King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 243

"The Longewitch is an alien too?" Without thinking, I spun around and pounced into the jungle, not even having time to put the phone back in my pocket.

A rustling of leaves swept through the jungle, and a black shadow was rapidly retreating. My toes barely touched the treetop, and I used the momentum to leap into the air again, finally managing to stop her before I could, my back against the trunk of a bitter oak tree.

It was still that eerie golden mask, but now it somehow gave me a strange sense of familiarity. After all, she was the only one who had seen Suren after her disappearance, and all news depended on her. All my thoughts converged on one sentence: "Witch Longge, please, you must save her!"

In an instant, a wisp of white cloud drifted across the sky, obscuring half of the bright moon, and the light in the woods dimmed instantly.

“Once you go in there, you will all die, with no chance of survival. So, if you’re wise, take them away now.” She deliberately hid in the shadows, refusing to be exposed to the light.

"Find Suren, and I'll leave immediately, if you're willing to help me." I insisted on my reasoning, while gripping the hilt of my knife. Her appearance brought a glimmer of hope, and I had to seize this opportunity.

"She's not coming back. Give up."

The wind tousled her long hair, and with her graceful figure, I believed she had once been an extremely beautiful and alluring woman. I can say with absolute certainty that she is not Tang Xin; her figure, tone of voice, and movements are vastly different. Even if she could launch Tang Clan hidden weapons engraved with the character "heart," it would only be a coincidence.

According to Tiger, Tang Xin is imprisoned in a mysterious space inside the mountain, and her hidden weapons will naturally fall into the hands of others.

The Sixth Part: The Mystery of the Heavenly Ladder

— Chapter 5 — The Puppet Master Is Never Dead —

I took a deep breath, trying to keep my mind clear. If I could keep her here, I would find Suren by any means necessary, including force. Without any help, I had only this short knife to rely on.

"Then take me in. Even if it means death, I'm willing to be with Su Lun." This is my true feeling. I was once trapped in a glass box with Guan Baoling, and we escaped by the skin of our teeth. I believe I have the ability to change any outcome.

"Go in? If Earthlings could enter at will, wouldn't the place have been overflowing with people and piled high with corpses over the past few thousand years? Give up. Although your body contains certain qualities, you are not the 'King of Tomb Raiders' Yang Tian, so I can't help you. This is my last appearance. If you don't leave, all that will follow is a frenzied slaughter."

Her body suddenly turned to the left and quickly disappeared from my sight.

The dagger was already drawn. Using the momentum of the swing, I pushed my lightness skill to its limit, leaping to the treetop and continuously leaping forward, closing the distance between us to within fifty paces. I could see her black-clad back and the golden ribbon tied around the back of her head. It felt like being in a dream, floating on clouds, where everything seemed unreal.

This knife did indeed grant me mysterious power, but it's still far from enough to catch up with the Witch Longge. I bit my tongue hard, and a strong, bloody smell gushed out. The power of the "Disintegration Technique" was unleashed, instantly boosting my physical strength more than tenfold, and the distance of fifty steps was immediately reduced to within fifteen steps.

The witch Longge suddenly stopped, waved her hands, and a strange fragrance wafted on the wind.

In the midst of my all-out pursuit, I didn't even have time to hold my breath. After inhaling the fragrance, my body went limp, and I stumbled and collapsed at the other person's feet.

"Who exactly are you?" She crouched down, her golden mask gleaming coldly.

I bit my tongue again. Using the "Disintegration Technique" twice in such a short time would cause unpredictable damage to my body, but I didn't care about anything else; I just wanted to keep her. The smell of blood permeated my mouth, throat, and even the veins throughout my body. I struggled to my feet and reached out to hold onto the withered tree beside me.

She took a step back in surprise: "You can still stand up in this situation? Are you really the same kind of person as Yang Tian?"

The knife was still in my hand, but my hand, which was holding the knife, was weak and powerless, and I couldn't lift it.

"What kind of person? For the sake of Hero Yang Tian, could you help me this once?" I hoped to buy some time and wait for the power of the "Disintegration Technique" to completely dispel the effects of the drug.

"The 'Outcasts' on Earth exist in a ratio of one in 400,000. Once they are born, they will inevitably influence the development of human society. In some ways, you are very similar to him, but you haven't reached his level yet." The Witch Longge seemed to be lost in a touching memory, a hint of tenderness appearing in her dark eyes.

I considered taking the risk of using the "Disintegration Technique" for the third time—a last resort in this predicament. But just as my teeth touched the tip of my tongue, the witch Longge suddenly waved her hand, brushing it across my cheek. The scent of the incense intensified several times over, and I felt all the power in my body vanish in an instant. I could only "see" and "hear," and nothing else.

"When you're at your limit, you shouldn't act recklessly. You share Yang Tian's arrogance and bloodlust, and you'll both go against the tide of fate. But unfortunately, such crazy actions will only harm yourself and won't help anything. Earthlings call this kind of 'fearless' behavior 'heroic deeds,' but in my opinion, it's utterly ridiculous—"

I opened my mouth, struggling to interrupt her: "You...are also an...Earthling, no...different...from us..."

Her appearance and thoughts are exactly the same as those of Earthlings, except that her martial arts and agility are stronger.

"I'm an Earthling too? Haha, if only that were true. Everyone fears death, but compared to some things, death isn't scary. What's scary is living a life worse than death, living without knowing who you are, without knowing why you're alive—"

A silver blade suddenly flashed behind her, like a thunderbolt in a stormy night. First the light was seen, then a woman's roar could be heard: "Slash!"

The Longewitch vanished suddenly, and a phantom moving rapidly to the left flashed with multicolored light.

"Insects—" That was He Jishang's voice, the first high-pitched and angry, the second sinister and deep. The Burmese knife in her hand exploded with a "crack," transforming into thousands of tiny, fluttering silver insects that chased after the phantom of the Longge witch. The air was instantly filled with a strong stench of blood and a persistent buzzing sound.

I struggled to move my lips: "Keep...her..." In truth, I knew that the Dragon Witch couldn't be kept. Her martial arts had reached a level of godlike skill, while we were still mortals, the gap between us an endless chasm.

"The Five Poisons Sect's 'blood-sucking worms' are very powerful. It's truly admirable that you've been living in seclusion in this ancient village for over a decade, diligently caring for them. Do you remember? Back then, the great hero Yang Tian once taught you that since you were expelled from the sect, you should never touch those poisonous insects again. Have you forgotten those words?"

The Longewitch stood ten steps away, silver insects circling around her, forming a huge sphere, but she dared not attack rashly.

He Jishang held only the hilt of the knife, then suddenly reversed it and struck himself in the chest with thunderous force, letting out a heart-wrenching scream: "Kill—" A mouthful of blood gushed out, forming a blood mist against the wind, enveloping the Dragon Witch.

The "blood-sucking worm" was once listed as the first of the "Twelve Great Poisons" of the Five Poisons Sect. It was raised on human blood and driven by its master's will. The worm, which was slightly larger than a fly, carried nearly a hundred kinds of poisons that could kill a person instantly when it bit them. When He Jishang mutilated his body to incite the poisonous worm to attack, it was already the limit of his own martial arts skills.

The Longewitch floated up again, but the swarm of silver insects continued to chase her until she and the insects disappeared into the depths of the jungle.

The numbness lasted for another ten minutes before I slumped to my feet. He Jishang was even weaker than me, her face as pale as paper, her hair disheveled.

We looked at each other and suddenly gave each other a bitter smile, perhaps both feeling ashamed that we had tried our best but still couldn't keep the witch Longge.

“I’ve done my best, and Brother Tian really did say I wasn’t allowed to use poisonous insects anymore. It turns out that even the most powerful poison techniques become outdated. This time, I finally realized that the people in the ancient village have become out of touch with reality.” She wiped the blood from the corner of her lips, stood up unsteadily, and gazed in the direction where the Longge witch had retreated.

I put the dagger back into my sleeve, speechless with frustration.

"Go back, things will be better tomorrow—" He Jishang forced a smile.

The eastern sky was already turning white as we helped each other into the ancient village. The small buildings were all shrouded in the dawn mist of the mountains and forests, now a winding, deathly silence, with only a faint smell of blood in the air.

“I’m going to change my clothes. Next, we should talk about Baochan. Everyone in the ancient village is dead. It’s probably a sign from heaven that it’s time for me to leave.” He Jishang stepped into the small building. Every time she mentioned “death,” it intensified my ominous premonition.

A few hours ago, I stood here and finally got through to Suren on the phone, my hopes and despair rapidly shifting. Could things really turn around next? Could I take the Azure Blood Toad back to camp and successfully traverse the crevices? After so many setbacks, I no longer dare to imagine the future as a bright and easy path.

After thinking it over carefully, I dialed Gu Qingcheng's number.

She answered the phone after only one ring: "Mr. Feng, how is it going?"

I composed myself and replied with a faint smile, "It's alright, I'm talking to Miss He right now, and we'll be able to return to camp today, don't worry."

We've been apart for less than 24 hours, and the tragedies, strange events, and bizarre changes that have occurred during that time are too numerous to recount in half an hour, so I'll simply keep it all to myself and tell you all about it when we meet again.

"Thank goodness, thank goodness." Gu Qingcheng breathed a sigh of relief, her tone immediately relaxing. Luckily, this wasn't a video call, otherwise the deep wry smile on my face would have gone unnoticed by her discerning eyes.

“Miss Gu, I accidentally got through to Su Lun on the phone last night—”

"What? How is that possible?" Gu Qingcheng exclaimed, which was probably the inevitable reaction of everyone who heard my words. "Mr. Feng, I arranged for someone to dial that number every half hour, 24 hours a day, without interruption, but of course, they never got through. How did you manage to get through? What did she say?"

I believe her, but the facts are also there: I did speak with Suren on the phone in the early hours of the morning.

"She's trapped inside the mountain and can't find a way in or out. We can only get through the crevice first. You and Uncle Wei should keep a close watch on your men; we can't afford to lose any more men unnecessarily." The road ahead is long, and we don't know what difficulties we'll encounter after we get through the crevice. I hope we can save as many reinforcements as possible.

Gu Qingcheng hesitated for a moment: "Mr. Feng, Uncle Wei and I have already reached a consensus on this point, so please rest assured."

We both wanted to reassure each other, but neither of us truly felt at ease. We each had our own worries, and in the end, we could only silently hang up the phone.

The fog grew thicker and thicker until seven o'clock, when the rising sun in the east finally broke free from the obscuring clouds and mist, casting its light upon the ancient village.

I had taken a very short nap with my head on my knees, definitely no more than fifteen minutes, when I was suddenly awakened by the strong smell of blood in my nose. I looked up abruptly and down the stone steps.

A man lay prone on the ground, a sniper rifle and a rapid-fire machine gun crossed beside him. Those were Kaku's weapons, and the man lying there was naturally him, except that he was already dead, a dead man dismembered and neatly arranged.

Five steps away from the corpse, a man who looked like a middle school teacher was bending over and writing large characters. He used the road as paper, blood as ink, and a large piece of his clothes that he had torn off as a pen. As he wrote, all the characters were bright red and flamboyant.

As the dwarf lay dying, he uttered a curse to Kaku: "Cut him into eight pieces!" And now it has come true.

The small building was quiet; He Jishang must still be asleep. I gently stepped down the stone steps and walked towards the line of blood-red characters.

“Heaven and earth are ruthless, treating all things as puppets. Young brother, how do you think I wrote these ten characters?” He raised his head, pushed up his old-fashioned glasses, and casually tossed away the blood-stained cloth.

The ten blood-red characters were arranged in a staggered and elegant manner, truly beautiful, but they were made with Kaku's blood, clearly a challenge to me.

"The handwriting is good. You came here so early in the morning, you didn't just come here to write a few words to stretch your muscles, did you?" I suppressed my rage and anger. The dead cannot be brought back to life, avenging him is what I should really do.

"Killing people makes one write good poems, and writing beautiful calligraphy in the wind. Mr. Feng, offending the caravan never ends well. I hope we can be friends, not enemies, from now on. No matter what kind of heroes you are, when you come to these mountains, we should show you some hospitality. So, Mr. Feng, if you need anything, just say the word."

He became polite, gently pushed up his glasses, and a cunning glint gleamed behind the thick lenses.

The caravan members weren't so kind; their offer of reconciliation was merely a temporary delaying tactic.

“Kaku was my friend. He’s dead. At least one person from your gang should apologize to him. Do you understand what I mean?” He killed Kaku. The only way I can truly comfort Kaku is to take his life with my own hands.

Whether or not to kill someone is no longer a decision I can make myself; others are forcing me to take action, leaving me with no other choice.

"He offended the caravan first, and you know very well what he did, don't you?" The puppeteer smiled contemptuously, straightened his clothes, and coughed authoritatively. "Rouge informed you long ago that whatever treasure is found, everyone should just divide the spoils fairly, without making things tense. In the caravan's mountains, there are naturally their rules, and whoever breaks the rules will pay with their life. Look, there are so many dead trees and grass in the mountains, which must need a lot of fertilizer. The dead are exactly the most suitable nutrients for the plants. The saying 'Fallen petals are not heartless things, they turn into spring mud to protect the flowers' is exactly the point."

He loved to quote classical texts, speaking in the same way as the legendary puppeteers.

"You're mistaken. This is an ancient village, one of the strongholds of the Five Poisons Sect. You must, and should, abide by the rules of the Miao region—"

He Jishang walked out of the small building and, right at the top of the stone steps, coldly refuted the puppeteer's words.

The sunlight dispelled the fog and brought a warm feeling, but I knew that what followed was a life-or-death duel.

The puppeteer looked up, took off his glasses, and gently wiped them on his clothes. "What rules are there in Miao territory? It's nothing more than 'killer dies, blood for blood.' In your eyes, the martial world is just a gladiatorial arena of swords and spears. That's why Confucius and Mencius taught their descendants to study hard, repeatedly admonishing them, 'Of all professions, only studying is noble.' You Miao people are simply ignorant and uneducated, rejecting even the excellent culture of the Han people, clinging to the remnants of the past in your impoverished mountains and rivers. Alas, I've said it before: the Miao barbarians are only fit to practice slash-and-burn agriculture in the southern borderlands, forever abandoned by society. Even if a few useful individuals emerge, they are wasted by ignorant chieftains."

His tone was like that of a kind teacher meeting a child who had dropped out of school, earnestly giving them guidance, striving to make it his duty to teach without getting tired of teaching.

"It's time for you to get going," He Jishang sneered.

“Everyone has to go on their journey. Now that things here are over, it’s time for me to go too.” The puppeteer put his glasses back on.

I couldn't tell he was carrying any heavy weapons, but every time his eyes darted around, it seemed like he was hiding some kind of secret.

He Jishang suddenly pursed his lips and whistled, the whistle rising and falling three times, like the soaring song of a cuckoo in the forest. Countless long snakes, blue and red, suddenly surged out of the silent buildings, coiling and swirling around the puppeteer in an instant.

“Feng, come on up first. The snakes like to enjoy their breakfast slowly.” He Jishang waved to me, the silver bracelet on her wrist gleaming in the sunlight.

Having witnessed the sea of snakes within the five-pointed star array, the snakes of the Five Poisons Sect no longer terrified me. I slowly ascended the steps and stood beside He Jishang.

The puppeteer stood alone among the snakes, seemingly unfazed by the danger. Suddenly, he lowered his head and stared at the blood-written words he had penned, reciting each one: "Heaven and earth are ruthless, using all things as puppets." In the blink of an eye, the words and Kaku's corpse vanished into the snakes, all of them raising their flat necks, their bright red tongues throbbing and flickering.

"Puppet masters are immortal, do you know that?" The fastest snake had already coiled around his ankle, and the ground within a fifteen-step radius around him was covered with venomous snakes. It was too late to escape now.

“Go tell the Snake God that no one can live forever—” He Jishang laughed. As the master of venomous snakes, she was well-versed in their nature and could naturally imagine the puppeteer’s fate.

With a "snap," I drew my dagger. The stars on the blade shimmered and danced in the sunlight, like a dozen restless souls.

"Puppeteer, do you have any last words?" I stared at the enemy whose lower body was covered in venomous snakes. Kaku's death had fueled the anger in my chest to its peak, almost beyond my control. In this ancient southwestern border forest, the ugliness of human nature was laid bare; everyone took pleasure in killing, competing to see who could be more bizarre in their methods.

The dwarf and Kaku were both "chopped into eight pieces," but the former voluntarily chose to die under the curse, while the latter was unintentionally drawn into the battle to save me. He and I killed Rouge at the same time, and that's when the seeds of disaster were sown.

I admit that there are still many hidden talents among the team members under Wei Shu's command, but Kaku's death is a huge loss. His superb sniping skills could have cleared away obstacles in the way.

“The immortal never have a last word, nor do they need one.” The puppeteer looked very strange; his chest and below were covered with coiling venomous snakes, and in a few more seconds, he would be completely submerged in the swarm.

He Jishang sneered: "Fine, anyway, if you die here, the caravan won't be too sad. This is a world where the strong prey on the weak."

"I'm not talking about him—" I suddenly swung my knife at He Jishang's back. A figure in gray clothes flipped backward, dodging the attack with the most incredible agility, but leaving one of his arms at He Jishang's feet.

The shadow was extremely thin, hunched over, and belonged to a one-armed person born with a disability. The broken arm on the ground was merely a prosthetic arm that wouldn't bleed.

"How did you know I was there? Young man, it seems you're a bit smarter than I thought, hehehehe—" Shadow laughed. He had a sallow face, with his eyebrows and lips drooping down, making him look like he was frowning even when he was laughing.

“You can’t hide your shadow. Miss He, being alone, naturally wouldn’t have such a bulky shadow cast on the ground. Besides, you already showed up on your first night in the ancient village, trying to attract our attention by hiding in the shadows and smoking, didn’t you?” At that time, He Jishang and I both noticed the cigarette butt glowing in the shadows.

The man held a half-foot-long boxwood pipe in his only remaining left hand, the very thing I had seen in the darkness.

"Why would I need to attract anyone's attention? It's just that I'm tired of killing, and I need to smoke a cigarette to refresh myself afterward. In my eyes, how I kill is not important. When I decide to kill someone, he is already dead. If he doesn't die today or tomorrow, he's just prolonging his life. For example, you, all of you."