Iron Bull taucht wieder auf

Kapitel 215

My calm reaction dampened Li Kang's motivation to elaborate. He stood up dejectedly, tugging at his disheveled hair: "Mr. Feng, if you're not interested in that book, then you don't need to keep your promise to my father. Give me back the book, and I won't take a single penny. My father always adhered to the ancient saying, 'A gentleman loves money, but he acquires it in a proper way.' If he knew I was taking your money for no reason, he wouldn't be happy in the afterlife."

He came with the intention of "presenting a treasure," and must have thought this family heirloom was priceless. His disappointment and dejection were evident in his words.

I stopped him and asked bluntly, "Li Kang, what about the original manuscript? Are you selling it or not? Name your price."

Even the most meticulous copyist will miss hundreds or even thousands of details when copying something. Only the original can fully explain the situation at the time. Experts can glean a wealth of information from subtle clues, something that a copyist cannot replicate.

Li Kang shook his head: "There is no original manuscript. According to my grandfather, it was during the Taiping Rebellion when the flames of war reached the village. The original manuscript was placed in the stove hole and could not be rescued in time. Miss Su Lun also asked me about this. Unfortunately, now there is only this copy."

I held up my right hand and waved it in front of his face: "Li Kang, look me in the eye and answer me—I know the original is still there. You're a smart man, of course you know that kind of thing won't fetch much in Xi'an's antique market. Two hundred thousand RMB is already its maximum price. Besides, there are too many brokers and shady characters in the market. If you're not careful, you won't get the money, and you might even lose your life. Selling it to me is its best fate, five hundred thousand RMB—or, if its historical value exceeds my expectations, I'll give you more."

“My family really doesn’t have that original document.” Li Kang shook his head vigorously, not even glancing at my outstretched hand.

“I’ll repeat myself: only I, and only during this time period, will offer 500,000. If you miss this opportunity, it will never come again. Think it over carefully, and you’d better get back to me within 24 hours and hand it over to me. If I’m not mistaken, it’s right here with you.”

Li Kang gasped, staggered back, and stared at me in horror, as if he had seen a ghost.

His behavior further confirmed my bold guess. Li Kang had no wife or children, only his father to rely on. With Li Zun'er dead, he had no one left to trust. If the original document was truly valuable, he would have no choice but to keep it with him.

The assembly whistle blew outside, and all team members lined up, ready to go.

“Mr. Feng, I…I’ll think about it again…I’ll think about it again…” He lowered his eyelids, his large Adam’s apple bobbing incessantly on his thin neck.

I trust my intuition, and also, the issues that Suren notices are all extremely valuable clues; otherwise, she wouldn't have specifically asked Li Kang these questions.

Li Kang slowly walked out, brushing past Gu Qingcheng who was coming towards him.

"Feng, what's wrong with him? He seems distracted." Gu Qingcheng's eyes lit up as she stared at Li Kang's back, as if she had discovered something.

"He's come to present a treasure, a family heirloom, an ancient book." I put two bottles of mineral water in my pocket and began checking my guns, ammunition, and flashlight, preparing to go into the cave with the rest of the group. I didn't want to discuss the clues about the book with anyone until we had a definitive conclusion.

With insufficient time, any theoretical or trivial details will affect the progress of exploration.

If I can't personally lead the way into the cave, I'll always feel guilty towards Suren. I promised Scalpel I'd take good care of her for the rest of my life, but now, Scalpel's body is barely cold, and Suren is missing and in dire straits, and I've truly neglected her before.

"Wind, please stop, I have something to say." Gu Qingcheng raised her voice and stood across the tent entrance.

“Miss Gu, I will be going into the cave soon. I'm sure Uncle Wei has already prepared everything I need.” I'm all packed and ready to go. Sunlight streamed in from behind her, casting a long shadow.

I straightened up and looked at her slightly tired face. The jeep was packed full of supplies and equipment; with her meticulousness, she must have considered even the smallest details.

With the help of the north wind, the blower doesn't need to be at full power to generate enough strong a breeze to blow the smoke from the burning incense and guide everyone forward. Experienced adventurers have many ways to find their way, and the compass is just the most convenient one. However, it becomes useless when it encounters a magnetic field, and may even lead people astray without their knowledge.

“Feng, I want to tell you that the work we’re going to do today doesn’t require much technical skill. It doesn’t matter whether you go or not, Uncle Wei will take care of everything. I’ve already brewed black coffee in my tent. What we’re going to do is irreplaceable mental work, so at least we should sit down together and finish reading this book.”

She raised her right hand, holding a yellowed booklet in her palm. It was about the size of a fashion magazine, but much thinner, with only a few dozen pages.

"A book? It's...my book, isn't it?" Although I only lightly squeezed the oil paper package when it passed through my hands, I already knew its weight, size, and feel by heart.

"Yes, it's yours. Feiying and Feiyue went to the tunnel with Uncle Wei. He asked me to keep this book for you, saying he couldn't understand it at all, so I opened it beforehand. Will you mind if I overstep my bounds?" She asked apologetically. Feiying and his sister were both easygoing people from the martial arts world, so it was only natural that they would open the oil paper package I entrusted to them.

I smiled and shook my head. Actually, even if the book hadn't ended up in Gu Qingcheng's hands, I would have invited her to read it together. Humans are inherently lazy, and once I discovered that her wisdom could promptly fill the gaps in my thinking, I would naturally think of her first whenever I encountered anything.

"Please?" She turned halfway around, lifted her clothes, and gave a classic, ladylike invitation.

As we stepped out of the tent, Uncle Wei's men were already approaching the tunnel. A jeep carrying a huge industrial blower was the first to stop at the entrance.

Gu Qingcheng's hair was blown by the wind like clouds, and a few strands fell onto my shoulder, carrying a faint lavender scent.

“Those who use their minds control others; those who use their strength are controlled by others. Wind is a simple exploration task that anyone can participate in. I even think that it would be unnecessary for Uncle Wei to lead the team. In an unpredictable environment, using your brain is more important than using your hands. I hope you can agree with me. I'm afraid we need to hurry up.”

Sure enough, the rich aroma of black coffee wafted from her tent, mingling with the light morning mist under the sunlight.

I frowned. What she said made sense, but it went against the traditional Chinese code of honor and chivalry.

She keenly sensed my thoughts, gently tapped the ancient book in her hand, and said with great certainty, "The work of traversing the tunnel will never be smooth sailing. If simply blowing smoke to determine direction could always work, then the secrets of the tunnel would have been completely discovered long ago. Therefore, the expedition team will definitely encounter difficulties and have to turn back, and you will definitely have the opportunity to personally take part. I have a new discovery—let's talk inside the tent, you will definitely be interested."

Part 3: The Square-Eyed Monster

— Chapter 7 — The Secrets of Ancient Books —

I smiled and nodded. I don't know when it started, but I've come to enjoy listening to her arrangements. I feel that every word and every action she takes is just right, composed and appropriate, and I've unconsciously developed a sense of dependence on her.

The booklet has twelve pages, and indeed there isn't a single word; it's all just simple line drawings.

The electric coffee maker was bubbling and steaming. Gu Qingcheng took out two gold-rimmed coffee cups, a saucer, a spoon, and a sugar jar from her suitcase, and asked with her head down, "How many sugar cubes do you want?"

Before I could answer, she tossed her long hair aside, smiling as she asked and answered herself, "Someone as thoughtful as you might prefer no sugar or just a single piece, right? Because you need to keep your mind clear at all times and be ready to go into battle at any moment, right?"

She was absolutely right. It was as if she was wearing strange X-ray glasses, able to see right through my thoughts. Whenever I encounter a major problem, I always like to drink unsweetened coffee. That astringent feeling that runs from the tip of my tongue all the way to the back gives me goosebumps, and it works better than any stimulant.

"A piece of candy, thank you." I like Gu Qingcheng's understanding side; she's similar to Su Lun, but even more comforting and soothing.

The booklet is thread-bound, and the paper used is likely Xuanzhou paper, which was most widely circulated between the Northern and Southern Song Dynasties and is of medium to high quality. Judging from the ink marks, the ancestors of this generation of the Li family must have been well-educated and knowledgeable people. They even incorporated the brushwork of Wang Xizhi's "Preface to the Orchid Pavilion Gathering" into their paintings, and every detail they depicted was imbued with an unrestrained and free spirit.

This predecessor's innovative flair would be a good thing elsewhere, and would certainly be praised, but it just won't work here. Once the brushstrokes are changed, and it is beautified and refined, the difference between what he depicts and the original becomes too great.

On the first page, the most eye-catching thing is, of course, the square-eyed strange man sticking his head out of the carriage. His eyes are about the same size as ordinary people's, square and square, as if two gambling dice had been forcibly stuffed into a person's eye socket, deforming the perfectly good eye socket.

No records of strange events from various countries mention the square-eyed monster, and apart from his eyes, his nose, mouth, and ears were all normal. This situation is very similar to an ordinary person wearing square-lensed glasses.

The army marched in a long column, all clad in ancient armor, advancing along the rugged mountain path. The artist's perspective is from the left front of the strange figure in the carriage, looking back, and clearly seeing the face that had peeked out.

"I'm more interested in the second picture. Although it's a bit far-fetched, intuitively, it seems to be related to this strange tunnel." Clearly, Gu Qingcheng had already flipped through the picture book in a short time and had formed a comprehensive understanding.

In the very center of the second page is a palm-sized five-pointed star with outward lines from its four corners, leading to a slightly smaller five-pointed star. Then, a second five-pointed star also has four outward lines, each with even finer branches.

“A star-shaped extended structure?” I muttered to myself. Describing such a structure in words is extremely difficult, which is why Li Kang skipped this part in his narration. Fortunately, it was only a planar structure; if it were an extremely complex three-dimensional star-shaped structure, it would be impossible to describe in words at all.

"Look at the empty corner of the large star; there are patterns of guqin (ancient Chinese stringed instruments) on both sides. Is it plausible to interpret the wind as the tunnel we are about to enter?"

Gu Qingcheng revealed her thoughts layer by layer, and the key point of the event was finally revealed at the end.

The tent flap was rolled up, and looking out at an angle, one could just see the empty tunnel entrance.

According to Gu Qingcheng's understanding, Li Kang's family heirloom is related to the Epang Palace that Su Lun is looking for, so this picture can probably be seen as a roadmap for moving forward.

Gu Qingcheng suddenly chuckled: "I know my idea is a bit crazy. After all, creating so many star-shaped passages inside a mountain is almost an impossible task. Using such a clumsy maze method to prevent treasure hunters from entering would take too much time and effort, and is simply not worth it."

I drew a small cross in the center of the large star with a pencil and smiled faintly: "Whether the star-shaped maze exists will be confirmed before noon. That makes things even more perplexing." I didn't deny her statement, but everything needed verification. Of so many star-shaped paths, which one is the most correct?

As I flipped through the pages, besides seeing the enormous "egg," I discovered two more strange things. One of them depicted a python with its head raised, and a pair of fin-like structures a little behind its seven-inch mark. I had seen pictures of this strange snake in the American magazine *Discover* before; it was likely captured in the jungles of Mexico in Central America, not in southwestern China.

The other image depicts two tall stone tablets and a horizontal plaque. The characters on the stone tablets read "Lan Valley" and "Heavenly Ladder," while the plaque bears the three characters "Epang Palace." The script used is the Small Seal script, adapted and created by Prime Minister Li Si after the Qin Dynasty unified China.

I now finally understand that the Li family ancestors who passed down these drawings were indeed illiterate. They simply copied the characters on the steles and plaques without treating them as "characters" at all.

"Feng, I've looked at these paintings ten times, and I can roughly make sense of them. The style of the armor of those armies is definitely from the Qin Dynasty. What's the point of them escorting this square-eyed monster into that egg?"

Gu Qingcheng held her coffee cup, lost in thought—she enjoyed asking herself a series of questions and then answering them one by one to clear her mind. This scientific way of thinking was created by the famous American motivational expert Dale Carnegie and gradually spread around the world.

“Miss Gu, I must tell you, this booklet is just a copy, not the original. Li Kang claims the original was destroyed in the war, which is absolutely unbelievable. I know he would hide the original on his person, but it's inconvenient to expose him immediately. I hope he will hand it over voluntarily.” I trust my judgment. Li Kang's hesitant demeanor said it all, and I suspected that the original contained an even more astonishing secret; otherwise, the offer of 500,000 RMB would have already induced him to reveal everything.

Gu Qingcheng gave a soft "Oh," then looked up and sighed, "We have too little information. Facing the unpredictable tunnel, we could be severely attacked at any moment..."

She pointed to the page in front of me: "Look, a winged snake, extremely venomous, deadly upon contact with blood. Remember how Mexicans worship this thing as the 'Lombakan God'? Legend has it that it has the eerie ability to absorb human souls."

I smiled and nodded: "Yes, I've seen all that information. But unless snakes also have the ability to teleport, how can we explain them traveling from distant Central America to Asia?"

Gu Qingcheng suddenly raised her eyebrows, revealing a half-smile. In that instant, I understood: "Ah, I'm sorry, I made a fundamental mistake—the discovery of flying serpents in Central America is only a few hundred years old, while the Li family ancestors drew these books two thousand years ago. This can only mean that this is the origin of flying serpents."

Without her timely correction, my thinking would have definitely gone astray, straying further and further from the right path. After a brief moment of embarrassment, I closed the booklet and quietly enjoyed the nearly cold cup of coffee in front of me.

At 10:00 AM, an hour and a half after Uncle Wei led his men into the cave, he reported to us for the first time over the walkie-talkie: "The smoke homing method is working well. Everyone has abandoned the compass. We are currently 150 meters from the cave entrance. The ground and the cave ceiling are no longer expanding at an acute angle, but have returned to a horizontal state. The height of the stone pillars is about 40 meters, and there are no more than 33 pillars in each row, but the thickest one is 3 meters in diameter. We can conclude that we are standing in a horizontal depression, like a frying pan used on an induction cooker."

Gu Qingcheng briefly instructed him: "Be careful of unidentified creatures on the ground. If you find any danger, retreat immediately."

Uncle Wei sounded very confused: "We haven't found the people who went missing last night, and we haven't found any trace of large wild animals along the way. I'll tell everyone to be careful."

His "frying pan" theory made me feel uneasy, somewhat like the ominous premonition of the ancient saying, "Man is the knife and chopping board, and I am the fish and meat."

"I want to talk to Li Kang—" Gu Qingcheng put down the walkie-talkie and stood up calmly.

I pondered, "I've already offered him 500,000 RMB. Now I suspect that his refusal to hand over the original is no longer a matter of the price. Even if I raise it to 5 million, he might still not be willing to give it to us."

Gu Qingcheng gazed at my face and suddenly changed the subject: "Feng, as the ancients said, 'Man dies for wealth, birds die for food.' This saying will always apply to us Earthlings. No matter if we are born, grow old, get sick, or die, as long as we are still standing on this planet, still breathing in oxygen and exhaling carbon dioxide, and still have the seven emotions and six desires of men and women, we will definitely not escape the scope of these two sentences."

Her eyes shone with wisdom, and a faint, sweet smile played on her lips; she was incredibly elegant and noble.

I tried to keep up with her jumping thoughts: "You mean, Li Kang doesn't want money, and he comes with his own personal goals? He's not simply after the commission offered by Su Lun, but wants to use the expedition team's strength to achieve his own wishes?"

Deep mountains and ancient caves, surrounded by snakes and insects, are often associated with gold and silver treasures. Throughout history, every greedy and tyrannical ruler has always prepared a way out for himself before his power crumbles, burying his mountain of wealth in advance.

Gu Qingcheng waved her arm, as if to drive away some chaotic thoughts: "Perhaps! In this life, if there are no compelling values to pursue, who would travel thousands of miles to come to a remote mountain valley and have to be prepared to challenge all kinds of extreme dangers at all times? We should carefully guess Li Kang's thoughts next, he is the key to unraveling the mystery."

A sudden, rapid tremor arose on the tent roof. Gu Qingcheng looked up and sighed softly, "The north wind is getting stronger and stronger; it doesn't seem like a good thing. Unfortunately, we don't have the ancient ability to discern good or bad fortune from the wind. We can only wait patiently for news from Uncle Wei."

I gazed at her profile and pressed on with the previous topic: "Miss Gu, since everyone has goals to pursue, what was it that drove you to come all the way from Hong Kong Island with such effort?"

Gu Qingcheng smiled, but didn't answer me immediately. Instead, she took out an exquisite black cardboard box from her suitcase. After opening the lid, a three-inch revolver was wrapped in white satin inside. It was a brand-new American black handgun, the blued barrel emitting a faint chill, and the two sides of the grip were engraved with two identical American flags.

"This is my weapon. Of course, in front of a martial arts master like you, it may not be considered a weapon for self-defense. It can only be regarded as a mini toy, right?"

She was very modest. She opened the cardboard box next to her, took out six bright yellow bullets, and slowly loaded them into the magazine.

“Miss Gu, you haven’t answered my question yet—could sixteen guqin or unknown treasures really move your heart? As far as I know, Mr. Gu’s bank deposits and collections are already enough to squander for three generations. I don’t believe you would ever run around for money again.” My words were not an exaggeration. I remember that during the Hong Kong government’s asset declaration campaign two years ago, official data showed that Gu Zhijin’s personal wealth was more than twice that of the Queen of England. He was definitely a super-rich man that everyone envied.

"Isn't that enough?" she said with a half-smile, snapping the wheel back into place and slowly raising it to aim at the door.

This reason wasn't sufficient. Her expression told me that there was definitely something else hidden. But if it's a question a girl doesn't want to talk about, she'll keep it to herself and no matter how much you ask, you won't get any answers.

“Alright, then let’s sign this gentleman’s agreement verbally for now. All the spoils of the expedition will be yours, and neither Suren nor I will take a single penny. Of course, I believe you have a way to smuggle certain contraband out of the border.”

The clock struck noon. After flipping through the picture book for the second time, I felt it was necessary to talk to Li Kang. I trusted my intuition, and Gu Qingcheng's argument was basically the same as mine; we both felt that he would play the most important role in this adventure.

“I will keep an eye on the walkie-talkie and stay in touch at any time.” She placed the pistol on the table, next to the walkie-talkie.

As she was leaving the tent, she added with concern, "Be careful of the wind."

The north wind had indeed intensified, and all the tents were being tossed about by the strong wind, making a loud "plop plop" sound.

Four doors to the right lead to Li Kang's tent. As I approached his tent, Tang Xiaogu's giggling laughter rang out: "You lost, and you cheated again, making me draw a turtle on your face..."

Tang Xiaogu, who joined halfway through the journey, has become a burden to the team. Flying Eagle has complained about it several times, wondering how to send her back to the Tang Clan safely.

I lifted the curtain and went in. Tang Xiaogu was dancing and jumping around barefoot on the mattress, holding a colored pen in his hand. His head and face were covered with red lines, I didn't know if he drew them himself or if Li Kang did it.

Although Li Kang kept smiling, his smile was extremely bitter, devoid of any joy. His brows were tightly furrowed, as if he was racking his brains over some problem, so much so that when he saw me come in, he was momentarily bewildered and slightly surprised.

I carefully recalled his belongings when he moved from the concubine's palace to He Jishang's village. Apart from a small black travel bag, there was nothing else. So, where could the original be kept? Linen that has been passed down for two thousand years must be extremely fragile. Even the slightest bump or friction would turn it into a pile of useless fragments.

"Mr. Feng, you wanted to see me?" He stood up, his hands hanging neatly in his pockets.

Tang Xiaogu glanced at me sideways, then jumped off the mattress, her two braids swaying as she loudly protested, "He's playing with me, he can't leave, he can't go away!" Her eyes were 100% pure and innocent; if there were any good people in the Tang Clan of Sichuan, she would definitely be one of them.

"The adults have something to do, little sister, go out and draw by yourself, be good." Li Kang was good at coaxing children, and took out two pieces of white paper from his bag and stuffed them into Tang Xiaogu's hand.

Tang Xiaogu glared at him, flicked her braid in dissatisfaction, and slipped out from under the curtain.