Histoires de fantômes

Chapitre 229

The side of the line drawing contains a lot of explanatory text, with a variety of fonts, including regular script and clerical script, and even some strange Khitan script from the Northwest.

The little red devil read aloud modern translations from another page, all in English.

"This is Pentagon data. The Americans are very interested in China's underworld, so almost every famous person leaves a record with them. But unfortunately, Feng, your data is incomplete. I hope you will give me a chance to complete it before submitting it to the Americans."

I frowned: "No need. I'm just a nobody in the martial arts world. I don't want to be noticed."

Red Little Devil laughed heartily: "Nobody? No, no, I bet you'll be at the pinnacle of the martial arts world within three years, becoming the most dazzling star among the Chinese. You won't even be able to hide your talents." His uneven teeth gleamed under the light, and his sallow complexion made him look exactly like a "ghost."

In the English materials, the Americans emphasized that "each box contained 361 kinds of poisonous insects," suspecting that all the poisonous insects on the Sichuan-Tibet border were released from this strange man, and that the two boxes at his feet were "Pandora's boxes."

Venomous insects can kill, but with proper refinement, they can also be transformed into potent medicines that fight poison with poison, curing diseases and saving lives, just as cobra venom is being widely studied and applied around the world. Therefore, American biochemists jointly petitioned Congress, demanding that these two boxes be found.

"Find Pandora's box? Easier said than done." I shook my head and smiled bitterly.

I wonder if this square-eyed monster is the same race as the square-eyed general in Li Kang's ancient book. Right now, it seems like everyone is playing a game of hide-and-seek. They have come from afar and gathered in this mysterious valley, all just to uncover the same mystery.

"Tang Xin will never fall in love with anyone else." Hong Xiaogui suddenly became serious, typing on the keyboard and pointing to the four large cursive characters on the screen.

Those were the four characters "Hundred Deaths Divine Skill," below which were densely packed small regular script characters, one section of which was prominently marked in red.

"To cultivate divine skills, one must first eliminate the seven emotions and six desires, and proceed with the mindset of dying to end it all, even if it means death. On the day the divine skills are perfected, all the handsome men and beautiful women you see will be flesh and bones, with no distinction between beauty and ugliness. Only those who have died can live forever, until they reach the state of emptiness of the four elements, free from worry, fear, terror, joy, and sorrow."

Red Imp proudly tapped the screen repeatedly: "Look, practicing this kind of kung fu will eventually lead you down the path of evil, making it impossible for you to save yourself. You can no longer be considered a normal Earthling. You'll even forget who you are, and you'll still fall in love with someone else?"

He was still a child, completely ignorant of love, and unable to see the depth of Tiger's feelings for Tang Xin.

That kind of skill isn't something ordinary people can learn; only the future head of the Tang Clan in Sichuan can receive this honor. Just thinking about the various poisonous insects hidden in the crevices of the white fox fur coat Tang Xin was wearing made me feel a chill run down my spine, and my hair stood on end.

“I know Xiaoxin has sacrificed so much to revitalize the Tang Clan. She often says, ‘If I don’t go to hell, who will?’ All I can do is stay by her side until the day she can finally relax and rest. If that day is hell, I’m willing to go with her—”

The tiger was drunk. He pushed away the second empty bottle and slumped onto the table, muttering to himself.

Red Ghost muttered as he lifted the tent flap, letting in a chilly night breeze that instantly carried away all the smell of alcohol.

"Feng, is there any more complicated task? If all we do here is work as data clerks, it's so boring!" Red Devil stood at the door with his arms crossed, facing the wind, and suddenly sneezed twice in a row.

"Even more complicated? There are rows of stone pillars in the cave ahead, and they can change shape at will. Beneath the stone pillars, there is a mysterious underground city—are those things complicated? Do they suit your taste?" I had to make Red Devil understand how dangerous the predicament we were facing was, instead of just sitting in the computer room talking theory.

Red Imp glanced at me sideways and shook his head nonchalantly: "So what? This world is three-dimensional. We humans can expand horizontally on the Earth's surface, while other species can naturally go to the sky and burrow into the earth, choosing the environment that best suits them. The Earth does not belong to humans alone. Many hidden aliens may jump out at any time. With your intelligence, this should not be difficult for you to understand, right?"

He has a wealth of theoretical knowledge, but "knowing that there are aliens on Earth" and "directly confronting aliens" are two completely different things.

"Tomorrow, let's go all out and see what's hidden in these mountains, okay? Especially since I heard there's a kind of winged snake, a rare species on Earth, which we can use to make wine for Xiaoyan. What do you think?" Red Little Ghost was full of curiosity about the future, but I believed he didn't have the skill to catch venomous snakes.

I could only manage a wry smile, because everyone in the camp was only concerned with their own interests, completely oblivious to the dangers ahead. This situation would inevitably lead to a heavy price.

"Get some sleep, there's more tomorrow—"

Red Little Devil exclaimed, "Oh no! I forgot! There's a South American hacker war tonight! I have to go, I'm in a hurry!" He jumped back to his computer, his fingers flying across the keyboard, completely absorbed in the internet.

I was wide awake and slowly stepped out of the tent. I happened to see Gu Qingcheng pacing back and forth in front of the jeep about twenty paces away, sighing repeatedly towards the tunnel.

“Mr. Feng, I’m waiting for you.” She brushed a strand of her long hair aside, temporarily masking the sorrow on her face.

"What's wrong?" Seeing her forced smile, I felt a deep sense of sympathy, as if two people trapped in the same corner were more likely to understand each other.

"After yesterday's events, the team's morale is almost shattered. I feel that if we can't come up with a feasible way to get through the tunnel, everyone's spirits will only drop even lower. If your friend can help us get through the stone formation, I hope we can act as soon as possible after dawn. Mr. Feng, based on a comprehensive analysis of various sources, reaching this point is just the beginning of a long journey. There are still many challenges ahead, so we need to hurry. The sooner we rescue Suren, the sooner you can be happy, right?"

Her words were direct, no longer attempting to be tactful.

I nodded: "The tiger will lead the way in, directly to the Heavenly Ladder. Miss Gu, please rest assured about that."

"That's good. Well, having such a helper is a good thing." She forced a smile, but the unease twitching in her eyebrows betrayed her inner worry.

There are at least two more questions that are giving me pause, and I wonder if she has the same concerns. We both spoke almost simultaneously: "And—"

Her dimples deepened: "Mr. Feng, you go first."

I blew the dust off the hood of the Jeep and slowly sat down. "I'm worried about the legendary flying snake, and I'm also worried that if we follow the tiger's lead, we might eventually encounter the man with the golden mask. That man can imprison him and Tang Xin, and of course, he can capture anyone else."

Although Gu Qingcheng wasn't present when the tiger described the situation in the cave to me, I believe she could easily obtain our conversation information through a little trickery.

Gu Qingcheng lowered her head and thought for a moment: "You're right, but I already have a solution to the first problem. That is to go back to the ancient village and borrow the 'Azure Blood Night-Shining Toad' from He Jishang."

I snorted, and a sudden wave of disgust rose in my heart as I recalled her conversation with Uncle Wei.

Uncle Wei once suggested killing everyone in the ancient village and then searching for the treasure, which was extremely despicable and vile. Fortunately, she didn't agree, so I wasn't too disappointed.

Gu Qingcheng smiled apologetically: "I'm sorry, Mr. Feng. Perhaps you heard something, but I will never let my subordinates act recklessly. I have a feeling that as long as you are willing to take charge of He Jishang's matter, the success rate is over 90%. We need that thing so badly, otherwise we don't know how many more people would have to sacrifice to get through this."

Even a 99% success rate doesn't guarantee success. Although I spent very little time with He Jishang, I could tell she was an extremely stubborn person; otherwise, she wouldn't have been willing to lead such a group of people to live in the mountains year after year. The Azure Blood Night-Shining Toad is the Five Poisons Sect's most prized treasure; she wouldn't easily give it away.

Of course, I could tell her my true identity as the younger brother of Yang Tian, the "King of Tomb Raiders," but the question is, would she believe me?

Gu Qingcheng smiled again: "Mr. Feng, in the face of cruel reality, we have no choice. If you are unwilling to take my advice, then forget it."

I slowly shook my head: "It's not that I'm unwilling, but that suggestion isn't very feasible, because I know He Jishang—"

"Oh? You know her?" Gu Qingcheng tilted her chin up, inadvertently revealing a slightly hurt expression, and gently shrank her shoulders. "Could it be that the ancients said, 'Meeting for the first time feels like meeting an old friend, and old age feels like new friendship'?"

The night was so dark, and I felt that the distance between the two of us suddenly grew much greater.

“I’m just going by my gut feeling, Miss Gu. People’s intuition is more sensitive in difficult circumstances. He Jishang has been hunted down and persecuted many times. There are more than one force that covets the Jade Blood Night-Shining Toad in her possession. Some are polite and ask to borrow it, like us, but the vast majority are trying to rob it by force under the cover of darkness. So, it’s not easy to win her heart and gain her trust.”

I'm telling the truth. This mountain area belongs to the Southwest Caravan. For a woman leading another group of women and children to gain a foothold and survive, it would be impossible to live a peaceful life without going through dozens of bloody battles.

A hint of anxiety flashed across Gu Qingcheng's brows. She touched her increasingly sharp chin and sighed leisurely, "Since that's the case, we can only rely on the antivenom serum that Uncle Wei prepared to fight it head-on."

Compared to the last time we drank in front of the car, she had lost a lot of weight, and the fine blue veins on both sides of her jaw were fully exposed, like exposed plant roots, making her look somewhat disheveled. This reminded me of how haggard Sulun looked when she rushed from this place to Fengge Temple. At that time, she was preoccupied with my disappearance and completely disregarded her own illness, having gone through the darkest days of her life.

"You've lost weight—" The three words slipped out involuntarily, as if I were facing Su Lun after she cut her hair short that day. I should have told her these words, full of apology and pity, long ago.

"I grow thinner and thinner, yet I have no regrets; for her sake I grow haggard and worn," perfectly captures Su Lun's feelings at that moment. Sadly, that meeting became a permanent separation, lingering to this day.

Two blushes suddenly appeared on Gu Qingcheng's cheeks. She quietly lowered her head, her long hair cascading down.

"Are you hungry? I'm going back to my tent to cook a midnight snack, and I'll cook you an extra bowl too?" After a long silence, she spoke with a smile, the blush slowly fading. More words were left unsaid in the subtle exchange of that shy blush, conveying a profound and unspoken charm.

I'm really hungry. Watching Tiger drink and listening to him recount that strange experience has taken a lot of mental and physical exertion, so I definitely need to replenish my energy with something nutritious.

Part 5: The Blade of Distance

— Chapter 1 — The Emerald Flying Serpent —

Once the alcohol camping stove was lit, the thin-skinned meat-filled wontons in the pot kept floating and tumbling, and the aroma of various sauces wafted gently in the air—my stomach also started to rumble and growl.

Wearing a white apron, Gu Qingcheng busied herself with practiced movements, and five minutes later, two bowls of fragrant wontons were served.

"Please, try the Gu family's traditional wontons. When Emperor Qianlong traveled to the south of the Yangtze River, he tasted them in Suzhou and personally wrote the famous line, 'The aroma of Gu's wontons fills the night, and the scholars of Jiangnan forget their manners.' Even now, 'Gu's Wontons' is one of Suzhou's top ten signature snacks."

She smiled, revealing her bright white teeth. At that moment, all the storms and dangers were kept outside the tent; only the person in front of me and the aroma of wontons filled the air were real. Perhaps for a fleeting instant, Gu Qingcheng's image became clearer and clearer in my mind, superimposed on Su Lun's image, real and unreal, gradually merging together.

"It's a pity that without the picturesque scenery of Suzhou's bridges, streams, crescent moon, and fragrant flowers, there's only delicious food, but lacking in beautiful landscapes. It's a real shame. Mr. Feng, once this matter is all over, I'd like to invite you to Suzhou. My brother has invested in building a retro-style food street there, just across the water from the world-famous Humble Administrator's Garden. You can eat the most authentic Jiangnan delicacies every day. Are you interested?"

Gu Qingcheng's eyes lit up, looking like two glossy black pearls through the rising steam from the bowl.

I tried to pull myself together, to erase her image from my mind, and smiled faintly: "Okay, I'll definitely go."

As I ate my wontons with my head down, I realized how stiff and rigid the muscles in my shoulders were. Tiger's words had put immense pressure on me. If these reinforcements were also imprisoned, who else could come to rescue Suren? The scalpel was dead. Besides me, was there anyone else truly concerned about Suren?

My own death is not frightening; what I fear most is a meaningless death that destroys the last hope of rescuing Suren. Involuntarily, I gripped the white porcelain spoon tightly in my hand.

A slightly cool hand reached out and covered the back of my hand. The skin on the palm was as smooth as the finest silk in the world. It was Gu Qingcheng's hand.

"Don't worry, there's a solution to everything. We'll definitely find Suren. One month, one year, ten years, as long as you don't stop, I'll unconditionally support you with all my might." She smiled silently, her eyes gentle and dreamy.

This hand and this smile are the only things that can warm me in the dark night, and no one can replace them.

"Should I trust her?" The doubt gradually faded, and the last trace of wariness disappeared in her smile.

"Thank you, Miss Gu, and I thank you on behalf of Su Lun as well." A wave of sorrow washed over me as I said these words. When Scalpel was alive, he was a force to be reckoned with across the globe. Wherever he went, both the legitimate and illegitimate worlds treated him with respect, showering him with gifts and flattery. As his only sister, Su Lun must have been the center of everyone's admiration, showered with love and affection.

Now, Su Lun is trapped alone, her fate unknown. All the help she found has been killed or wounded, and she now needs Gu Qingcheng, with whom she has never had any prior dealings, to rescue her. We two have truly failed in our lives, and are utterly ashamed before our two illustrious brothers, "Hero Yang Tian" and "Scalpel."

"Mr. Feng, one of my mentors used to say, 'I can make it through the rain, I can stand up again on my own.' Everyone has times when they stand out from the crowd, and times when they are down, depressed, and suppressed—this is the law of human society. I believe in you; you will definitely overcome this worst period. Come, let me offer you a bowl of soup instead of wine—"

Gu Qingcheng smiled charmingly and held up the small bowl with both hands.

I kept all my words to myself, picked up my bowl, and it clinked against hers. Deep down, I knew that rescuing Suren was just an unexpected event that occurred during the search for my elder brother. Every time I thought about the mysterious prophecy of the "Great Seven" in *The Centuries*, I felt an increasing, inexplicable pressure.

In July 1999, to resurrect King Angoromoa, the Great King of Terror would descend from the sky. Around that time, Mars would rule the world, supposedly to bring happiness to people. At the end of the Great Seven's cycle, mutual slaughter would occur. It happened shortly after the beginning of this millennium, when the dead would rise from their tombs. These two inexplicable statements were solemnly recorded by the eldest brother in his diary. In his study at the Xunfuyuan Villa in Hokkaido, he also collected numerous versions of *The Centuries* in various languages. It's certain that what he was working on was directly related to the "Great Seven."

"If we can save Suren, we will never be separated again—" I silently vowed in my heart.

Gu Qingcheng got up and walked to the simple wardrobe in the corner, took out a set of camouflage combat uniform, spread it on the bed, and still smiled: "Mr. Feng, we're going into the mountains tomorrow, so you need to change out of your suit and leather shoes first, it will be more convenient for you to move around. If we can get through those stone pillars smoothly, I believe what we'll be facing next is the legendary flying snake."

She took another pair of black combat boots from the box by the bed, neatly placed them beside the bed, and sighed, "I hope these fit you. Also, tomorrow morning, Uncle Wei will distribute antivenom, firearms and ammunition, compressed food, first-aid kits, and so on to everyone. Everything is ready, except for the final push—this time it all depends on your guide friend—"

Suddenly, I sensed danger approaching, and a strange, fishy smell filled the air.

Gu Qingcheng also sniffed: "Hmm? What's that smell?"

Before I could answer, I leaped towards her, blocking her path, facing the tent entrance. The smell drifted in on the wind; the source of danger was in the wind.

"Gun." She reached across the pillow with her right hand and grabbed two black revolvers. With two clicks, she released the safety and handed one to me.

The curtains fluttered, the residual heat of the extinguished alcohol stove had dissipated, and all I could smell was Gu Qingcheng's perfume.

“It seems some poisonous insects are approaching, there’s a murderous intent—” I whispered in her ear.

Suddenly, from the southwest corner of the camp, the roving sentry cried out in alarm, and three or four people shouted the same name.

"Someone's in trouble?" Gu Qingcheng straightened up and was about to rush to the door.

The curtain fluttered open, and a bluish-green light flashed out, heading straight for her face. A nauseating stench filled the entire tent. A burst of bullets certainly wouldn't stop that light; I trusted the small knife in my hand more than any firearm. As the knife flashed, I was already standing in front of Gu Qingcheng once more.

With a "sizzle," purplish-black liquid splattered, and the beam of light was cleaved in two by the sharp blade, falling limply to the ground, writhing and twisting.

It was a two-foot-long green snake with black ring patterns on its body. Most strangely, about seven inches behind its neck, there was a pair of transparent wings, like the lateral fins of a deep-sea fish.

"A snake with wings...that can fly?" Gu Qingcheng gasped.

She was right. It was indeed a snake that could fly, and its speed of launching itself into the air was astonishing, enough to leave anyone holding only a short gun helpless.

Now, it was evenly and vertically split open, from head to tail, without any deviation, even the green snake gall was cut in half, various juices mixed together, splattering all over the ground. A few seconds later, the body, now divided in two, stopped writhing, completely dead.

"This must be the legendary flying serpent. How could it appear in the camp? Could it be—" She strode towards the door, lifted the curtain, and gazed into the tunnel to the south.

We've been in the tunnel for several days and haven't seen any flying snakes until tonight when we saw the first one. Is this a good or bad omen? My head is throbbing again. What's meant to happen will happen. Old problems haven't been solved yet, and new ones keep popping up. How can this not give me a headache?

Someone was running hurriedly outside the tent, followed by Uncle Wei's shout: "Don't panic, go and inject him with antivenom serum, hurry!"

Gu Qingcheng asked loudly, "What happened? Has anyone been bitten by a snake?"

A sentry with a hoarse voice answered breathlessly as he ran, "Yes, yes, there's an extremely fast snake that bit someone and then broke into the camp. Everyone should be careful."

Gu Qingcheng shrugged helplessly: "There's nothing we can do. No amount of antivenom can save their lives. That snake's venom is at least ten times more potent than the local Five-Step-Down and Grass-Flying snakes. If the venom enters a person's bloodstream, death is certain within five seconds."