King of Tomb Raiders

Chapter 288

"Back then, I vowed to find the 'second Epang Palace' to prove to everyone, to prove to my brother's spirit in heaven—that even without someone truly caring for me, I could still do anything. However, the unexpected still happened. While I was in the Epang Palace, I thought of you a hundred or two hundred times a day, because Resica had described everything about Guan Baoling. She made no secret of her admiration for Guan Baoling, talking and talking, to the point that I kept examining myself to see what I had done wrong. Guan Baoling is the dream lover of men all over the world. I will never blame you for what you did. Perhaps one day I will sincerely bless you both. Brother Feng, the way you looked on the terrace, holding a wine glass and lost in thought, when I first saw you in Villa No. 13, is already etched in my heart and I can never forget it."

Her tears fell uncontrollably, landing softly on my shoulder.

This was the first time she had confided in me. I silently embraced her, my heart filled with self-reproach. On the outside, she seemed stronger, calmer, and more decisive than Guan Baoling, but deep down, they were both equally vulnerable. In fact, she was even less mature than Guan Baoling when it came to personal feelings.

We walked past the man in the white robe, arm in arm, while the entire group remained silent, as if in deep meditation. The man whose ear had been injured by the bomb seemed to have forgotten what had happened; he simply stood with his hands clasped together, his sniper rifle tucked back under his white robe. They all shared a common, ingenious tactic: wearing loose, oversized robes that could conceal any weapon. Right now, only a long gun was visible; who knew what might be hidden next?

As Suren gradually calmed down, I whispered in her ear, "I said it before, from now on, no one can separate us, whether it's a man or a woman."

We are now in an unprecedented predicament, trapped deep within the mountain, unsure how to get back to the cliff from Alpha's crystal pit. Gu Qingcheng's departure came too quickly; she didn't even tell us how she came to this world.

Suren shook her head: "Brother Feng, this time, our situation—" She looked around and pointed to the passageway leading outside, "that's the real source of danger. Big Brother has two huge underground libraries in Villas No. 7 and No. 9 in Cairo. We've been there. Did you notice that he has collected thousands of close combat game videos there?"

I didn't immediately grasp what she meant, and simply nodded: "Yes, I've seen it."

The documentaries showcased fighting techniques used in confined spaces. Roughly speaking, there were over a hundred different techniques, including fighting in wells, attics, elevators, enclosed boxes, and bathrooms. These techniques came from special police training materials from around the world, and even included real-life combat demonstrations by masters of the most famous close-quarters fighting schools. What impressed me most were the "108 Forms of Short Bridge Narrow Stance" by 73-year-old Southern Wing Chun master Cha Hsin-liang, and the "Ninja Way Assassination Technique" by Japanese Kendo master Miyamoto Chio.

To be honest, fighting techniques in such special terrain are rarely used; they are basically only used when rescuing hostages or assassinating important figures.

“My brother said that one day he would need those martial arts skills. Before he started the excavation project of the Turkic Pyramid, he secluded himself for three years to study these things. You know, someone like him never does anything in vain.” Suren’s words were not clear, as if he was hiding something.

We had already arrived at the guqin and naturally stopped.

A guqin (a traditional Chinese stringed instrument) has connected me to three girls in my life: Princess Tengjia, Guan Baoling, and Gu Qingcheng. But now, my heart belongs only to Su Lun.

"Xiao Xiao said that you were originally the owner of this guqin, but you easily gave it to Miss Gu. In your heart, what kind of girl is she?" Su Lun asked knowingly, lifting the lid of the wooden box and stroking the conspicuous red seal.

Gu Qingcheng had vanished from my heart without a trace. Besides, it was the tycoon, not me, who was captivated by her beauty back then. Now, as the American spy "Pompeii," she was fading further and further from my world. Therefore, I didn't want to answer Su Lun's question. I simply gently pressed her left shoulder, and together we silently gazed at the guqin.

"High mountains and flowing waters, true friends are hard to find. The fragrance of 'Bird of a Thousand Flowers' is still unforgettable. Brother Wind, when you bravely entered the deep well beneath the pyramids to save Princess Tengjia, I had a premonition that I held no place in your heart, just like the Egyptian general Tina, merely a comrade-in-arms amidst a hail of bullets—"

Suren was moved by the sights and sounds, becoming increasingly immersed in her memories. Of course, if she were willing to pour out all the resentment she harbored towards me, our relationship would become resilient, strong, and flawless.

“No one can compare to you. You will be the most important person in my life,” I interrupted her.

"But you are the only important person in my life, the only one, understand?" She finally roared out in a low voice, revealing her true feelings, like magma reaching its limit in the earth's core, about to erupt uncontrollably.

"I understand." I tried to give her a hug, but at that moment, the strings made a strange "clanging" sound, as if a drunk person had deliberately pulled out a sharp high note with a heart-wrenching and eerie power.

Three drops of blood slowly oozed from the tips of the middle, ring, and little fingers of Su Lun's right hand. She raised her hand, and the blood droplets silently condensed, hanging on her fingertips, a chilling crimson.

The vibrating string was furthest from her fingers, with two strings in between, and for some reason it suddenly sprang to her, cutting her hand.

"Suren, does it hurt?" I reached out to hold her wrist, because we didn't have any emergency hemostatic supplies around, so we could only disinfect it by sucking with our mouths.

"Brother Feng, don't move, don't move, I think I feel something..." She suddenly shoved her shoulder and bumped into my waist. I slid three steps to the side, completely bewildered by her actions.

"Don't touch me, I can feel the soul on the guqin. It has taught me many things, and it has been entering my mind and body—" The blood droplet fell and landed right on the vermilion seal. Like a dried-up riverbed receiving three drops of water, it was quickly absorbed without leaving a trace.

A chill ran down my back. Human blood is naturally able to communicate with the spirits on ancient artifacts. The blood-drip warding off evil and the blood-drip demonic possession are just two ends of a T-junction. You can go left or right, but once the ancient artifact absorbs the blood, what happens next is beyond human control.

"Suren, get away from that zither!" I shouted, raising my voice. The zither imprisons Tengjia's soul, and I fear she might harm Suren.

Suren stood up, looking up with a puzzled expression. She reached up and touched her head, face, and shoulders, then slowly turned around, gazing at the silvery world. A strong fragrance filled the air—the "Thousand Flower Bird," a scent unique to Tengjia, which shouldn't have been present here.

My stunned silence lasted no more than three seconds. I immediately rushed forward, grabbed Suren's shoulders and shook her violently, shouting, "Suren! Suren! Look at me, look at me!"

She could still understand me, blinked hesitantly, and gave me a strange smile. That smile, a complex mix of arrogance, sorrow, sadness, and melancholy, did not belong to Su Lun. On the contrary, only Teng Jia, sitting cross-legged playing the zither in Youhuang Water County, could have such an expression.

"Who are you?" I stared into her eyes, then gritted my teeth and uttered a few words, one by one, "If you are Tengjia, if you don't leave Sulun's body quickly—I will not let you go! Even if you are just a soul, I can gather all the world's masters of supernatural arts to cut you into ten thousand pieces and soak you in jars of the Five Ghosts and Five Black Fiends, so that you can never rise again."

After saying this, I quickly calmed down. Gritting my teeth was pointless. Unfortunately, I didn't have any silver needles or any exorcism tools to drive away the soul that had invaded Suren's body.

"Under the dim light of the lamp and the yellowed scrolls, before the spring cherry blossoms and autumn chrysanthemums, at the end of the shimmering autumn waters, at the beginning of the soul's ashes. Though no beautiful face could move his heart, she could still lock away the roots of love for a thousand years. The sun, moon, and stars have turned and years have passed, and the departing lovers are separated and can never meet again." Su Lun opened his mouth with difficulty and recited these words.

That's a famous love poem by the renowned Japanese writer Mino Sato, which was already a famous piece for young men and women to express their love for each other fifty years ago.

"Fujika?" I stopped shaking my hands.

"Is it me?" she asked rhetorically, or perhaps she was asking herself, looking down at the guqin, her furrowed brows relaxing instantly.

"Whoever you are, this is Suren's body, leave her!" I possess extraordinary skills, yet have nowhere to use them. This is clearly Suren's body, but every word and action is identical to the past Tengjia Shensi.

With a twist of her shoulder, a surge of powerful internal energy erupted, crashing into my palms like a mighty river or a raging waterfall, impossible to resist. I could only pivot on my left foot, spinning rapidly to evade the force with a "spinning top" technique.

"That's my zither. The Emperor has decreed that anyone who disturbs Princess Fujika's playing will be killed." She sneered, bent down, and casually swept her right hand across the strings. A high-pitched, sharp melody burst forth, filled with violent and murderous intent.

“This is the ‘Emperor’s Song of Breaking the Enemy’s Formation’—” she sneered.

The seventeen men in white robes were startled by the music and quickly turned around to surround the area.

The so-called "Emperor's Battle Song" was nothing more than a variant of Japanese military music during World War II, so it is not surprising that it was full of killing intent.

"However, all of that is in the past. Before I died, I suddenly realized that waiting a thousand years was not as valuable as seeing you for a single moment. I repeatedly gained and lost life, including when I was trapped in that abyss of despair, always harboring resentment because I never got to see the one I longed for, until you descended before me with a ray of light. Wind—"

She slowly raised her head and stared at me intently.

"This isn't Suren, this is Tengjia... I've lost her again!" My thoughts began to swirl.

"War and slaughter, treasure and fame, even beauty—all will eventually be lost. Only the love between two people remains eternal, like my love for you. I have waited a thousand years, no longer wanting to languish in the dark and cold cycle of reincarnation. Now, I have awakened, I am free, and I can be with you… I know a place where one can effortlessly possess everything and be happy every day. Come with me—"

She reached out her hand to me, but it was clearly Suren's hand; just minutes before, I had held her cold fingertips.

"Form ranks—trapped, slaughtered, exhausted, dried up; blocked, killed, enemy, imprisoned!"

Someone gave a low shout, and the white-robed men suddenly scattered, surrounding me and Tengjia in the middle.

"I won't go with you. If you really are Tengjia, then don't hurt Suren." I calmly advised her, while keeping an eye on the white-robed man's movements out of the corner of my eye. This was a rather tricky problem. If the white-robed man attacked her, it would only injure Suren's body. I didn't want to lose her again after just getting her back.

She straightened up, chin held high, gazing into the distance at the two people atop the mechanical body. Humans stand in completely different ways, and when her body was occupied by Fujika's thoughts, her posture reminded me of the first time I saw her in the desert—noble, aloof, and with an overbearing arrogance.

“I’ve decided that from this moment on, I will live for myself, not for Master Jianzhen from a thousand years ago, not for the Japanese Empire, and not for any ‘fate’ torment. You just called my name—‘Su Lun’? Hmm, I like that name. Miss Su Lun is the sister of the chivalrous surgeon, so I also like her body very much and will never give it up again. From today onwards, I am Su Lun.”

With a flick of her fingers, she generated a tremendous suction force, and I slipped, only to be pulled close and have her grip on my throat. The Tengjia of the past didn't possess such advanced martial arts skills; at least, I had never witnessed them before.

“Come with me? To heaven—” She moved closer to my face, her eyes burning with what seemed like two blazing ghost flames.

"Where to?" I adjusted my breathing, channeling my inner energy to the area above my collarbone and below my Adam's apple to avoid being scratched by her.

“Heaven, heaven… heaven… a grain of sand, a world; a flower, a Buddha’s kingdom. Wind, do you remember the life inside the cicada’s molt? If one is content, the cicada’s molt is heaven.” She smiled, her gaze softening, but the rich fragrance of the “bird of a thousand flowers” still emanated from her.

I want to spend the rest of my life with Suren, rather than be a monster controlled by foreign ideas.

What I can't understand most about this incident is that Guan Nan Wulang clearly saw everything from his superior position, yet he didn't step in to save people in time. What was he waiting for? A madman like him often values his career more than his life. Perhaps I should understand him. After witnessing the real "Asian Gear," he was completely shocked.

"Where do we go from?" I continued to stall for time.

“It’s that passageway, let’s go—” she whispered in my ear.

The passageway leads to the Epang Palace, which was destroyed in the battle, but there is still no way to get back to the cliff from the palace. Therefore, I concluded that even if she escaped the encirclement, she would be killed by the pursuers or bitten by insects and snakes.

"But I promised you..." I deliberately lowered my voice, luring her closer to listen, but in an instant I had already delivered a heavy palm strike to her right arm. Unexpectedly, her dodging technique was even more skillful than Su Lun's. With just a few light steps, she avoided this deadly move, and at the same time, she shifted her stance and used a "twisting technique" from judo to counterattack, immediately locking my arm.

When the battle truly began, I realized the disparity in strength between the two sides was too drastic. The woman before me possessed the youthful sharpness of Teng Jia, the maturity and composure of Gu Qingcheng, and the agility and wisdom of Su Lun—she was far more than a simple combination of two individuals. It's a pity that Su Lun's mind was the one in control; at least she was more reasonable and understood the bigger picture than Teng Jia.

"You are no match for me, Feng. Don't waste your breath fighting." She laughed, a smile that was both mesmerizing and cunning.

Part Four complete. Please see Part Five: The Source of Energy.

Part 5: The Source of Energy

— Chapter 1 — Strike with the force of thunder and fury —

I have reason to suspect that there is some kind of strange thought hidden in this body, because after Fujika was saved at Fengge Temple, the story she told me was sincere and moving, and after a thousand years of cultivation, her spiritual realm had long since ascended to the level of a half-immortal and half-god, and she would never be the strange and treacherous person she is now.

"Who are you?" I realized with a keen sense that there was clearly another person's thoughts hidden inside her body, a person I had never met before.

This horrified me, since this was an extremely unfamiliar environment. If other souls joined in, it would drastically reduce Suren's chances of survival.

"Who am I? Princess Fujika of the Japanese Imperial Family?" she chuckled strangely.

I suppressed the urge to draw my sword: "You are not Fujika, nor are you Suren, you are—" So close, her eyes radiated an increasingly fierce aura. My mind raced, frantically recalling the bizarre names from the roster of famous Japanese ninjas.

"Woman, evil, unnatural death, related to the royal family, related to Princess Fujika... Combining these characteristics, only one name fits the bill perfectly: the legendary saintess of the 'New Moon Dragon Elephant School' ninja, Tensho Jubei, the one who gave birth to Fujika in a passionate night with the Emperor at the 'Sunrise Sinkhole' on 'Fusang Divine Tree Island'."

The "Human Ninja" Tensho Jubei is quite famous in the Japanese ninja world. He is known as one of the "Three Great Gods of Mount Fuji" along with "Heavenly Ninja" Kojou and "Earthly Ninja" Ryuyuki. These historical figures are mentioned in Japanese textbooks and are among the most frequently cited and admired figures in Japanese swordsman novels.

"Who am I? Do you know? Do you really know?" Her laughter grew increasingly eerie.

"Ten Guardians of the Heavenly Phenomenon." I was on high alert, not daring to relax even for a moment.

She let out a wide-eyed "Ah!" and then let out a long howl that made my eardrums ring. Indeed, the martial arts she displayed when she counterattacked me were something that neither Fujika nor Suren could possess; they were the most advanced techniques in Japanese judo.

The white-robed men retreated together, clapping their hands repeatedly to produce a series of crisp "crackling" sounds, attempting to counteract the intimidating force of their laughter. As the seventeen masters clapped in unison, their cries rising and falling in sync with the whistling, the surrounding metal walls seemed to tremble as if shaken.

She ignored the man in white, turned to face the enormous mechanical body, her gaze sharp as a cold steel sword, as if she wanted to pierce through all the gears.

Guan Nan Goro and Yesak slowly descended the metal steps. Despite the perilous situation, they were still chatting and laughing as they walked, more leisurely than hikers.

“I, Tensho Jubei, am still alive… still alive, ever new, immortal for a hundred years, and destined to live forever, eternally with heaven and earth. This world belongs to me, belongs to me… At that time, I will no longer be myself, but… but…” The following words were drowned out by her maniacal laughter.

Suddenly, her maniacal laughter transformed into a sound similar to a "lion's roar," with "buzzing" echoes rebounding from the metal walls on all sides, surging and undulating, merging with the laughter reflected from the dome into a powerful and intense symphony.

The white-robed men had retreated five steps from their encirclement, but amidst the roars, three people were the first to give in and were thrown backward, crashing heavily against the metal wall.

The inheritance and entrustment of the soul is a broad topic, and the debate on this issue in the world of supernatural arts has lasted for more than a thousand years, yet no convincing conclusion has been reached.

Logically, it can be inferred that Fujika was a complex entity with multiple thoughts. Initially, it inherited the bloodline of Tensho Jubei, later incorporating the thoughts of the thousand-year-old female monk and the female disciple of Master Jianzhen, with the last element being her own. After Fujika died in the ninja alliance's attack at Fuuka Temple, her soul drifted out and was contained by the koto.

At this moment, it is not just one soul that is imprisoned, but possibly two or three souls that exist simultaneously. Now, they have all entered Suren's body.

A spirit fox takes five hundred years to become a human, and a spirit snake takes a thousand years to become an immortal. Through continuous imprisonment, release, cultivation, and learning, Tensho Jubei is no longer the "human ninja" controlled by the shogunate warlords, but a peerless master who yearns for freedom.

"When autumn comes on the ninth day of the ninth month, my chrysanthemums bloom and all other flowers wither. Their fragrance fills Chang'an, and the whole city is adorned in golden armor..." Descending the metal steps, Guan Nan Goro clasped his hands together in front of his chest, reciting each word with passion. That Tang poem, which uses chrysanthemums to express one's aspirations, has always been appreciated by writers in both China and Japan, and its popularity remains undiminished to this day.

His composure contrasted sharply with Tensho Jubei's cold rage, while Yesak followed five steps behind him, a silver, ancient-style bow slung over his left arm and three silver-feathered arrows clutched in his right.

"Come with me, I can give you everything." She stopped looking at me, but kept repeating this sentence.

"Leave? Do you think you can leave?" Guan Nan Wulang retorted, striding forward. An overwhelming aura silently surged over him, and the several white-robed men involuntarily moved aside, making way for him. Although his expression was not sharp or murderous, he remained the dominant figure on the scene, and no one could overstep his bounds.

"I want to leave, who dares to stop me?" She smiled sinisterly.

"Stop them if you can, kill them if you can't," Guan Nan Wulang replied calmly.

Yesak drew his bow diagonally, nocked his long arrow, and aimed at her at a 45-degree angle to his left front. But she was Suren, at least on the surface, a "Suren" who was alive in anyone's eyes.

"With him? With the 'Snow-Eating Silver Arrow'?" Her breathing gradually became rapid.

The situation has escalated into a conflict between Japanese ninjas, because the "Snow-Eating Silver Arrow" is specifically designed to deal with ninja masters, and the arrow is soaked in deadly poison from start to finish.

"Actually, I really want to ask you a question: What is the highest level of ninjutsu? Why did the 'Three Gods of Mount Fuji' suddenly commit suicide together back then? Were they practicing a more profound technique together? What kind of secret agreement do you have with the Imperial Family?" Guan Nan Goro pressed forward step by step, his thick eyebrows twitching.

I'm standing here, practically a shield for her, but I'm willing to do it. Expelling the ghost of the Tensho Jubei is important, but protecting Suren's body is equally crucial. If she were hit by the "Snow-Eating Silver Arrow," (Full text novel reading,)

It will be Suren who dies first, not the invisible soul.

"You want to know?" She rolled her eyes nonchalantly.