King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 64

After uttering these polite words, he hurriedly left.

This is better than Natura, because after Tano and I returned from the bottom of the well, Natura never even showed his face.

From the inscriptions on those bronze vessels on Mount Everest, I unexpectedly connected them to the ancient Chinese myth of "Kuafu chasing the sun." Legend has it that Kuafu attempted to find the place where the sun sets and capture it to illuminate all the darkness, so he chased it westward until he died of exhaustion halfway there.

Mount Everest is located in the southwest of the middle reaches of the Yellow River. When Kuafu was chasing the sun westward, could he have strayed from his course and accidentally entered the mountainous area near Mount Everest?

This far-fetched association is like a scene from a third-rate novel, enough to make people laugh.

The day went by so quickly; in the blink of an eye, the beams of the searchlights were on again, sweeping across the sand in front of the tents.

In three more hours, it would be the end of the 24-hour vigil I had agreed upon with Tanino. I paced back and forth in the tent, not believing a single thing about his so-called "resurrection."

The curtain was half-rolled up, and as I strolled to the doorway, I could just see Robert leading a small team toward Tina's tent from the side of the curtain. There were nine of them in total, each with a submachine gun slung across their chest, and their belts were fully equipped with grenades, pistols, magazines, daggers... This was the Rainbow Warriors' most complete combat gear; normally, they wouldn't need to be so formal in the camp.

I seriously suspect that a major battle could erupt at any moment, even in the next minute or second.

From the watchtower, at least four sniper rifles were aimed at the entrance to Natura's large tent. Once the battle began, the terrifying firepower of these four rifles would effectively block Natura's advance. This demonstrates that Tina's strategic decision to erect the watchtower when the Rainbow Warriors entered the camp was absolutely correct; the West Point graduates truly lived up to their reputation.

Of course, in such a vast desert, watchtowers and heavy sniper rifles are by no means omnipotent. If the desert legion uses shoulder-fired surface-to-surface rocket launchers on the perimeter, guided by accurate azimuth data, a single rocket hit will send the snipers flying into the sky with their weapons.

No one can accurately predict the outcome of future battles.

I hope I can help Tina and repay her deep kindness. Since I want to become the undisputed "King of Tomb Raiders" like my elder brother, I must start from the smallest things and be a good man capable of shouldering great responsibilities. As the ancients said, "A river is formed by the accumulation of streams"—it is in times of war that my potential is unleashed.

"What time is it?" someone asked behind me, their voice lazy, as if they were just waking up from a dream.

Behind me were only the unconscious, vegetative-state-bound Fujika and the dead man, Tano, neither of whom would normally utter a word—

"What time is it? Is it evening again? Time flies so fast, sigh..." It was clearly Gu Ye's voice.

I turned around and saw that Gu Ye had already thrown off the blanket and was sitting cross-legged with a calm smile on his face. His complexion was no longer pitch black, but rather rosy and radiant, making him look more vibrant than before he was injured.

"You really came back to life?" Aside from that question, my mind was overwhelmed by the immense shock, and I couldn't utter a more reasonable greeting.

Gu Ye smiled and fastened the buttons on his chest one by one: "Feng, you really kept your word, thank you very much."

I smiled wryly, hesitant to take another step forward. After all, this was the first time I had encountered such a strange event as "coming back to life," and there were no precedents to follow.

"Feng, you have saved my life several times. I don't know how to thank you enough!" Gu Ye placed his hands on his knees, one on top of the other, as if he were a master of qigong performing a final finishing move after each exercise.

This incredible thing happened right before my eyes—it should have been recorded in detail with a camera, or at least witnessed by everyone in the camp. Suppressing my nervousness, I took a few steps forward and reached out to press my hand against Tanino's shoulder.

I have to prove that this is real, and not just another small dream nested within a larger one.

His shoulders were very strong, and the moment my fingers touched them, I could feel the vibrant, surging life force within him.

"What kind of kung fu is this? Is it the most advanced yoga? Or is it the 'Turtle Breathing Technique' that has been lost to the martial arts world for a long time..."

Yoga is an ancient Indian martial art, and the Chinese "Turtle Breathing Exercise" can reach the highest level of yoga, and even surpass it. In fact, Indians have long admitted that yoga is nothing more than something copied from a Tang Dynasty classic brought to India by the monk Xuanzang during his journey to the West. It can be said to be a replica of Chinese martial arts like "Turtle Breathing Exercise".

Since Xuanzang was able to spread "Turtle Breathing Technique" to India when he went west, it is certainly possible that Jianzhen could have spread it to the Japanese archipelago when he went east. On this point, James and I have reached the same conclusion, albeit through different paths.

"It's nothing—the reason I can live forever is thanks to the 'nineteen Buddha relics' in the 'Tower of the Dead.' Feng, you've been in the business of tomb raiding, you must know our most famous Japanese saying, 'Swallow a Buddha relic and you'll gain immortality,' right?"

"I know, of course I know, of course I...know..."

All of Japan's ancient culture was inherited from its close neighbor, China. Therefore, their architecture, culture, customs, and habits all bear the authentic imprint of Tang Dynasty culture. Tang Dynasty China revered Buddhism, so Japan has considered itself a "Buddhist country" for many years, and has built a great many Buddhist temples and pagodas on its own soil.

The Tower of the Dead, originally named "Kiwanbune Tower" after the Fuuki-ji Temple located on Mount Kiwanbune in Hokkaido, is a seven-story, 35-meter-high ancient building.

During the turbulent Shogunate era, the various factions that ruled the city in chaos and division always held the Tower of the Dead in high esteem and carefully protected it. As a result, countless ancient buildings were destroyed and razed to the ground during the years of war. Only the Wooden Bowl Boat Tower was able to be preserved intact, and its incense offerings have become increasingly popular, gradually becoming a major attraction in Hokkaido and even throughout Japan.

Part Six: The Divine Appearance Revealed

— Chapter 4 — Fujika's Mysterious Background —

"Buddha relics" are the relics obtained after a highly accomplished Buddhist monk passes away and is burned. In Buddhism, they are called "relics" or "spirit stones".

After the Meiji Restoration in Japan, the Emperor personally issued an edict to move all nineteen relics kept in temples throughout the country to the Wooden Bowl Boat Pagoda. As a result, the name "Tower of the Dead" gradually became widely known among the people and has even replaced its original official name.

The belief that one can swallow Buddha's relics to achieve immortality is not unique to Japan; similar beliefs exist in any Buddhist country worldwide, much like the ancient Chinese Taoist practice of alchemy in pursuit of eternal life. However, there is absolutely no scientific evidence to support this claim.

"Feng, I owe you so much. Before I leave, you can ask me any questions, and I will answer them as best I can." Gu Ye's attitude towards me had completely lost its hostility. He was breathing slowly, his chest heaving dramatically, which must have been an extremely advanced form of internal energy cultivation.

His gaze was clear and wise, with an all-seeing light, quite different from his previous sleazy appearance.

"Are you... still Tanino?" It's a silly question, but it's the foundation of everything.

"Of course... but not entirely. The true master tomb raider, Tanino Shinshu, is currently living in seclusion at the Fengge Temple, as is his twin brother, Tanino Shinji. I came to Egypt to explore the mysterious information of the 'Eye of the Moon.' Before this, I was merely an ascetic monk at the Fengge Temple, never stepping outside its gates for decades, devoting all my thoughts to comprehending the secrets of the 'Underwater Tomb'..."

I took a deep breath and quickly sorted through the jumbled clues in my mind, then blurted out, "So, how do you know all the old and new methods in the tomb raiding world, and how do you manage to fool a surgeon's eye?"

During the first negotiation at Villa No. 13, the scalpel did not realize that the person in front of him, Gu Ye, was an imposter. It was no easy task to deceive a seasoned veteran like him.

Gu Ye smiled, raised his hands, palms facing me: "Feng, look what this is?"

They were just two ordinary hands, but as I leaned closer to look, I could vaguely see that the lines on his palms seemed a little strange. The light in the tent wasn't very bright, so I could only make out a rough outline.

Gu Ye let out a soft sigh, his shoulders trembled, and a faint red light suddenly appeared in his palm.

Now I could see it clearly: all the lines on his palm were rotating counter-clockwise, intersecting at the core of the Heaven, Earth, and Human lines, forming a small vortex. Normally, these three lines would never intersect, unless there was an unparalleled and drastic change in his environment—

"When three lines intersect, fate is reversed; when vortexes appear on the palm, life and death are reversed." These four aphorisms were told to me by a famous Italian fortune teller when I was in college. The same saying can also be found in the ancient Chinese book "Guan Ke Shen Shu" from the late Han and early Jin dynasties.

Undoubtedly, Gu Ye's palm print belongs to this kind of "anomaly," and his martial arts skills are deeply hidden. He can actually condense the heat contained in his blood and qi in his palm, forming the supernatural phenomenon of "Boundless Bright Lamp" - I underestimated Gu Ye before, fortunately it has not caused any major trouble.

Therefore, we should always keep the ancient saying, "There are heavens beyond heavens, and people beyond people," firmly in mind. Many of the sayings of the ancient Chinese are the result of hundreds of years and tens of thousands of lives, representing the most brilliant essence of truth. If we can carefully understand them, we will surely gain a great deal.

"Our family history can be clearly traced back to the first shogunate period, and these swirling palm lines are the most distinctive feature of our family. Three years ago, Shenxiu suddenly returned to Fengge Temple from his overseas travels and passed on all the martial arts and wisdom he had cultivated to me, transforming me from an ignorant monk into a master tomb raider capable of deceiving even the most skilled. As for him, he secluded himself in a dark chamber to cultivate a magic technique that is 'unprecedented and unparalleled'..."

The more I listened, the more confused I became. It's not unusual for people to exchange martial arts skills, internal energy, and wisdom through some kind of "enlightenment" transmission, but what exactly is Tanino Shinshu trying to do? Why abandon the fame he has worked so hard to build in order to cultivate "magic"?

When magic is mentioned, the first thing that comes to mind for most Chinese people is "Maoshan magic" or "Zhang Tianshi's ghost-catching magic in Longhu Mountain, Jiangxi". Who would have thought that Japanese people like Tanino Shinshu would also follow suit and practice such things.

"Magic" and "tomb raiding" are two completely unrelated things. One is a supernatural and idealistic method, while the other is a rigorous and precise scientific exploration. It is unimaginable that a famous person like Tanino Shinshu could abandon everything and completely shut himself off...

If we can understand it this way—that the Taniguchi in front of us has inherited all of Taniguchi Shinshu's thoughts, can we already consider him "the tomb raiding expert Taniguchi"? And that Taniguchi Shinshu, far away in Fuuki-ji Temple in Japan, has already erased his past history and transformed into a completely different person?

My mind is in complete chaos: "Mr. Gu Ye, the 'Tower of the Dead' is said to lead to the 'Undersea Tomb'... Is that true? Could it be that Mr. Shenxiu is practicing a spell to break the 'Tower of the Dead'?"

Gu Ye's resurrection was already astonishing enough; it turns out there really are two Gu Yes in the world. My and Su Lun's previous suspicions were at least 80% accurate. So, what kind of immense temptation could make Gu Ye Shenxiu retire from the martial arts world and truly embark on the long and tedious "cultivation"?

A strange legend has long circulated in Hokkaido, Japan, that the "Tower of the Dead" has always served as a tool for "sea-guarding eyes," leading to the "undersea tomb" in ancient Japanese mythology. Therefore, eminent Japanese monks throughout history have considered it an honor to visit Fukichi-ji Temple to unravel the secrets of the "Path of the Dead."

I've been to Maple Forest Temple, and what impressed me most was the thousands of blood-red maple leaves in the autumn temple, not the monks sitting and chanting beside the lamps and scrolls. Before coming to Egypt, I was a staunch materialist, dismissing all absurd myths and legends circulating around the world as "absurd." Therefore, I always held the attitude that the "underwater tomb," which only existed in legends, was "pure fabrication and mere rumor."

I recall a passage from the ancient book "Dongmilu" being published in a Japanese travel magazine, which roughly stated—

"After death, the soul is eternal and immortal, clinging to water and drifting on the sea, eventually transforming into colorful water ghosts or pink demons. In a certain dark and lightless sea, all souls enter the underwater tomb of the gods through the vortex of reincarnation, condensing into the wings of the gods. The gods slumber here, awaiting the salvation of those destined to pass through the Tower of the Dead. At that time, the gods will open the tomb and burst forth with fire, saving the world and ensuring the land of sunrise eternal prosperity and glory..."

As the only unofficial historical anecdotes and notes in Japan, the "Dongmilu" holds a historical status that is very similar to that of the "In Search of the Supernatural" in China, and is the origin of all Japanese mythology.

"It's true, and I've already grasped the final crucial step. By consuming all nineteen Buddha relics, I can achieve a state of infinite life cycle... I know you have many questions—many things on Earth cannot be explained by applied physics. That set of the 'Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs Sutra' was originally placed in the 'Tower of the Dead,' sealed by the Emperor himself..."

Tanino remained with his hands clasped together, his back ramrod straight, and his knees crossed in a standard posture for Japanese monks during meditation. He pointed to the unconscious Fujika: "I will accompany the princess on her journey. The information about the 'Eye of the Moon' has been stored here—"

He pointed to his temple, his expression utterly calm.

"Take her away? Why not take her away sooner, instead of waiting until after her resurrection?" After rescuing Fujika, Tanino had never mentioned sending her back to Japan. But now that she has come back to life tonight, I have reason to doubt his motives. Moreover, without Natura and Tina's permission, no one can leave the camp.

Gu Ye smiled: "Exploring the secrets of the 'Eye of the Moon' was a shared mission for the princess and me. Now that the mission is complete, although the princess is in trouble, since we came together, we must go back together..."

I was confused by what he said again, and couldn't help but raise my voice: "What era exactly is Fujika a royal princess from?"

A thorough search of the marriage history of the modern Japanese imperial family would likely yield no trace of this "princess," Fujika. Therefore, I need to clarify her identity, since the title "princess" cannot be used lightly. Could it be that Japanese historians deliberately concealed the Emperor's social connections?

In the vortex of regime change, even a small variable can ultimately affect a nation's survival and even the stability and prosperity of neighboring countries. Japan is one of China's close neighbors, and its national affairs and political instability could directly harm the living environment of the Chinese people.

“She is the Emperor’s…daughter…” Tanino explained with difficulty.

I laughed it off, "Are you kidding? Do you think I wouldn't understand that the Emperor has seven children and descendants, three sons and four daughters? Besides, the Emperor's youngest daughter, Kikushiba, is already thirty-one years old this year. How could he possibly have another daughter as old as Fujika?"

Japan is merely a tiny island nation in the East China Sea. Any news that happens within its borders can spread to every corner of the five continents and four oceans in less than five minutes. The history of the Emperor's family is as transparent as that of ants in a glass breeding box, with even the finest antennae and scales magnified into perfect detail.

Tenga remained unconscious, and the camp outside was still quiet, with only the increasingly strong north wind blowing in gusts.

"Princess Fujika's background is very strange. She is... the holy maiden of the 'New Moon Dragon Elephant Sect' ninja, Tensho Jubei... and the child born to the Emperor in the 'Sunrise Sinkhole' on 'Fusang Divine Tree Island'..."

Such a long and complicated answer made my thoughts start to get tangled and dizzy again. The ninja sects in Japan are very complex. Often, under one major sect, there are hundreds of smaller sects that have merged and integrated. Each of the smaller sects has its own history, origins, and sacred objects.

The "New Moon Dragon Elephant School" should be a very small, offshoot of the Iga School. As for terms like "Saintess" and "Tenshō Jubei," I can't recall them from my memory.

After recounting Fujika's origins in a somewhat awkward manner, Tanino got out of bed and walked to Fujika's bedside, his face immediately clouded with worry. It seemed that although he possessed the special ability to "come back to life," he was unable to revive a person in a vegetative state.

He picked up a pinch of sand next to Tengjia, frowned, and put it in his mouth. Suddenly, he asked, "What is this? Wind, did you put this sand up here?"

"Even if that's true—it's 'soul-summoning sand' from a certain sect in Egypt, which is said to have the ability to summon souls, but unfortunately it didn't work on Miss Fujika."

Gu Ye chewed on the sand with a puzzled crunching sound, subjecting my auditory nerves to a continuous test of noise.

I was 100% dissatisfied with Tanino's answer. The scandalous affairs of the amorous emperor were the perfect fodder for Japanese tabloids, and if there really was a princess like Fujika, it would have been exposed long ago. But why would Tanino lie to me? His serious and earnest attitude suggested he wasn't just spouting nonsense.

Japanese monks and Chinese monks share one absolute similarity in their spiritual practice: "A monk does not lie." These enlightened monks, for the sake of their lifelong devout practice, have banished the word "lie" from their vocabulary.

Tanino sighed deeply, gazing at Fujika's face: "The princess grew up in Fengge Temple. The extraordinary abilities she possesses are admired even by the 130-year-old monks, Kamekabe and Bumenri."

I gasped, unable to hide my shock.

The renowned Japanese monk, Master Kamekan, had three greatest achievements in his life: he deciphered the "Hundred Battles of Blood and Sweat" in the history of Japanese Go; he expanded the 64 hexagrams of the Chinese I Ching into 128 hexagrams, multiplying the accuracy of the I Ching's calculations; and he used his ability to "open his third eye" to locate an ancient imperial ship that sank on the edge of the continental shelf off the coast of Japan during the Tokugawa Shogunate period.

Three things made him a national hero in the eyes of the Japanese people after the war, and in their hearts, his great image was even comparable to that of the Emperor.

As for Master Bumenri, he remained unknown and without fame, yet he was respectfully addressed as "Teacher" by Kamekangawa. The press deduced from this that Bumenri must be no ordinary person—these two masters had been living in seclusion at Fuge-ji Temple since the Japanese defeat in World War II, rarely seeing outsiders.

If Fujika possessed the ability to "submit to two super masters," this... this would be a headline news story that would shake Asia. How could it have remained undisclosed for so long?

My last question is about the "Blue Heaven and Yellow Springs Sutra". Although Tina and I were never able to borrow this sutra from Tano, can he tell me some of the secrets mentioned in the sutra now?

Tanino slapped his forehead sheepishly, a blush creeping onto his face: "I'm sorry, Kaze—that scripture is written in what's known as the 'most complex script in the world,' and apart from Fujika, no one can understand it..."

The most complex writing system in the world is Sanskrit, which originated from ancient India. But I don’t believe that such a large country as Japan can’t find scholars who can read Sanskrit.

Gu Ye knew what I was thinking and calmly met my questioning gaze: "Feng, perhaps I haven't explained it clearly enough. Sanskrit is also divided into many types, just like ancient Chinese characters are divided into bronze inscriptions, tadpole script, oracle bone script, large seal script, small seal script, and so on. The difference is that in Chinese history, there was a great king who foresaw the drawbacks of the script and adopted the approach of 'unifying the script,' which allowed all rivers to flow into the sea and quickly organized the obscure and ambiguous historical records, enabling later generations to deduce the Han clerical script from the small seal script, which has been used to this day..."

I listened carefully to what he said and quickly understood his meaning: "You mean that the Sanskrit in the scriptures cannot be translated into modern Sanskrit, right?"

Tani nodded approvingly: "Yes! We can only confirm that the text in the scriptures belongs to a type of Sanskrit—what we see, hear, and study now is all information obtained through Princess Fujika's compilation. You know, when the great Tang Dynasty monk Jianzhen traveled east, the reason he brought this set of scriptures was to gather the strength of Buddhist monks on the Japanese islands to study it together..."

I cursed under my breath. I wouldn't believe this nonsense about "the scriptures originating from Jianzhen's eastward journey" even if you killed me.

“When the princess was four years old, she could read the words in the scriptures. Therefore, her existence is more meaningful than any ancient scriptures or scrolls. I must accompany her back to Japan…”

I sneered inwardly: "Do you have the ability to take Fujika away while surrounded by fully armed soldiers?"

"Feng, on behalf of the monks of Fengge Temple, I formally invite you to visit the temple again and participate in the work of solving the 'Tower of the Dead.' Of course, the compensation we can pay you will far exceed your expectations. I can tell you clearly that the four major conglomerates in Japan are our strong sponsors..."

These rambling words made me feel uneasy, and I kept pacing around in the tent.