Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 194

"I need all the information on the Longe Witch, official reports and anecdotes from the public. Send it to my phone." I thought of the all-powerful Xiao Yan. If he were here, he could quickly compile and refine some useful information for me. Moreover, he has a natural interest in mysterious events and might become a great help to me.

Red Imp hesitated for a moment: "The Dragon Witch? Don't touch her, don't try to fight her. Before you, no less than fifty people have accessed her information from me, but do you know where those fifty people are now?"

I don't want to know where those people are; I only want detailed information about the Longewitch. For Suren's sake, I dare challenge any authority in these mountains until I rescue her.

Red Ghost, not hearing my reply, coughed awkwardly twice: "Um, Feng, I spoke out of turn. Actually, you chivalrous heroes don't care about your own lives, you only care about risking your lives and shedding blood, and you'd do anything for your friends, right? The information will be sent to your phone in five minutes. Good luck."

His speech was always a mix of classical and vernacular Chinese, a bit nonsensical, which made people laugh.

"Thanks, bro." I immediately hung up to save my energy.

At 9:30 a.m., the stone wall appeared in the telescope. Just as Fei Ying and Jiang Guang had said, the stone wall was covered with red runes, spreading outwards in a menacing manner.

"Who painted these things? It must have taken a lot of work," Xiao Guan muttered to himself beside us. He was tightening the laces on his boots when he stood up and asked Flying Eagle for permission, "Boss, shall I lead a few men ahead to scout ahead?"

Flying Eagle observed for at least five minutes before slowly nodding: "Alright, don't touch the stone wall, don't rush in, don't... don't say anything disrespectful to the gods."

Upon hearing his last sentence, Xiao Guan was stunned, a look of confusion appearing on his dark, thin face: "What?"

Eagle put down his binoculars, shook his head with a wry smile, and said, "It's nothing, everyone be careful."

During the journey, I had read all the materials sent by the little devil, the most important of which was that no one had ever seen the real Longo Witch, only many seemingly plausible fragments of information. The official report denounced these legends as absurd idealistic folly, demanding that all levels of government investigate the source of the rumors and severely punish those responsible in order to quell public panic.

Another, longer research report went even further, equating the Longe witch with jungle bandits and speculating that she was a foreign thief who had migrated from Myanmar or Nepal, specializing in arson, murder, and robbery. Such conclusions are utterly ridiculous; one can only wonder who compiled this report, possessing such extraordinary imagination.

The folk tales, after being refined, go something like this: The witch possessed hundreds of incarnations, men, women, young and old. She was kind, always generously offering help to those trapped in the jungle, providing food and water, and tirelessly leading the lost out each time. However, she was terrifying and merciless towards outsiders coveting the treasures hidden in the mountains. She would unleash fierce winds to blow treasure hunters into abysses; or command venomous snakes and ferocious beasts to obliterate their remains; sometimes she would even use insect curses and poisons to inflict inhuman torture on them…

Was she human? Or a god? No text can explain my question, nor can it correspond to the old woman I've ever seen.

I do not want to release my information before a definitive conclusion is reached, so as not to cause any alarm.

Xiao Guan led the four of them straight to the gap in the stone wall. In fact, under the sunlight, the stone wall did not look too scary. It could even be poetically regarded as a display board for abstract paintings, and the talismans were just graffiti on the display board.

Through the binoculars, Xiao Guan and his group cautiously approached the breach, as if a wild beast might lurk behind the stone wall, ready to devour them at any moment. I had a feeling they wouldn't find anything; the stone wall, for now, posed no danger, and there was no need for us to waste our time here.

Sure enough, five minutes later, Xiao Guan sent out a safety signal, and the large group of people on this side immediately rushed over.

The wall was built with bluestone slabs unique to the mountains, with a mixture of leaves and mud filling the gaps. It was two meters high and half a meter wide, constructed using a very regular "interlocking" masonry method. The gap was also two meters wide, much wider than the path, at least wide enough for a horse-drawn carriage to pass through.

The reason I thought of the carriage is because of the legend of Qin Shi Huang and the Epang Palace. If there really was an Epang Palace, Qin Shi Huang would at least have taken a carriage to get there, instead of trekking on foot like we have.

The only saving grace is that the way this stone wall was built shows that its builders were humans, not mountain gods or wild beasts. No other species would know how to use "grout lines" to increase the overall wind resistance of a wall. The wall runs due east and due west, and on this narrow mountain road, it needs to withstand the impact of strong winds from both the north and south. Without sufficient stability, it would have been blown down long ago.

The red talisman's strokes were extremely messy, making it impossible to discern even a complete Chinese character or graphic. It's unclear what kind of animal's blood was used as ink for the talisman, but over the years it has turned an eerie dark brown.

I stood in the middle of the stone wall, looking south, but unfortunately I could see nothing but paths and bushes.

"Feng, do you have any ideas?" Flying Eagle seemed a little confused.

In such a vast jungle, one or even a dozen people could hide anywhere. Our small team simply couldn't search for them.

"Divide the men into two teams and search both ends of the stone wall separately to see what we find?" I used a consultative tone, after all, these people were Flying Eagle's subordinates, and it was not appropriate for me to overstep my bounds and give orders.

Flying Eagle split his men into two groups: one led by Xiao Guan heading west to search the right flank, and the other led by a middle-aged man named Liang Wei to search the left flank.

“We did a quick search last time. Both flanks ended in the jungle and mountain streams. Apart from this red rune that runs through the whole thing, we found nothing else.” He took out a military map, laid it flat on the ground, and weighed down the four corners with a few small stones.

“We’re here.” He drew a small circle with a pencil, just outside the original large red circle.

I crouched down, gazing at the dense contour lines, and couldn't help but hesitate. If Suren remained nearby after her disappearance, there was no reason we wouldn't be able to find her. Where could she have gone? Had some force taken her away, already outside the radius of several kilometers?

"This gap is where Suren parted ways with the expedition team. We'll wait for the team to retreat, then stealthily catch up. This interval will be about ten to fifteen minutes. Based on the donkeys' speed, they've probably moved about half a kilometer, so I think the approximate location where she disappeared is within another one to three kilometers. Next, after we cross the stone wall, I plan to deploy the team in a fan-shaped formation to search forward. If this net-like search still yields nothing, it will truly be baffling."

Feiyue interjected, "Big brother, if we still can't find it, should we go forward or back down?"

Flying Eagle and I both looked at her at the same time. In an instant, her face flushed red: "I mean, it's too dangerous here. We should find more outside help to join us, so we don't end up like an egg hitting a rock, and in the end..."

Her thoughts probably represented the sentiments of most of the team members. Suren's life or death was none of their concern, so their first reaction to danger was to retreat.

Flying Eagle frowned deeply, coughed lightly twice while covering his mouth, took out a cigarette, lit it, took two big drags, and swallowed it hard. In just a few seconds, his face regained its radiance and vitality.

He smiled apologetically at me: "There's nothing I can do, my body—"

I waved my hand and said, "It's okay. Everyone has their own lifestyle habits. Adding a little bit of stimulant might be beneficial, just like how Chinese people like to drink strong liquor. It's just best not to overdo it."

The team heading to the right wing frequently reported over the walkie-talkie: "Boss, same as last time, nothing, just an ordinary stone wall."

I suddenly asked, "Flying Eagle, how much did Suren pay you?"

This quasi-mercenary team includes many experts, so the combined salary for each member alone would be a considerable sum, not to mention the cost of various equipment. I estimate it would be around 500,000 RMB.

“Five hundred thousand, plus a ten percent bonus after the job is done. Feng, why are you suddenly asking about this?” Flying Eagle replied, puzzled.

Volume Four: The Divine Trapped in the Epang Palace

Part 1: The Mysterious Borderlands - The Disappearance of Sulun

— Chapter 6 - The Mysterious Stone Wall —

I took his pencil and lightly tapped the location of the ladder: "If you can't find Suren, escorting me there will be the same reward, doubled, tenfold. If anyone gets into danger or goes missing, each person will receive an additional 200,000 in compensation. My only request is that everyone work together."

From the moment I saw Flying Eagle, I made up my mind that even if I couldn't find Suren, I would keep moving forward, enter the Heavenly Ladder, and see what secrets it held. The tenfold increase in reward surprised Feiyue slightly, but she remained silent, folding the map for Flying Eagle and putting it into her backpack.

Flying Eagle gave a wry smile: "Feng, what treasures are there over there that are worth you and Suren going forward one after another? Don't lie to me, if necessary, I want to send more people over, so that other forces don't covet the treasures and jump out to 'double-cross' us on the way."

I shook my head: "There's no treasure, just an ancient tomb."

According to my plan, we should notify a few people from the Consort's Palace to come over immediately. They have spent a lot of time with Su Lun and might be able to help in some way, perhaps by revealing some of Su Lun's thoughts and plans.

Both teams returned simultaneously within half an hour, finding nothing. The stone wall extended for half a kilometer before merging with a mountain stream. There were two streams, four meters wide and one meter deep at their deepest point, flowing from south to north with calm water.

Liang Wei was taciturn, which contrasted sharply with Xiao Guan's clear-headedness and quick wit.

"What should we do, Feng?" Flying Eagle was already handing over the leadership responsibility to me.

I pointed at Xiao Guan: "You lead a team to search in a fan-shaped area forward. Pay special attention to the movements through the binoculars, don't just focus on your feet. Also, tell the team members to be alert, load their bullets, and maintain a state of readiness to engage in combat at any time."

Flying Eagle raised his arms and shouted, "Brothers, you've worked hard! Mr. Feng has agreed to pay ten times the original contract price. Be careful, everyone. After this trip, we can all relax and enjoy ourselves for a while!"

The power of money is immense. Both groups cheered simultaneously, their emotions instantly soaring. Everyone has their own true goals; these mercenaries only want colorful banknotes. They don't really care about the life or death of any individual. As long as there's money, they can turn their guns on their comrades at any time.

Ever since my experience in the Egyptian desert, I've been pondering this question: during long tomb raiding expeditions, money alone simply cannot build a highly cohesive team; betrayal and killing can occur at any moment. Therefore, it's essential to cultivate your own support force, a reliable team like Xiao Keleng and Xiao Lai's.

If it weren't for Suren's sudden disappearance, we could have sat down and talked about this. After all, every expedition is fraught with danger, and no one can be lucky enough to escape unscathed every time.

Feiyue approached the stone wall, took out a knife and a plastic bag, seemingly intending to scrape off some of the bloodstains.

The sun was about to rise directly overhead, and everyone felt a gentle warmth and smiles appeared on their faces—just then, that strange sixth sense started to kick in again, and I reached out to stop her in time: "Feiyue, don't move, those things are poisonous!"

An indescribable atmosphere of fear suddenly spread throughout the team. Liang Wei quickly walked to Fei Yue's side, carefully observed the wall, and put his nose close to it, sniffing it intently, like an excellent and dutiful police dog.

“It’s not poisonous.” He turned to look at me blankly.

A chorus of boos erupted from the crowd, seemingly displeased with my overreaction.

Liang Wei's face has typical Nepalese features: dark, flat, and unremarkable in appearance. However, his tone of voice is incredibly confident, like that of a seasoned expert. To be appointed captain by Flying Eagle, he must possess extraordinary abilities beneath his ordinary exterior.

"Really?" I walked over and stood next to them in front of the stone wall.

“Feng, Liang Wei is the best jungle hunter among the Khun Rasai people of Nepal. He has eaten more venomous snakes than the average person has ever seen,” Flying Eagle added promptly, kindly helping me out of the predicament.

“There’s no poison. I can smell the odors emanating from over a hundred kinds of poisonous plants and insects in the jungle. These talismans were just haphazardly smeared on with the blood of mountain doves. The person who drew the talismans probably had no intention of poisoning them and thought that the talismans would scare away intruders.” Liang Wei spoke without expression, but his tone was extremely confident.

Feiyue turned to look at me, brandishing the small knife in her hand: "I just want to get a bit of it and send it to a professional laboratory in Xi'an for examination. At least it can be considered a clue."

I believed Flying Eagle's words, but I trusted my sixth sense even more: "Wait a minute, let's do an experiment first—"

Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Liang Wei felt challenged and coldly glanced at me: "What experiment?"

I kicked aside a stone slab, and several large mountain ants, startled by the intrusion, scattered in panic. These incredibly resilient creatures love to fight beetles; they are fierce and combative, and their swarming killing power and survival endurance are more than five times that of ordinary ants. I picked up one of the ants and placed it in a crack in the wall. As soon as I released my grip, it hurriedly scurried away, rolling off the corner of the stone slab.

Next, I conducted the same experiment four more times, and the ants always fled in a panic, unwilling to stay on the stone slab for even a moment longer.

“That doesn’t prove anything; mountain ants have always been like this,” Liang Wei said coldly, looking at me.

In less than ten seconds, the ant, which had fallen off the stone slab for the sixth time, landed on a clump of gray grass roots and remained motionless.

"It's dead. Some kind of deadly poison contained in these talismans killed it. If you don't believe me, you can try it yourself." This result was exactly what I had imagined. The fact that it could kill even a resilient mountain ant meant the toxicity was extremely potent.

Fei Yue's expression changed, but Liang Wei sneered: "Poisoning an ant doesn't necessarily kill a person. Perhaps you just happened to crush this ant to death."

Without offering any explanation, I walked a dozen steps to the left along the stone wall, carefully observing the color changes of the talismans. In the southwestern border region, when discussing poisoning, one cannot ignore the "Tang Clan of Sichuan," so I hoped to find evidence linking these talismans to them. In the martial world, the most important thing is to avoid arrogance and impetuosity. Someone as conceited as Liang Wei might be able to distinguish the surface characteristics of two hundred poisons, but he could very well die from the two hundred and first one.

There are always people more capable than you, and there's always something beyond your understanding. People who are too arrogant often don't live very long.

Strangely, the numerous talismans on the stone wall appeared to have been written in one continuous stroke with a brush as thick as an arm, without any noticeable breaks in the writing. This suggests that the person possessed exceptional skill in calligraphy, internal strength, and agility; otherwise, they could not have maintained such a fluid and unrestrained writing style.

Talismans are actually a form of calligraphy, but the former is used to ward off evil spirits, while the latter is only suitable for elegant appreciation.

"Wind, should we keep going?" Flying Eagle called out to me.

Since we couldn't find anything on the stone wall, we naturally continued forward. I walked back to the gap, where Liang Wei, his face dark, was still standing woodenly in front of the stone wall. Suddenly, he turned around and bowed deeply to me: "Mr. Feng, I was wrong."

I reached out and supported his arms, smiling, "There's no need for that. You have to be careful in everything you do."

To subdue these unruly mercenaries, one must do something extraordinary and surprising to keep them in check.

“Mr. Feng, my ability to identify poisons is nothing special to the disciples of a mysterious sect in this area. If we need to increase our manpower, I hope we can invite a few people from that sect.” Liang Wei became very docile, and a subtle smile appeared on his usually wooden face.

Everyone understood which sect he was referring to; without a doubt, it was the Tang Clan of Sichuan.

Flying Eagle sighed, "Of course, but even money can't always buy the Tang Clan's services. Let's keep moving forward and see how things go." A strangely shaped stone wall was covered with an imperceptible poison, and his expression darkened further.

"Flying Moon, Flying Moon—" he called out.

Feiyue remained in front of the stone wall, holding a knife in one hand and a plastic bag in the other, staring intently ahead, stunned and unresponsive.

All eyes were on Feiyue. Feiying sensed something was wrong and stepped forward to grab her arm, but I stopped him in time: "Wait, something's up."

Feiyue's strange, dazed state is most likely related to the stone wall. If she has already been contaminated with the poison, it's best for no one to touch her. I pointed to the submachine gun hanging around Liang Wei's neck, and he immediately took it off and handed it to me, while taking a big step back to move away from the stone wall.

I slipped the sling over Feiyue's arm and gently pulled back, as if tugging at a lifeless statue. She shifted slightly, her gaze still fixed blankly ahead.

"Huh? Soul-capturing technique?" Liang Wei exclaimed in shock, taking several steps back to return to his teammates.

As the team leader, his emotions directly affected the entire team, so the members huddled together in fear, afraid to move. These ruthless bandits, who were quick to resort to violence in the real world, were actually filled with a deep fear of death, and the slightest disturbance would make them extremely tense.

Flying Eagle quickly put on a pair of silver-white gloves and asked in a low voice, "Wind, what's going on?"

I shook my head, exerted force with both arms, and used the shaking power of "binding wetness into a stick" to pull backward. Feiyue staggered away from the stone wall and was caught by Feiying. He was wearing super protective gloves that were radiation-proof and impermeable, so he would never be harmed by poison.

"Feiyue, hey, Feiyue, wake up... wake up..." Feiying used the momentum to lay Feiyue's body flat on the ground and patted her cheeks. Her eyes were still open, but they gave people an extremely empty and confused feeling, as if her soul had completely left her body. In other words, like Schiller, she had become a vegetable without feeling in an instant.

I walked to the spot where she had just stood and stared at the stone wall, trying to see what power could so easily capture her soul. The dark blue stone slab in front of me was no different from the rest of the place, except that the spot where I stood was slightly concave, which gave me a strange feeling of depression and inferiority.

Flying Eagle continued to slap Flying Moon's cheeks and call her name, but to no avail; there was no response.

I turned back and called to Xiao Guan, "Give me a camping blanket—"