appartement abandonné du village

Chapitre 18

Lu Yun took it, unfolded it, and the flag covered her face, so I couldn't see her expression, but she only looked at it for a while before letting out a soft "Eh."

"Wait a minute, I'll be right back." Lu Yun stood up, took the flag, and strode out.

When Lu Yun returned, there was someone with him. It was a young woman who didn't look much older than Lu Yun. She wore a T-shirt, riding breeches, and short boots, and had short hair that drooped down to her ears. She didn't have Lu Yun's dazzling beauty, but she looked spirited and gave people a very approachable feeling.

"Let me introduce you. This is Xiahou Ying, a new friend of mine; and this is Na Duo, an old friend."

I quickly stood up to greet them. Anyone who could attend this gathering was no ordinary person, and we couldn't underestimate them.

"The last time I called you, it was when I borrowed her phone. We use a private power grid here, so we'll have to wait until we get back to the city to charge it."

I thanked Xiahou Ying again.

Xiahou Ying smiled brightly and said, "It's just a small matter. But this flag, to be honest, has quite a history with me. If you don't mind, could you tell me how you obtained it?"

So I told Lu Yun the story I had just told him, focusing on the Sun brothers and the contents of that diary.

A gathering in the underworld (6)

Xiahou Ying's expression gradually turned serious. After I finished speaking, he nodded and said, "This is quite important news to me, and I am very grateful to you for telling me this. Regarding the suggestion you received, I think it would be more convenient for me to handle it than for Lu Yun." As he said this, Xiahou Ying cast an inquiring glance at Lu Yun, who nodded in agreement.

A thought struck me. Based on my understanding of Lu Yun, it was unlikely that Xiahou Ying's abilities surpassed Lu Yun's. Her saying this meant that she had studied the implications, and the "origins" she mentioned earlier probably referred to this.

"Let's begin then. Please look at my hand and relax." Xiahou Ying extended his right index finger and began to slowly draw in front of my eyes.

White fingers drew strange trajectories in the air, repeating endlessly, yet each time different. As I watched these trajectories, I gradually relaxed when I realized that they were actually symbols. A strong sense of sleepiness washed over me, a feeling I had never experienced even when listening to Lu Yun's chanting on my phone.

When I woke up from a deep sleep, I felt completely relaxed. No one told me, but I knew for sure that my premonition had been lifted.

A rumbling sound came from my stomach, and the sudden hunger made my face fall. How long had I slept? How could I be so hungry?

I sat up from the sofa. Sunlight streamed in through the window. I remembered it was afternoon before I went to bed. I checked my watch; it was two o'clock.

"Lu Yun!" I called out, but no one answered. I was all alone in the villa.

A new set of toiletries has already been placed on the coffee table; it seems I really slept all day.

After washing up, I returned to the living room, where Lu Yun was already waiting for me.

"Xiahou Ying's timing is really accurate," she said. Just then, my stomach growled loudly again, and even she heard it. "Don't worry, someone will bring the food soon."

"Oh dear, why did I sleep for so long? Is today the last day of the non-human gathering? Will I still have a chance to see those non-humans?"

“Given your condition yesterday, you couldn’t possibly go out and see those guys. There are plenty of strange people out there, and with your mental state so unstable, it would be troublesome if one of them played a little joke on you. As for now…” Lu Yun dragged out his words, whetting my appetite, and said, “Sir D hasn’t returned yet. The helicopter came this morning and has picked up several groups. Besides you and me, there’s one other person who hasn’t left yet.”

I was a little disappointed, but it would be good to meet one more of these extraordinary people: "Then you must introduce me to him, because I might need his help someday."

Lu Yun laughed and said, "She already saved your life yesterday, how many more times do you plan to ask her to save you?"

It turns out that only Xiahou Ying was left. He really took care of me, his patient, to the end.

As we were talking, someone brought the food. It consisted of three dishes and a soup: Kung Pao Chicken, stir-fried pork liver, beef soup, and a bowl of wild mushrooms. The food was quite good, especially the ingredients, which were incomparable to those back home. I devoured a large bowl of rice and let out a satisfied burp.

The doorbell rang, and Lu Yun opened the door to find Xiahou Ying standing there.

"The helicopter is here," she said.

When I packed my bag and went out, I found that Lu Yun hadn't followed me.

"What, aren't you leaving?"

"Anyway, I have nothing to do. Nepal has such beautiful scenery, so I plan to take the cable car and walk back the way you came."

It was indeed a beautiful view, but unfortunately I wasn't in the mood to appreciate it when I came.

"Then be careful."

"Pshaw, I know the mountains much better than you do."

These words sent a chill down my spine. I remembered that Xiao Xiuyun had been learning secret arts in the deep mountains more than a hundred years ago. So, was the person in front of me Xiao Xiuyun or Lu Yun?

The helicopter landed on the large lawn, and Xiahou Ying's luggage consisted of only a backpack, which was very little for a woman.

"Thank you for your help." I don't know how to repay this life-saving kindness beyond simply saying thank you.

"It's nothing. Even if I don't help, Lu Yun can do it. It's just a bit more troublesome. But there is something I'd like to ask you."

"No problem, go ahead and tell me." I'm not the kind of person who would easily agree without asking questions, but Xiahou Ying asked for my help before doing so, which I greatly admired. I figured she wouldn't make a request that I couldn't accept.

"I would like to ask you to take me to that tomb," she said solemnly.

A gathering in the underworld (7)

"Great! I've been wanting to go there for a long time too." I was genuinely happy that Xiahou Ying was coming with me, so those scribbles wouldn't be a danger to me.

"There's something I want to clarify first: that book is very important to me, and I must get my hands on it. But rest assured, I won't have any of those pointless ideas like the Sun brothers. It's for other reasons."

I was slightly taken aback, then said, "That's not mine. If it's that important to you, just take it. Haha, I was actually thinking of learning how to turn beans into soldiers."

Xiahou Ying looked at me with a strange expression: "You don't actually think that's some kind of 'Book of Great Peace and Prosperity', do you?!"

"Huh?" I opened my mouth wide. Could it be that my original guess was wrong? Xiahou Ying seemed to know something. It seems that what she said about "something going on" is not simple.

Xiahou Ying smiled and didn't continue, instead saying, "Alright, then please look after each other then."

"Heh, it's you who's looking after me, isn't it!"

The Secret of the "Third Eye" (1)

Finally back in Shanghai, sitting in a taxi at the airport, Xiahou Ying's pale face regained a little color.

Just now on the plane, as we approached Shanghai, Xiahou Ying suddenly turned pale, broke out in a cold sweat, gripped the armrests of her seat tightly, and the veins on her temples were bulging. I was startled and quickly asked her how she was. She said it was a headache, hereditary, and that it would get better in a while.

Judging from her appearance, her headache is truly severe. It seems that no matter how capable one is, there will always be problems that cannot be solved. Xiahou Ying's illness is something she herself is helpless against, and modern medicine probably has no solution either.

In this society, extraordinary people will never lack money if they want to, while ordinary people like us can only sigh in envy. Xiahou Ying is staying at the Four Seasons Hotel, one of the most luxurious and expensive hotels in Shanghai. We arranged to meet at the hotel entrance at nine o'clock the next morning for the second tomb exploration. As for me, I have other things to do tonight.

Xiahou Ying could only solve the most mysterious and deadly thing in the tomb—the talismans—but I hadn't forgotten the dozens of visible wounds Sun Huizu had suffered. Such traps and ambushes in tombs were a long-standing tradition; with Wei Xian dead, even Xiahou Ying was somewhat troubled by this. She wanted to go in and take a look first, but I volunteered to ask a capable person to look into it.

Who else but Wei Buhui has the ability to do this without me having to explain the inside story of this matter?

I knocked on the door of Wei Buhui on the second floor of the central "three-story building". Although I had prepared all sorts of things to say and rehearsed Wei Buhui's reactions when he saw me, his first words still left me a little stunned.

"I've been waiting for you for a long time." After saying this, Wei Buhui remained standing at the door, showing no intention of moving.

"Wait for me?" I looked at Wei Buhui in front of me. The loneliness that used to linger around him and the twilight behind his bright eyes were nowhere to be found now.

"When are you planning to go down again?" Without giving me a chance to catch my breath, Wei Buhui seemed to already know why I came and asked directly.

"Oh...tomorrow, around 9:30 in the morning."

"Okay, I'll go." After saying that, the vermilion wooden door slammed shut on me again, leaving me outside.

This passive feeling, this unquestionable tone—is the tomb raiding king who has been inactive for over sixty years back?

How did Wei Buhui know I was going down again? He'd been afraid for over sixty years, so why was he suddenly no longer afraid? I kept thinking about it on the way back, but I just couldn't figure it out.

When I saw Xiahou Ying at nine o'clock the next day, I was shocked to see her wearing a loose-fitting long-sleeved shirt, even though it was a scorching 36 degrees Celsius outside. Even more outrageous, she was wearing a light green long dress; did she think she was going to a ball?

"Um, do you want to change your pants?" I couldn't help but remind her.

"It's alright, let's go." Xiahou Ying ignored my hint and hailed a taxi.

She got into the taxi, but when she turned around she saw my troubled look and laughed, "Don't worry, I'm not the kind of woman who doesn't think things through just to look pretty."

Since she said that, even though I was full of doubts, I could only get into the car with her.

When I entered the central "three-story building", I checked my watch; it was 9:34.

Just as she was wondering whether she should go upstairs to call Wei Buhui, she heard a voice coming from the shadows of the staircase leading to the basement: "I'm here."

Wei Buhui was dressed in all black, and in the shadows, I could only see a pair of eyes that gleamed with a sharp light.

Was he really an octogenarian? I suddenly began to doubt it.

"This is Wei Buhui, the King of Tomb Raiders. This is Xiahou Ying; she can help us overcome our intuition and move forward." I gave a brief introduction to the two people I was meeting for the first time.

As I opened the basement door and closed it again, I suddenly saw a symbol flashing in the darkness.

Startled, I realized that Xiahou Ying had taken off his outer shirt, revealing a white T-shirt underneath covered in glowing symbols. Then, a pair of trousers covered in shimmering symbols appeared, which was naturally Xiahou Ying taking off his outer skirt.

“These symbols can be seen regardless of whether there is light or not. These symbols can help you calm your mind and prevent you from being influenced by other omens. Of course, this is also a kind of suggestion,” Xiahou Ying said.

After just a few glances, I already felt much more at ease and at peace.

The Secret of the "Third Eye" (2)

As I crouched low and walked through the tunnel dug by the Sun brothers, I finally understood how Wei Buhui had predicted my return.

After meeting Wei Buhui, Wei Xian immediately informed his family about this legendary figure. Although the police couldn't immediately ascertain the identity of the deceased, the powerful tomb-raiding family behind Wei Xian quickly learned of his death. When they invited Wei Buhui, this bigwig, back to the family, they naturally informed him of this. Related to this is the vast amount of information I have.

More than sixty years later, his own nephew died again because of this tomb. This tragic news pierced the deepest nerve hidden in Wei Buhui's heart.

“I think I should die underground. I haven’t dared to rob graves for a long time. Let this grave be the beginning of my comeback.”

This king of tomb raiders set the starting point for his comeback at the place where he suffered his most painful defeat years ago.

Wei Buhui was certainly not a fool; if he wanted to enter this tomb again, he would have to wait for me to return.

I believe the information he obtained about me must be very detailed, to the point that he could deduce that if I survived, I would definitely return, and when I did, I would certainly be well prepared.

He believed I wasn't going to die young, so he kept waiting for me to come back.

Finally, we arrived at the heavy stone slabs and the downward-facing bluestone steps.

"Is it down here?" Xiahou Ying asked.

"Yes," I replied.

Wei Buhui let out a long breath, a breath that had been held in his chest for sixty-seven years. He went down first, followed closely by Xiahou Ying and me.

A series of loud bangs rang out, and the eternally continuous lamps once again illuminated the entire tomb passage.

The firelight illuminated the marble patterns, and the white bones in the distance remained. In this eerie atmosphere, I glanced at Xiahou Ying beside me, and my heartbeat gradually returned to normal.

"There are no traps or mechanisms in this tomb passage; just keep walking forward," Wei Buhui said.

Xiahou Ying nodded and walked forward, while Wei Buhui and I walked on either side of her, slightly behind. Although we didn't need to look at the symbols drawn on her clothes all the time—the implications were already planted in our minds—it was always safer to see them at any time.

Xiahou Ying walked very slowly, paying close attention to the symbols mixed with marble patterns on the surrounding tomb walls. I saw her nod slightly, as if confirming some of her previous guesses.

We were very close to the tomb entrance. I glanced at Wei Buhui, and he nodded at me. This time, neither of us felt any fear or unease.

Sun Huizu's bones were right at my feet.

"Hey, what's with this head?" Xiahou Ying asked, pointing to the skull that Sun Huizu was clutching tightly. The skull with the third eye!

Then I realized that I had overlooked this part when I talked to Xiahou Ying that day.