King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 113

"I'm so tired, I don't want to talk..." His voice was very low.

"No, you have to tell me—I have some unique information. If we work together, we can definitely find her..." At least I personally witnessed Guan Baoling's first disappearance and reappearance, which Wang Jiangnan cannot compare to.

“Heh, find her? We’ve searched every nook and cranny of Fengge Temple since 11 a.m., but we can’t find her at all, and we don’t even know where to begin. Nobody has seen her. How can we look? Where can we even begin? I really suspect—” He pointed into the dark temple grounds, “that there’s an unseen demon here that swallowed her whole, so it didn’t leave any usable clues…”

Wang Jiangnan suffered a major blow and may be on the verge of a mental breakdown.

He and Hawke both mentioned that "no one has seen her," which seemed to imply something. I started to get anxious, but thankfully Wang Jiangnan was cooperative. He cleared his throat and began to recount the entire story of Guan Baoling's disappearance—"At ten o'clock this morning, I brought Miss Guan here. She was very depressed, obviously because you refused to sell the villa. She went to the temple; I was more than willing to go with her, but she refused. She said she was just going to make a wish at the Tower of the Dead, then go to the Well of Spirits to see what Heaven had in store, and then return—it would take no more than twenty minutes..."

This route is pretty much what I expected. Guan Baoling is superstitious about the magic of the "Well of Spirits," which is why she keeps coming to Fengge Temple, and before leaving, she makes sure to come back one last time.

Hawke walked away and was on the phone with someone, his voice very low.

The members of the Sharpshooter Society also put away their weapons and obediently spread out around the car, serving as temporary guards. At this moment, it was dark all around, with a sea breeze blowing. Only Wang Jiangnan and I stood in the circle of light from the battery lamp, like the sole protagonists in a stage play.

“I waited in the car, and twenty minutes passed quickly, but she didn’t come back. I thought she might be talking and chatting with the monks in the temple, which was why she was delayed, so I continued to wait until 11 o’clock before I couldn’t help but get out of the car and go into the temple to look for her.”

Wang Jiangnan pointed to the temple gate again: "After I went in, I went around the Well of Spirits and went to the foot of the Tower of the Dead. I didn't encounter anyone along the way, nor did I see Miss Guan. I immediately took out my phone to dial her number, but then I realized that she didn't have her phone with her..."

Guan Baoling hid her phone number from everyone; only Xiao Keleng had secretly witnessed her making a call.

“I called out loudly, and a monk in charge of welcoming guests came out and scolded me. But... the result was that no one actually saw her come in. During the hour I waited, all the monks were gathered in Master Shenbi's Marrow Cleansing Hall chanting scriptures and meditating, and the front courtyard was completely empty…”

I finally understood what "no one saw" meant. It meant that all the monks were still working hard to awaken Tengka, putting aside all other affairs of the temple.

There was no one in the front yard, so it's understandable that the monks couldn't explain Guan Baoling's whereabouts, but where did she go?

From the temple gate to the "Well of Spirits" and then to the "Tower of the Dead," it's only a few hundred meters, a round trip in twenty minutes. And I know she's walked this route more than three or five times already. Where did she go wrong this time?

The mysterious disappearance, witnessed by no one, bears a striking resemblance to the previous disappearance in the restroom. Strangely, why do all these disappearances seem to involve Guan Baoling? Does she possess some kind of mysterious, hidden quality?

Wang Jiangnan's account is long, but the core issue is only one: "After Guan Baoling entered the temple, no one saw her."

If the monks were telling the truth, then we can only assume that Guan Baoling disappeared as soon as she entered the temple, and met with misfortune before she could come into contact with anyone. According to Wang Jiangnan's judgment, there are only two places Guan Baoling would go: the "Well of Spirits" and the "Tower of the Dead." He specifically went to these two places to search carefully and even climbed to the top of the tower, but found nothing at all.

Xiao Lai suddenly interjected, "Thirteenth Brother, is there still one place inside Fengge Temple that we haven't searched yet?"

I can guess that place too. It's the "Meditation Hall" where Tanino Shinshu secluded himself for cultivation. Even strangers aren't allowed to go and take a look, let alone a large-scale search operation.

Wang Jiangnan nodded helplessly: "Master Shenbi forbade it, so Hawke sent a few brothers to sneak over, but they were all blocked by the Qimen formation and there was nothing they could do."

He had no time to worry about Xiao Lai and me coming to Fengge Temple. What was giving him the biggest headache right now was that once the tycoon discovered Guan Baoling's disappearance, he would definitely hold him accountable, something he couldn't afford to do.

“That place is shrouded in at least twelve layers of Japanese escape techniques, which ordinary people simply cannot decipher, and therefore cannot find a way in. Thirteenth Brother, Mr. Feng, I think if we could get Mr. Zhang Baisen from the villa involved, things might go more smoothly.” Xiao Lai was very quick-witted when it came to problems. When it came to Qimen Dunjia formations, it was precisely Zhang Baisen and the Shao brothers’ forte.

Wang Jiangnan perked up: "I'll call him right away..."

When people panic, they lose their minds. In this state, they want to try any path suggested by others, and their own brains have stopped working.

Just as Wang Jiangnan took out his phone, Hawke waved from afar: "Thirteenth Brother, no need to call anymore. I've already spoken to Mr. Zhang. Hmm... he said we should go back to the villa and discuss this further. We must not rush things. Before we are certain that Miss Guan has fallen into an ambush set by the art of escape, we must not make enemies blindly."

He hurried over and asked for my opinion again in a low voice: "Mr. Feng, what do you think?"

After a busy afternoon, these people must be exhausted and hungry. Staying here distractedly seems pointless. I could only smile wryly and say, "Alright, you guys go back. I'll stay a little longer and see if I can think of a solution."

All I can do is wait for Guan Baoling to appear on her own, or deduce the path she took and try to walk it myself a few times to see if I'm lucky enough to disappear with her.

Hawke awkwardly raised the phone in his hand and arranged for the Sharpshooter Gang members to get into the car: "Everyone, retreat. We'll talk more back at the villa."

Before getting into the car, Wang Jiangnan gazed at the dark, imposing temple and suddenly sighed three times. By now, his dream of a romantic encounter should have ended, right? Next, he should probably start thinking about how to deal with the tycoon's pursuit… Looking at his dejected appearance, I couldn't laugh at all.

Xiao Lai stood behind me the whole time, clearly siding with me. This was bound to cause dissatisfaction among others, and even Hawke became cold towards him: "Xiao Lai, don't let Mr. Feng take any risks, or else you'll pay with your head."

The group started their cars and drove down the mountain, the beams of their headlights once again piercing the tranquility of the night at Muwanzhou Mountain. Soon, the roar of the car engines faded away on the winding mountain road, and deathly silence returned to the steps.

Xiao Lai sat down on the steps, lit a cigarette with a "click," and silently exhaled the smoke.

"Could Miss Guan's disappearance be related to 'Meditation Hall'? I doubt it!" Xiao Lai said, tilting his head back. His face was as calm as a statue, accompanied by wisps of smoke.

I nodded, signaling him to continue. He knew more about the details of Fengge Temple than I did.

"The 'Meditation Hall' is surrounded by numerous traps and ambushes within a hundred-meter radius. Even the monks in the temple don't know how to navigate these formations. Only two low-ranking cooks who deliver meals can obtain Gu Ye's permission to deliver the food to a point ten steps away from the entrance, following his instructions made using the 'Thousand-Mile Transmission' technique. In other words, without guidance, it would be extremely difficult for Miss Guan to pass through the escape formation, let alone reach the 'Meditation Hall' in a short time."

I remained noncommittal, letting him continue. Since Tanino Shinshu could transform his younger brother into himself and infuse him with a vast amount of tomb raiding knowledge and martial arts—his own martial arts skills must be even more astonishing. So, is it possible that he suddenly appeared and kidnapped Guan Baoling?

Xiao Lai then refuted my hypothesis: "Mr. Feng, we can suspect that Miss Guan was kidnapped by Gu Ye, but thinking back, this is the sixth or seventh time Miss Guan has come to Fengge Temple. Why did Gu Ye never make a move before, but wait until Brother Thirteen was waiting outside with her? This doesn't make sense at all. At least in Hokkaido, no one dares to mess with the Divine Gun Society..."

His meaning was undoubtedly that there was no need to disturb Tano in the "Meditation Hall".

I paced back and forth on the steps, my thoughts a jumbled mess: "Is all we can do just wait? If Guan Baoling doesn't reappear, what's the point of this most passive waiting?"

"Xiao Lai, where do you think Miss Guan went?" I wanted to hear his opinion, and at the same time, I invited him to go into the temple again.

We just reached the "Well of Spirits," this time we're heading straight for the "Tower of the Dead." My feeling is that the mystery of Maple Temple lies in this pagoda that frequently and inexplicably produces sacred water.

“Mr. Feng, strange things should have strange explanations. There is a myth about the ‘Well of Spirits’ that you may have heard of…”

Xiao Lai followed me closely, already holding a miniature submachine gun in his right hand, vigilantly scanning the surroundings. No one came out to stop us; perhaps the life or death of Teng Jia was currently the focus of Fengge Temple's activities, and everyone was still collectively meditating in the "Marrow Cleansing Hall"!

I've read all the legends about the "Well of Spirits," but I don't understand which one he's referring to.

In less than three minutes, we arrived at the courtyard where the "Tower of the Dead" was located. Of course, the ground was clean, with no water seeping out.

The pagoda at night lacked the solemnity it possessed during the day; instead, it exuded a chilling and eerie atmosphere. Especially when I looked up at the top of the pagoda, it resembled an enormous stone monument, or rather, a tombstone—a tombstone standing atop the "Underwater Divine Tomb."

Without pausing, I went straight to the first floor of the pagoda, intending to climb to the top and take a look.

After entering the pagoda, Xiao Lai suddenly laughed: "Mr. Feng, do you believe in praying to heaven?"

He stopped in the center of the first-floor tomb chamber, raised one hand to his chest, facing southwest, and then said jokingly, "Many people follow this way of praying, supposedly to communicate with the gods, express their wishes, and then look into the 'Well of Spirits' to obtain their future plans—do you believe it?"

I shook my head: "I don't believe it."

If this method were to work, then why would everyone bother toiling away in the business world or on the battlefield? Why not just come here and pray that those destined to be president become president, those destined to be prisoners become prisoners, and those destined to be billionaires become billionaires...? I firmly believe that destiny is in our own hands, and other external factors are merely driving forces or obstacles with little impact.

Xiao Lai bowed deeply, his expression gradually becoming serious.

An old Chinese saying goes, "Respect the gods as if they were present." Standing in the dwelling place of the gods, one should certainly not utter disrespectful words. I turned to go up the stairs, my gaze once again falling on the strange white house nestled in the bushes on the hillside.

Three years have passed. What exactly is Tanino Shinshu trying to comprehend? And what exactly can he comprehend?

In the darkness, all the withered branches and shrubs took on an eerie silvery-gray hue, as if coated with shimmering silver powder. The three-story house, in particular, had no windows whatsoever; only a small door on the first floor allowed one person to pass through—it didn't resemble a house at all, but rather a lime kiln, a type of structure unique to northern China.

"Xiao Lai, shall we go up?"

Xiao Lai's ceremony was still not finished, so I had to go up the stairs alone.

Each step was forty centimeters wide and high, entirely constructed of milky-white stone slabs, solid and stable. The stone walls on both sides exuded a faint dampness, and even the air carried a strange, fishy smell.

After climbing to the seventh floor, I stepped outside the tower, held onto the stone railing, and looked towards the north.

Lights flickered in the direction of the "Marrow Cleansing Hall," while the rest of the courtyards were pitch black, as if all the monks in the temple now considered that courtyard their home.

I suspect these monks are just wasting their time; at the very least, their incessant chanting of scriptures is doing absolutely nothing to help Tengjia awaken. They don't understand the Shaolin Temple's "Vajra Lion's Roar" kung fu, so a direct, forceful approach might be more effective than chanting. Right now, my only hope lies in the incantation left by Yelan, but this fragile hope is too easily tested. I dare not try it lightly, fearing that if the incantation fails, I'll completely give up. The possibility of the incantation waking Tengjia is probably one in tens of thousands. Perhaps I should try going to the "Marrow Cleansing Hall" after I finish searching for Guan Baoling?

This is the highest point of Fengge Temple and even the entire Muwanzhou Mountain. If it weren't for the heavy darkness of night, one could probably see the surrounding scenery without any obstruction.

The stones on the railing were unusually cold, and a damp, fishy smell swirled into my nostrils. The mountain wind was several times stronger than on the ground, making it impossible to open my eyes.

After climbing straight to the top of the tower from the first floor, I discovered another peculiar aspect of the pagoda—the architectural techniques of Japanese temples and towers faithfully continued the architectural characteristics of China's Tang Dynasty, reaching the pinnacle of intricacy and refinement. Buddhist culture is also an important component of Japanese culture, significantly influencing Japanese literature, music, art, and daily life.

I have visited the three famous ancient capitals of Kyoto, Nara and Kamakura, and I have visited many temples such as Kinkaku-ji, Daitoku-ji, Sanzen-in, Jakko-in, Toshodai-ji, Kaikozan Jisho-in, Senso-ji, etc. more than once. They are all beautifully decorated and picturesque.

As Hokkaido's most famous temple, the construction of this tower seems far too rough, inconsistent with the temple's reputation. It's fair to say that any other temple pagoda in Japan is far more magnificent and imposing than this "Tower of the Dead."

On my way up, I rarely saw the lotus reliefs that are commonly used on stupas—"What does this mean? Could it be that the 'Tower of the Dead' was hastily built and they didn't even have time to prepare these most common decorations?"

I heard someone slowly walking up, and I instinctively called out, "Xiao Lai, don't you think this tower is strange?"

The footsteps stopped abruptly. I turned around quickly, and a figure floated out of the door like a wisp of smoke. The figure wore a strange bamboo hat, and on the hat was a black veil nearly a meter long, covering the face, shoulders, and chest.

In a tenth of a second, I already had my pistol in hand, the bullet loaded, and pointed it at the person's forehead.

A flash of cold light appeared, and the other person also drew a strange longsword, pointing it at my Adam's apple. The wisps of cold air emanating from the tip of the sword made me so nervous that I dared not breathe.

"who?"

"who?"

We both uttered the same word almost simultaneously, both in Japanese. In any case, he couldn't be a monk from the temple. Judging from his tight black night-clothes, he was also a seasoned yakuza expert, active only at night.

A red light always flickered along the spine of his sword, like a flame drifting in the wind.

"A gun? Or a sword?" I sneered, glaring at his black veil. The way he flashed out of the doorway just now was exceptionally unpredictable; he was definitely a top-notch master of lightness skills.

"Quickly, but it depends on who's holding it!" He sheathed his sword with a snap. It turned out that the sword was similar to the kind that magicians often use, which can automatically extend and retract. After the blade was retracted, it was only about thirty centimeters long, which was exactly the length of a hilt.

I slowly took three steps back, leaning against the railing, staring intently at him. The appearance of the mysterious night walker seemed to have uncovered a new clue in the investigation of Guan Baoling's disappearance.

Xiao Lai appeared quietly, like a nimble lynx, and steadily aimed his submachine gun at the back of the night walker, positioned exactly one in front of and one behind me, cutting off the night walker's escape route.

"Friend, what are you doing, sneaking around like this?" I sneered, turning to look down at the tower, searching for any remaining members of the enemy's group.

The black veil of the night walker fluttered violently in the mountain wind. He switched to Mandarin with the same indifferent tone: "You're from the Sharpshooter Society, aren't you? Don't take it personally. We're all minding our own business. I was just passing by and had no intention of offending you."

Xiao Lai moved slowly, approaching the night traveler. Capturing him alive would undoubtedly be the biggest gain of the night. He knew that several forces were watching Fengge Temple's every move. After Guan Baoling's disappearance, anyone appearing at Fengge Temple was a suspect.

My gun barrel dipped slightly, aimed at the man's right wrist where he gripped the sword. If necessary, I could fire first, incapacitating him. Whether he was just passing by or had come specifically to scout ahead, I'd take him down first.

The lights from the direction of "Marrow Cleansing Hall" suddenly started moving, and like a long, winding snake, they emerged one after another, quickly heading this way. However, being so far away and facing a headwind, I couldn't hear anything from that side.

The time it took me to turn my head was very short, and it was at that moment that Xiao Lai launched his attack, swinging his submachine gun in his right hand fiercely towards the back of the Night Walker's neck. Almost at the same instant, a flash of bright red flame appeared, and the Night Walker's sword pierced through Xiao Lai's ribs with a hiss, while at the same time, he kicked out and struck Xiao Lai in the chest with a dull thud.

"Pfft, pfft pfft..." Xiao Lai flew backward and crashed into the wall. As he fell, he spat out three mouthfuls of blood. It seemed that the Night Walker's legwork was even better than his swordsmanship.

My gun fired too, because his sword flashed like a greedy red snake, coiling towards Xiao Lai's neck.

"Bang, bang, bang," I fired a total of six bullets, at least four of which hit the opponent's sword, while the other two struck the stone wall, scattering countless sparks. I had no intention of killing anyone; I only wanted to save Xiao Lai's life. And in the next round of shooting, with my excellent feel for this type of firearm, I was fully confident that I could hit any part of the opponent's body.

"Ah—" The night walker suddenly clutched his chest and screamed, staggering backward. After leaning against the railing, he tumbled down.

I was stunned, because the six bullets I fired were not aimed at his chest at all, so how could he have been hit?

"Xiao Lai, are you alright?" I asked, concerned about his injuries. Xiao Lai's presence was a huge help to my next move at Fengge Temple; he couldn't die. I leaped over, grabbed Xiao Lai's arm, and tried to help him up.

“Mr. Feng, he escaped… gliding suit… this is… this is a master sent by North Korea…” Xiao Lai was out of breath, but still bravely stood up and staggered to the fence with me.

The night traveler was still falling, but his arms suddenly spread out, revealing a large piece of cloth connecting his sleeves and trouser legs, like a pair of black wings, turning eastward with the buoyancy of the air. His bamboo hat remained firmly on his head, the black veil fluttering, giving him a unique and ethereal charm.

"Yes, it's a glider..."

After comfortably crossing a row of gray bungalows, the night traveler performed a somersault in mid-air and disappeared into the boundless darkness.

Xiao is right. The Chinese name for this type of clothing structure is "gliding suit," and its history can be traced back to the martial arts world of China during the era of cold weapons. It is believed to have originated from the famous sorcerer Yuan Tiangang during the Tang Dynasty. When the body weight is evenly distributed on the "false wings," as long as the weight per unit area reaches a ratio of two to one with the buoyancy of the rising air, one can fly freely like a pigeon.

Part 4: Reincarnation

— Chapter 10 — Half-dead, half-awake —