King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 239

"Maybe so. Actually, many people are hoping that 'King of Tomb Raiders' Yang Tian will make a comeback." I said, using a double entendre.

“Your profile looks so much like his. I even have a strange feeling that you are him. I remember once, he was standing in front of the window in the same way…” He Jishang’s voice became ethereal and confused.

I'm really looking forward to her mentioning the Crimson Toad again. If she can really find out about her brother from the other side of the tunnel, I believe she won't be stingy with a treasure.

Outside the village gate, a small group of enemies suddenly appeared, each carrying a short-handled machete, stealthily and rapidly approaching.

"The enemy is coming," I reminded her. Two glistening teardrops hung on her long eyelashes, yet remained unshed. With a formidable enemy at hand, it was best to postpone matters of the heart.

“I saw it. The guardian deity will wipe everything out; there’s no need for manpower at all.” She was very confident.

There were seven enemies who entered the village gate. Like a suicide squad, they charged straight towards He Jishang's small building.

He Jishang stared at the group of people with a melancholy expression, his face gradually filled with disdain. We could all see that these seven men were mediocre in martial arts, just some third-rate characters. The only result of their charge would be to die in vain. So, what exactly was the intention of the caravan's leader?

When faced with a life-or-death situation, I am calmer than anyone else, and I don't think about problems in the same conventional way as Ji Chang. In this era, even useless subordinates cannot be wasted, and more and more people are learning to leave the gangster world and live normal lives.

If I were the commander stationed in the mountains, I would never have sent these seven people out without a reason.

The village guardian deity's attack took only three seconds: biting, strangling, and tailing. The seven people didn't even have time to make a defensive move before they were lying dead on the main road in the middle of the village, becoming sacrificial victims under the moonlight.

Mentioning her past with her elder brother Yang Tian, He Jishang's mind was already in turmoil, so she did not realize that those people were a pawn used by the other party to test the waters. The method was exactly the same as that of the twelve people who died first, but the hidden intentions were quite different.

"Miss He, have you ever met the puppeteer, the second-in-command of the caravan?" My mood was sinking. The enemy was in the shadows, while we were in the open. The difference in our offensive and defensive tactics was self-evident.

He Jishang shook her head, tears falling and landing on the railing.

"I heard that the puppeteer is a middle-aged man around forty years old, dressed neatly, with a stuffy hairstyle, and looks like a middle school teacher from the countryside." When he was talking with Zhang Baisen at Fengge Temple, he mentioned the puppeteer's name casually, but only briefly.

“Oh, just like that person?” He Jishang pointed forward, her wet eyelashes drooping limply.

Twenty paces outside the village gate, a middle-aged man emerged from the woods, stamping his feet and looking down at his brand-new old-fashioned leather shoes, shaking his head and sighing with heartache. He sported the short, parted hairstyle that was all the rage ten years ago, and wore a pair of wide-rimmed glasses on his nose, looking exactly like a middle school teacher who had just stepped down from the podium, except he was carrying a stack of student workbooks in his arms.

I didn't say anything, put my hands in my pockets, and gripped the grip of my Desert Eagle. The distance from the small building to the man opposite was about 250 paces. As soon as he entered the village gate, he would be within my firing range.

“Miss He, Mr. Feng, I have only two requests. If we can reach an agreement, the caravan will withdraw immediately. Otherwise, with a single gesture, this tiny village will be reduced to ruins in a second.”

Every word he spoke carried a sharp and domineering edge, completely disproportionate to his taciturn and honest appearance. The mountain wind was especially fierce at night, but his words carried clearly to the small building, demonstrating an astonishing level of inner strength that he kept hidden.

"He's just bluffing, we don't need to pay him any mind." He Jishang turned her back, wiped her face with her clothes, and said, "I was also moved by my brother's momentary display of genuine emotion."

In this world, perhaps only Su Lun would shed tears for me. But fate seems to enjoy playing tricks on the world, leaving her mysteriously trapped in the mountains. For a wandering soul adrift in the world, to have someone to care for and cherish throughout one's life is an absolute blessing. I wonder what you think, brother.

“Miss He, I’ll give you three minutes to consider—first, hand over the Jade Blood Night-Shining Toad; second, hand over the Overreaching Blade of ‘King of Tomb Raiders’ Yang Tian. After three minutes, you will regret your miscalculation, but where in the world can you buy a pill for regret? Life is the most precious thing. Do you really not care about those women and children?”

The puppeteer strode forward, approaching the gate. His glasses reflected the moonlight, flickering strangely. His hands were empty, and his old-fashioned Zhongshan suit was rather small, probably unable to conceal heavy weapons, which at least gave me some reassurance.

"The Blade of Transcendence? What kind of weapon is that?" I was eager to know everything about my elder brother.

"Extra-distance" is the highest realm in martial arts. If one possesses this incredible ability to move, coupled with a treasured sword, one will surely be invincible.

"Do you want the magic toad and the divine sword? Why don't you come inside the village gate and we can have a proper talk?"

He Jishang sneered and straightened her back, holding her head high. Once the topic of her elder brother was out of the picture, her fierce and cold side immediately emerged, and she regained the majesty of the Holy Maiden of the Five Poisons Sect.

The puppeteer carefully avoided the blood-red character, cautiously stepping sideways into the village gate, seemingly extremely fond of his old-fashioned clothes, as if afraid of getting them dirty.

His face was pale with a waxy yellow tinge, like that of a patient who had suffered from long-term malnutrition and little exposure to sunlight.

"At this distance, I can blow his head off with one shot," I muttered to myself, the heavy gun already in my hand, the safety snapped open, waiting for the right moment to draw and fire.

So far, it is the caravan that has suffered losses, not He Jishang's ancient village, so there is no need to fire first.

"I'm in. Can you all come down immediately so we can talk calmly?" The puppeteer tilted his head back, his prominent Adam's apple bobbing laboriously. Behind him, only the silent forest and the moonlight bathed the ground; there was no one to help him.

“I only have six words to say—” He Jishang sneered, spitting out the six words through gritted teeth, “Nothing to talk about!” Then she pursed her lips and let out a sharp whistle.

A sudden gust of wind rose from the rooftop of the small building. Upon hearing He Jishang's command, the village guardian deity rushed out with lightning speed.

This time, I had a very strong sense of foreboding, because something strange appeared in my field of vision that I shouldn't have seen at all. Beside the seven corpses, several glittering silver objects lay scattered on the ground, about the size of a plump field mouse in autumn. Since they could reflect the moonlight, they must have been some kind of metal artifact.

"Puppet Rat—" I cried out urgently.

No one in the world is born a "puppet master," and this person in front of me isn't one either. But after he appeared in the martial arts world, his favorite pastime was using various lifelike animals to kill people—poisoning, throwing weapons, or infiltrating and exploding. He remotely controlled everything from behind the scenes, and all the killing weapons were puppets he manipulated. That's why he got his name.

Even if a giant python were domesticated tenfold, it would still be just an animal, incapable of possessing human thought. Animals all have weaknesses; when faced with a renowned puppeteer, its life or death would immediately be in the other's hands.

Under the moonlight, the formidable python's body turned silver as it leaped down from the eaves of the small building, carrying a chilling and eerie power. As its tail nimbly swayed across the main road in the middle of the village, He Jishang smiled easily and calmly: "Anyone facing the attack of the village guardian deity—"

These words came out at the same time as my shout, merging with the deafening roar of the giant python.

I've said it before: the strength of the Southwest caravans is like the roots of an ancient banyan tree hidden deep underwater, winding and countless. This group seems to be a unique product of the mountains and forests, making the mountains their home and the forests their companions, drawing strength for survival from rocks, shrubs, and streams. Looking back hundreds of years, they were the masters of the mountains and forests, and this will certainly not change for hundreds of years to come.

Therefore, He Jishang clearly underestimated his enemy, entrusting the safety of the village to a giant python. Looking back, how laughable! Everyone is prone to underestimating their opponent, like Feiyue a few minutes ago, whose underestimation resulted in her unknowingly being drugged and collapsing to the ground.

This time, He Jishang's underestimation of his enemy cost the lives of the entire village.

The puppeteer did not dodge or retreat. He raised his right hand and pointed sharply in the direction the giant python was charging. The air filled with the sharp, clanging sounds of complex metal mechanisms being activated, piercing the python's roar. The python, which had been charging straight ahead, suddenly flipped over, its tail sweeping across the two nearest houses, which then collapsed with a crash, like toys crushed by a giant.

He Jishang reacted quickly, his face darkened, and he put his left little finger to his lips, letting out a whistle that drowned out all other noise.

Two groups of people suddenly emerged from the house, which had been as silent as a graveyard: one group of women in black and the other of children in white. They silently surrounded the lone puppeteer.

The giant python lay motionless, lying crookedly across the road, like a straw dragon abandoned after the Lantern Festival.

“You don’t need to lift a finger; my men can protect themselves.” He Jishang said with a grim face, his lips trembling slightly, his gaze fixed on the giant python that had just died.

My gun was already in my hand. I hesitated for only a few seconds before the two teams, one in black and one in white, engaged the puppeteer in battle.

It was a brutal massacre, but it began and ended so quickly it was almost unbearable. In less than a second, eleven women and eleven children had fallen simultaneously. Now, the ancient village was truly beginning to become a graveyard, the air thick with the pungent stench of blood, but it was the blood of their own people.

The Sixth Part: The Mystery of the Heavenly Ladder

— Chapter 1 - The Death of Fei Yue —

He Jishang silently darted away, the fragrant breeze from her sleeves invigorating me. I quickly raised my gun, aimed, and pulled the trigger. The first bullet pierced the puppeteer's forehead precisely, sending him sprawling backward, becoming a puppet out of control himself.

There was still a glint of silver in his hand. I had no choice but to strike first and annihilate the enemy in one blow. I didn't want to give anyone the chance to harm He Jishang.

If I had realized sooner that "a man should do everything in his power to protect the woman he loves," perhaps Su Lun wouldn't have disappeared, and her journey to find the Epang Palace would have been safe and sound. Suddenly, the haggard image of Su Lun with her long hair cut off expanded immensely in my mind, almost suffocating me.

"Suren, you must wait for me to come and save you—"

My eyes welled up with tears again. I unconsciously lowered my head, sighed sadly, and raised my left hand to rub my eyes.

Feiyue lay there silently. Fortunately, He Jishang had shown mercy and only used anesthesia; otherwise, the consequences would have been unimaginable. Perhaps being confined in the ancient village for so long, far from the martial world, had gradually dulled her murderous aura.

I crouched down and checked Feiyue's breathing; it was relatively steady, so He Jishang probably wouldn't lie to me on purpose. Right at my feet, a bluish-gray pattern suddenly flashed, about the size of a coin. If it weren't for the exceptionally bright moonlight tonight, it would have been completely unnoticed. Moreover, it was pressed against the wall where the windowsill used to be; without moving the wall, no one could see it.

He Jishang's singing drifted in from outside the window, followed by the voices of more women and children joining in, eventually forming a large chorus of dozens of people, their voices mournful and desolate, more heartbreaking than weeping.

I temporarily abandoned my plan to examine the pattern and straightened up. More women and children were carrying their companion's body toward the left side of the ancient village, each person looking up at the bright moon, their cries of grief and indignation more like singing than singing. This was the naked truth of the martial world; killing and being killed happened in an instant, life as fragile as withered grass that could be snapped at any moment.

He Jishang knelt beside the giant python, no longer singing, and held a gleaming short knife in his raised right hand.

I jumped down from the small building, walked to her side, and silently watched her back. A beautiful woman with a sorrowful expression is the most touching. At this moment, I wished that it was my elder brother Yang Tian standing behind her, not me, who could do nothing and give nothing.

“This time, the feud between the Five Poisons Sect and the caravan is truly sealed. The puppeteer’s life is not enough to repay the life of the village guardian deity. It is the hope of the entire clan, a descendant born from the guardian deity of the Five Poisons Sect. Killing it is tantamount to challenging the entire Five Poisons Sect.” She murmured to herself, the tip of her knife lowered, pressed against the giant python’s belly.

Right at the python's seventh inch mark, five three-inch-long needles, gleaming with cold light, were clearly visible, piercing straight out from inside its body.

A barefoot child picked up the silver objects that had fallen beside the corpse, ran over, and placed them at He Jishang's feet. There were four of them, all steel rats that reflected a faint silver light.

The puppeteer had concealed all his deadly tricks inside the rat's belly, and coated its surface with bait that would make the python drool. Once the python swallowed the rat, it would fall into the puppeteer's trap. At the opportune moment, he would press a remote control in his hand, activating the mechanism inside the python's belly, instantly disemboweling it.

"A brilliant design. The caravan is truly full of talented people," He Jishang said with a sneer.

The puppeteer lay there in a sorry state, a shallow pool of blood flowing from the back of his head. I was forced to kill, and my heart was filled with an ever-growing melancholy. After this night, not only would the caravan be enemies with the ancient village and the Five Poisons Sect, but our expedition team would also become the caravan's enemy.

Heaven loves to play tricks on mortals; the more you don't want to see a result, the more inevitably it will appear.

“Feng, I have a gift for you—” He Jishang’s short knife fell, and with a “swoosh” it sliced open the giant python’s belly. A dark green snake gall the size of an egg landed in her palm, along with the hot blood that had spurted from the python’s body.

Snake gallbladders can improve eyesight, and the medicinal effects of gallbladders extracted from such enormous and spiritual pythons are even more astonishing.

"The puppeteer's rats weren't poisoned. I've tried them. Would you like to try some snake gall?" Her gaze held a deep intensity, but her expression remained calm and indifferent.

I stepped over, stretched out my palms, and waited for her to turn her hand over and put the snake gall into my palm.

"Thank you." Without the slightest hesitation, I tilted my head back and swallowed the snake gall, letting the bitter, fishy smell instantly fill my mouth and throat, sliding down into my internal organs.

"You trust me that much? The world is a dangerous place. If you eat something someone gives you without thinking, wouldn't you easily be deceived?" She suppressed her sadness. As a renegade of the Five Poisons Sect, when she introduced herself to anyone in the martial world, she would be looked down upon and treated with extreme suspicion, kept at a distance. No matter how kind-hearted a person was, once labeled as a member of the "Five Poisons Sect," they would become someone the world feared and dreaded.

"Of course I believe you, I've believed you from the very beginning." I couldn't tell the truth, but that didn't matter anymore; He Jishang was already moved by my sincerity.

The chaotic scene was quickly cleaned up, and the women and children went back to hiding, leaving only the puppeteer and the giant python lying across the road.

I approached the middle-aged man who looked old-fashioned and unsophisticated. Shooting him within effective range was not something to boast about. The bullet entered between his eyebrows and exited half an inch above the back of his neck. It was a one-shot kill.

The only thing I don't understand is that, in my memory, a renowned puppeteer wouldn't be eliminated so easily. He should know that he's not an invincible bulletproof warrior, so how could he dare to expose himself so openly in the most conspicuous place in the village, willingly becoming a target for the Five Poisons Sect?

In modern martial arts worlds, the concept of "leading from the front" has long been obsolete during large-scale armed battles and feuds. Commanders often stand at the very back of the battlefield, calm and collected, waiting for their subordinates to report on the battle situation.

"What are you looking at? What's so interesting about studying a dead enemy? It's a pity the village guardian is dead. This corpse can only be left on the cliff edge, to be taken advantage of by those blue wolves that come out to hunt at night." He Jishang straightened up and was about to retreat back to the small building.

I suspect that the person at my feet is not a real puppeteer, but a worthless charlatan.

The battle under the bright moon, a brutal bloodbath tinged with a poignant poetry.

The ancient village side won, but the price they paid for it was incredibly heavy. Feiyue and I arrived just in time, at least enough to witness this intense battle. Without any evidence, I could only temporarily abandon my own thoughts and follow He Jishang back to the small building.

Gu Qingcheng and the others stationed at the camp must be resting by now, right? I reached for the satellite phone in my pocket, but I wasn't in the mood to call her. In this extremely harsh environment, I hoped that every call I made with her would be about good news and not bad, to encourage the team members.

The wooden stairs leading to the second floor creaked monotonously. He Jishang's back was slightly hunched. As she lifted her skirt to go upstairs, I once again felt a faint murderous aura, and the hairs on my arms stood on end. There was an extremely powerful enemy within about twenty paces to my left, full of energy, and his surging killing intent silently permeated his entire body.

I couldn't find where he was hiding, but my sixth sense clearly detected his presence.

"Feng, please come up, I'll get something for you." He Jishang called to me from the top of the stairs. When she turned around, the door was wide open, with at least a dozen openings that could be severely damaged by the enemy.

I hurried upstairs, answering while subtly scanning every corner of the first floor: "What is it?"

There was no one on the first floor; all the furniture had been wiped clean and was arranged neatly.

"If the enemy isn't here, then they must be upstairs?" I suddenly started to worry about Feiyue.

In the complex and treacherous mountain forest environment, even a tiny poisonous insect could easily kill a person. I was so careless; I shouldn't have left her alone upstairs. Thankfully, as I turned the corner of the stairs, Feiyue was struggling to get up and laboriously massaging her legs. It seemed the anesthetic had worn off.

I rushed over and took her arm: "How are you? Is anything bothering you?"

She was the last member of the Flying Eagles team to be unharmed, and for whatever reason, I had a responsibility to do everything in my power to protect her.

"I'm alright... Where's my gun?" Fei Yue smiled bitterly, gritted her teeth, rolled over, and touched the pistol that He Jishang had discarded on the ground. Firearms were irreplaceable guardians for a江湖人 (jianghu person) like her; having a gun in hand immediately boosted her spirits.

"How could she be in trouble? I only applied a little anesthetic to her wrist. Why are you so nervous?" He Jishang walked towards the back wall, her voice carrying a hint of sour anger.

I suspect she's about to open the secret room, but if the lurking enemies nearby aren't eliminated, it could cause a major problem.

“Miss He, please listen to me—” I raised my hand to stop her next move. Out of the corner of my eye, I noticed that the dark blue pattern I had seen earlier was gone, leaving only a black hole about the thickness of a pen on the ground. Fei Yue had just woken up, so of course she wouldn't touch anything around her. The only possibility was that the enemy had entered the second floor and pried something off the ground.