King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 218

And her? Does she harbor some kind of secret? Like the seemingly dull and useless Li Kang?

"Feng, before the second glass of wine, I want to tell you a story from the Gu family history, a story known only to my elder brother and me. In truth, behind everyone's seemingly glamorous facade lies a hidden, painful secret, one they dare not easily speak of. My elder brother once warned me to bury this family history forever, to never mention it again, to let it disappear from our memories forever. However, now that things have taken a turn for the better, and I'm standing here now, perhaps I should tell you..."

She picked up the bottle and filled it a second time.

I simply smiled, picked up my own cup, and didn't interrupt her.

Everyone in the Hong Kong antiques circle knows that Gu Zhijin is an extremely proud man who doesn't easily give others a handle to use against him, and he can't stand even the slightest verbal attack. Over time, he became a "flawless" person, surrounded by countless shining halos of honor, and naturally no one bothered to investigate his family history.

"Wind, would you like to listen to my rambling?" Gu Qingcheng tossed her black hair and smiled meaningfully.

Good wine melted away her coldness and also slightly shortened the distance between us.

"I'm willing to listen to anything that's beneficial to everyone's current work."

I believe she's not the type to easily ramble on and stray from the topic; in this situation, every word she utters is related to the adventure. Based on my impression of her, she's calm, wise, insightful, and all-encompassing—more profound and capable than Suren.

Therefore, I hope even more than she does that we can be open and honest with each other, and become like-minded friends, rather than rivals who distrust each other.

"Thank you." Gu Qingcheng raised her chin and resumed gazing south.

The sentry patrolled a bit further away, probably to avoid being suspected of eavesdropping on our conversation. This group is far more disciplined than Flying Eagle's brothers, and Uncle Wei's leadership skills are a hundred times better than Flying Eagle's—that's beyond doubt.

I have decided to allocate a large sum of compensation for the families of the brothers who perished in the Flying Eagle expedition. No one willingly loses their life, but in any expedition, loss is inevitable; there have been no exceptions throughout history.

"Feng, the previous generation of the Gu family, that is, my parents, had a very unfortunate ending. To this day, no one remembers their names anymore. The once legendary couple who dominated the martial arts world have become two vegetative patients in a private sanatorium on Hong Kong Island, living a life worse than death, and can no longer open their eyes to respond to us."

She sipped the strong liquor, her brows gradually furrowing.

"No one understands why my brother and I spent huge sums of money acquiring all kinds of Chinese guqin from around the world. Feng, you won't understand either. Most people think that it's just a way for my brother to make money, like all antique dealers. In fact, we have been searching for a peerless guqin, and we firmly believe that with it, we can awaken our sleeping parents."

I gave a soft "oh." Her family history was surprisingly similar to the one I had used to awaken Fujika at the Fuuki Temple in Hokkaido.

Cases of vegetative state patients being awakened occur every year, but the probability is extremely small, only one in hundreds of thousands, and there are no clues available for research.

"Your brother has collected so many guqin, has he still not found the one he wants?"

Given Gu Zhijin's wealth and fame, anyone in the world who owns a rare guqin, whether they want to sell it or not, will be added to his list, and he will rush to examine and study it immediately. It is no exaggeration to say that Gu Zhijin has become the most famous living encyclopedia of guqin in the 21st century; if he can't find it, almost no one else can.

Gu Qingcheng shook her head, tightening her collar once more: "The Gu family's ancestral qin score describes that famous qin: 'When the qin's sound begins, all birds gather; when the piece is finished, its lingering melody lasts for three days.' It was made by Shi Kuang, the most famous qin player of ancient times, and is named 'The Return of the Phoenix.' After Shi Kuang created this qin, he only played it once, and it simultaneously attracted all kinds of birds, beasts, ghosts, and mountain spirits. It was regarded as an ominous object by the world and buried deep in a pit. Therefore, it has never appeared in historical records. Feng, don't be surprised. What is not recorded in history does not mean it did not exist. So many unofficial histories and anecdotes describe the true information that was not edited or deleted by emperors throughout the ages, right?"

Her eyes were extremely sharp; I only hesitated for a moment before she saw through my thoughts.

"Will this guqin be at the place we're about to reach?" I grasped the crux of her story.

Regardless of whether the above account is true or false, at least she gave another convincing reason for the trip.

“Yes, my elder brother and I have reviewed all the information related to Shi Kuang. After the fall of the Jin state, Shi Kuang’s four disciples unearthed the guqin and presented it to Qin Shi Huang, Ying Zheng. As we all know, all of Qin Shi Huang’s treasures were kept in his tomb and the Epang Palace, and there could not be a third hiding place. Now, I have obtained definite information that the guqin is not in Qin Shi Huang’s tomb, so the only remaining answer is the Epang Palace.”

At this point, Gu Qingcheng suddenly gave a bitter laugh: "Feng, my brother and I aren't in the tomb raiding world, but the person who helped us explore Qin Shi Huang's tomb was a top expert in this field, and someone you know very well—Scalpel. So, this information is absolutely reliable."

I silently took a sip of wine, and in an instant, the image of the scalpel dying tragically beneath the pyramids of Turkmenistan resurfaced in my mind, bringing with it an indescribable bitterness and an even stronger sense of self-reproach.

The scalpel died. I had promised him that I would take care of Suren for the rest of my life. A few months later, Suren mysteriously disappeared. If something had happened to her, I really don't know how I would face the regret of the rest of my life.

"I'm sorry, Feng, I shouldn't have stirred up your unhappiness..." Gu Qingcheng's words were full of apology.

I silently raised my glass. Those things are in the past now. As long as we're alive, we must strive to look forward.

It's past midnight, and the sun will rise in a few hours. We still have a lot of work to do, so I hope Gu Qingcheng can get to the point as soon as possible.

How can I get Li Kang to reveal all the secrets? That's the question I've been pondering.

Suddenly, a strange sound entered my ears—"Zheng zheng, zheng zheng zheng zheng..." rising from low to high, becoming more and more uplifting and passionate.

"Feng, what did you hear?" Gu Qingcheng turned to me suddenly, very alert.

"The sound of a zither, I heard the sound of a zither." That sound must be the sound of the zither player tuning the strings before starting to play.

Part Three: The Square-Eyed Monster, Chapter Ten: Inspiration from the Ancient Qin

In an instant, the music disappeared again.

Gu Qingcheng raised an eyebrow, staring at me with confusion: "I didn't hear the wind—"

She sprang to her feet, standing on the hood of the car. With a flick of her wrist, she pulled a dark green military-style telescope from her pocket, aiming it intently at the tunnel entrance. She was clever; she knew that almost all strange events started there.

I calmly finished my second glass of wine without making a fuss.

Whether the music was a hallucination or not, I would remain calm, because I did not sense any murderous intent, and the four patrolling sentries were patrolling nonchalantly, which was enough to prove that neither they nor I heard the music.

"Wind, could what you're hearing be the sound of the wind?" Gu Qingcheng turned due north and continued to observe the direction from which the wind was coming.

"Really? I can definitely tell the difference between the sound of the wind and the sound of the piano." I shook my head.

Gu Qingcheng found nothing, put the binoculars back in her pocket, buttoned up her trench coat, and tightened the black leather belt to accentuate her slender waist.

"There's been no movement at all, that's strange." She sat down again and sighed helplessly.

I hope the music is coming from the tunnel. If someone is playing the music, at least we can follow the sound forward and not get trapped by the strange stone formations.

“Miss Gu, please continue. However, I have a question. The rumors of the ‘second Epang Palace’ have been circulating for quite some time now. Why did you only decide to join the exploration now, instead of taking action sooner?”

I calmly raised my question: if the Gu siblings' adventure had begun earlier, Suren wouldn't have become someone else's stepping stone. Time is truly a strange thing; it can arbitrarily alter the terrible consequences of events and inflict misfortune upon anyone.

"I'm sorry, before Miss Suren began her search for the Epang Palace, my brother, all the experts in the antique world, and I all thought it was nonsense. Even now, my brother still believes that there can't be a second Epang Palace on Earth. The only one was completely burned down by Xiang Yu's great fire. So, he is prepared to give up hope of finding 'The Phoenix Returns' and serve our parents with a broken heart until he stops breathing."

Gu Qingcheng's expression turned unusually serious, and she slightly curled the corners of her mouth, continuing as if making a vow: "As long as there is a glimmer of hope, I will persevere. My parents raised me, and even if it costs me my life, I must repay them; otherwise, I will never have peace of mind in this life."

In my memory, there are no traces of my parents, only my eldest brother, Yang Tian. In this respect, my determination to never give up and to keep searching is completely aligned with Gu Qingcheng's.

"Is the second Epang Palace real? Could it be that the palace that was burned down in history was just one of them, and all the treasures were moved away beforehand?" Gu Qingcheng murmured to herself. When the wine glass was filled for the third time, the bottle was already empty.

Taking one step forward might bring you to the edge of the most mysterious Epang Palace, but this crucial step is the most difficult to overcome.

“Miss Gu, are you sure that guqin ever existed in history? Often, the line between truth and falsehood is very thin. I don’t want to discourage you, but of all expeditions, only a tiny fraction succeed. The vast majority return empty-handed, having gained nothing. Do you understand?” I swirled the ice cubes in my glass, listening to the clinking sound as they struck the rim.

When talking about her parents' family history, she was completely different from the sophisticated and intelligent Gu Qingcheng she had met in Hokkaido, probably because she had shed some kind of habitual pretense.

“I understand. Having been by my brother's side for a long time, I've met some adventurers and friends in the martial arts world. I know that this line of work is about risking your life; it's no child's play. So, I admire Miss Suren very much and hope to meet her one day and become good friends with her.”

She raised her glass to me, and the gloom on her face gradually dissipated.

With a "clink," the two glasses met again. I smiled and said, "Definitely, I promise."

I will never leave these mountains until I find Suren; I will dedicate my entire life to this place.

"There's someone eavesdropping on our conversation from the shadows four tents away, isn't there?" I whispered to Gu Qingcheng. Without turning around, I could sense the person cautiously huddled and hiding. Fortunately, our conversation hadn't revealed any major secrets, so we weren't worried about being overheard.

"Hmm." Gu Qingcheng sniffed.

"Is it Li Kang?" Of all the people in the camp, he was the most suspicious.

Gu Qingcheng sniffed again and sighed softly, "Yes, it was him. I smelled the musty smell of ancient books on his hands. Feng, before he sneaked over to eavesdrop, he must have touched some ancient book."

The north wind whipped the tent, rustling and almost completely masking any sound from the eavesdropper; otherwise, I would have noticed him much sooner. Gu Qingcheng's extraordinary sense of smell brought me another huge surprise. Sight, hearing, smell, and mobility are the four indispensable elements of exploration, especially in some pitch-black and complex environments, where the sense of smell plays an irreplaceable role.

"Ancient books?" A genuine smile slowly appeared on my lips.

My judgment was correct; the original copy of the picture book was right beside him. There were definitely crucial differences between the original and the copy, otherwise he wouldn't have deliberately concealed it. The ice that had sealed the mystery had finally been pried open, and I could finally breathe a sigh of relief.

"Feng, what are you laughing at?" She glanced at me out of the corner of her eye.

"The incomprehensible puzzles in that picture book may have been noted in the original. I now suspect that the original is with Li Kang. Since the Li family has treasured and passed it down through generations, there must have been many wise people among them who, like us, pondered what those images represented and even devoted their lives to finding the answers. Therefore, obtaining the original will be of vital importance to our next exploration."

We spoke in hushed tones, and given the headwind, I'm sure Li Kang couldn't hear us.

Gu Qingcheng sighed again: "The world of martial arts is treacherous, and people who speak the truth are becoming increasingly rare."

"It's not just rare. I know that in the martial arts world of the 21st century, telling the truth is tantamount to cutting off one's own path to survival, even when facing brothers who have shared life and death with you—" For some reason, at that moment, the tiger's face flashed through my memory, and I sighed along with Gu Qingcheng.

After things settled down in the desert, I discussed with Suren the gains and losses of the Turkhan Pyramid operation.

She pointed out tactfully: "Letting Tiger steal the 'Azure Heaven and Yellow Springs Scripture' was a huge mistake—regardless of the value of that peerless scripture, the earth's secrets it contains would be crucial for finding the great hero Yang Tian. Tiger's motives for stealing the scripture are unknown, but most importantly, losing the scripture means losing all clues and falling into an extremely passive situation. True friends are those who encourage and help each other; those who exploit and deceive each other are not even as good as casual acquaintances who drift apart like duckweed."

This was the harshest reprimand I ever received from Suren in my memory. I wanted to defend Tiger, but I held back.

"If Tiger knew how important that scripture was to me, would he have parted with it?" I refused to admit that he was using me; in the world of martial arts, one is often not in control of one's own destiny. He must have had his own compelling reasons for doing so.

After stealing the scriptures, where will he go? Will he simply disappear from the martial world and never return?

“Wind—” Gu Qingcheng frowned.

I realized I was overthinking things. Of course, being on the border of Sichuan and Tibet, I couldn't help but think of people related to the Tang Clan of Sichuan. Tang Xin, Tiger, and Song Jiu would all appear in my mind one after another.

“I’m thinking that, given the size of that book, it would be quite difficult for him to carry it around, and it’s such an ancient book from such a long time ago, it could be damaged or soiled at any time. At least I can’t figure out where he would hide it on his body, what do you think?” Once she found a clue, Gu Qingcheng seemed more eager than I was to uncover the mystery.

I nodded, carefully reviewing every scene since meeting Li Kang in my mind, finding nothing suspicious. Suddenly, a thought struck me: "Miss Gu, since you can smell the musty scent of ancient books emanating from his fingertips, wouldn't you discover something once you enter his tent? Now, I'll keep him occupied, and you act accordingly—"

"Doing this? Wouldn't that seem a bit like robbery?" Gu Qingcheng chuckled softly, casually twirling the ring on her right hand, glancing at me sideways with a hint of mischief in her eyes that was incredibly endearing.

My goal is simply to use all available resources to find Suren, not the giant golden egg that Li Kang covets. Therefore, I will never feel guilty about taking such action.

"I'll go first. You just need to hold him off for ten minutes, and everything will be taken care of." Gu Qingcheng jumped out of the car, tossing her long hair, and flashed another bright smile. In front of me, she seemed very comfortable being herself, always showing her most natural side, whether she was sad or happy.

Li Kang was very alert, and as soon as he saw Gu Qingcheng make a move, he quickly turned his head away.

When I arrived at the door of his tent, it was pitch black inside, and I could hear his soft snoring.

I tapped the tent twice and whispered his name: "Li Kang, Li Kang, I want to talk to you, wake up..."

In the darkness, the sleeping bag rustled for a while, and then came his deliberately sleepy voice: "Mr. Feng... I'm going to sleep. Can we talk about it tomorrow?"

I took a deep breath; the air was filled only with the pungent, dry, cold north wind and the dust and sand carried by the wind, with no particular smell.

"Li Kang, I've made a new discovery about your ancestral picture album. I don't want to attract attention during the day, so get up and come to my tent to talk."

In the dim light, I seemed to hear the sound of a zither again, but this time it was no longer just the "clanging" sound of tuning the strings, but a piece of elegant ancient music.

I was stunned for a moment, because this piece of music seemed to be somewhat similar to the piano music I heard in my dream.

The tent flap was suddenly lifted, and Li Kang poked his head out, letting out a loud yawn: "Mr. Feng, what did you find?"

He rubbed his eyes vigorously with both hands, was covered with a gray military blanket, and was barefoot, looking exactly like he had just woken up.

Without hesitation, I answered, “I found a golden egg in the place where that strange Qin general has sealed himself up, and I know his name.”

Given Li Kang's dull demeanor, he must either be naturally like that or a master actor deliberately putting on an act. I hope it's the latter, and that everyone on the expedition is exceptionally intelligent, pooling their collective wisdom to quickly unravel the secrets hidden in the tunnel.

"A golden egg?" He yawned again, but his Adam's apple bobbed rapidly a few times, and he swallowed hard, showing the shock that my words had brought him.

“A huge golden egg is at the end of the tunnel—” I noticed every change in his eyes. Suddenly, his expression relaxed, and he asked with a sneer, “Really? That’s great, congratulations Mr. Feng. If you dig up the golden egg, you’ll be richer than a country and famous overnight. Congratulations.”

I was just testing him on purpose, like brute force in the field of cryptography, trying to find a master key that could open this lock. But obviously, when I mentioned that the golden egg was at the end of the tunnel, he looked disdainful. Could it be that the golden egg wasn't in the tunnel?

"Li Kang, please come to my tent. Perhaps I can offer a higher price for your secret, as long as you're willing to name your price." Since both sides are prepared, further beating around the bush would be a pointless waste of time.

He wrapped the blanket tightly around himself, put on his boots, and followed me back to the tent.