconds to continuously monitor the well opening. This continued for two weeks until I was certain he wouldn't come up again. From then on, news of 'King of Tomb Raiders' Yang Tian vanished from the martial arts world... right up to this day. I've searched Fuyuan countless times at night, and he has absolutely never returned. Even his personal belongings in his study haven't been touched since that night."

Xiao Keleng stopped what she was doing, took a deep breath, and slowly uttered a sentence: "Yes, that's what Mr. Scalpel said too, but he didn't know what happened that night by the 'Well of Spirits'."

I quickly got up, walked to the door, and chuckled softly, "Since that happened by the 'Well of Spirits,' why don't we go to that courtyard and reminisce about the past while we look around?" The room was cold, and when I gripped the metal doorknob, it felt like I was holding a large block of ice.