Poussière de cœur

Chapitre 5

Therefore, he had no time to pay attention.

Chen Xing was acting silently.

His footsteps were silent, his movements stealthy, and in the darkness, he seemed unaffected by sight, just like A Ding. He quietly examined the earthen wall that had just revealed the round hole, touching it and carefully probing it with all his might.

Food and water are precious. He cannot simply let them go. He must fight for them, and he is prepared to resist.

He knew—he had always been a despicable man. But there was one thing that had always puzzled him. And that was something he couldn't tell anyone. He couldn't ask anyone. He could only bury it deep in his heart, deep within his soul. But if it was true, he had to do something. Do something to make amends. Now, finding those people and reclaiming the food was his way of making amends!

So he didn't notice.

Du Liu also had luck.

His physical strength had been exhausted, far too much. He could no longer adapt to the darkness. He had to use even more energy to fight against the darkness and against evil; he had to gather all his righteous energy to suppress evil.

So he didn't notice.

No one noticed that Zhu Qian had suddenly changed.

In fact, even if people pay attention, they can't see it at all.

This change is internal.

Even Zhu Qian herself didn't know—she only knew that suddenly there was intense pain, then intense itching, followed by a complete loss of consciousness. When she woke up again, all she knew was that something seemed to have changed.

*** *** ***

The eldest brother finally spoke again.

He said slowly, “Having come from the Yellow Springs Path, there is only one way to go—to return via the Yellow Springs Path! Hurry up and leave! Otherwise, if you anger the Lord of the Underworld, you will have nowhere to go! Go—go quickly!”

Even he himself found these words laughable. But until he could identify the person who was the least "human," he could only say so.

This is a hypnotic sound. Only the strong can remain conscious under such a sound. And the one who is least "human" is undoubtedly the strongest among the strong. Just as Chen Xing has principles, so does the boss. But he has many principles. Of all his principles, two are most suitable for the current situation.

—Never fight a battle you can't win; dare to challenge the unknown.

Therefore, if he can identify the person, he is confident of victory; if he cannot, it is better to guide them back the way they came, avoiding unnecessary fighting. And if he happens to find a path along the route the enemy has already taken, wouldn't he have found a good guide for free?

However, Du Liu was not deceived.

He had regained consciousness. "The way we came has been completely blocked by the earthquake. We cannot return the way we came. Since the underworld does not welcome us, why not show us the way back and return our food and water? After we return, we will remember your great kindness and pay our highest respects."

"Entering the Path to the Underworld means certain death." The leader was growing weary of this game, and his voice grew increasingly impatient. "You're lucky to have caught me on duty. After returning to the mortal world, remember to burn 100,000 taels of silver every month. Now, you can leave. The Path to the Underworld has reopened. Go."

Du Liu was even more certain that the other party was human, not a ghost or god. "Unfortunately, the passage behind us is still dirt. We will repay the conditions you proposed a hundredfold upon our return, only asking that you return the food and water—is that alright?" His voice was neither humble nor arrogant.

"Alright. You guys—just you wait." The leader said calmly, then suddenly waved his hand.

retreat.

Several disciples immediately followed and retreated silently.

A steel probe pierces the earthen wall, its tip level with the opposite side of the wall, and its function is to transmit sound and light. However, the steel probe must be connected to a corresponding tool, as must a convex-concave probe. Otherwise, it cannot transmit sound or light. A blowpipe can be used to blow out fluorescent substances, small poison needles, etc., and can also be used as a microphone or earpiece.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [16]: The tomb was very quiet. There was no light. Quiet and darkness can enhance human hearing. The boss was a well-trained person, and with the help of tools, he still heard Chen Xing's movements, even though he was careful. Avoiding unnecessary fighting and unnecessary waste was the boss's consistent characteristic. Moreover, it was at such a time and in such an environment?

What's more, there's a terrifying person who is extremely well hidden and difficult to judge.

But he finally let out a cold laugh before pulling out the steel probe and retracting the blowpipe. He retreated. He retreated until he was no longer worried about being heard, and then he stopped listening.

"Bring the items over first, so we can replenish them," he said.

The backpack was brought. The leader took out the fluorescent disk. There are two types of fluorescent lights: one is for long-term illumination, called a fluorescent disk; the other is for short-term signal communication, called a fluorescent plate. The disk and plate seem to be the same, but a plate can be peeled layer by layer while maintaining its function. A disk, however, cannot.

Under the eerie green glow, he picked up one of the kettles.

When faced with thirst and hunger, people often choose water over food first. But the kettle didn't contain water. It contained urine. Urine that made one want to vomit!

The same thing happened in the other kettle.

The eldest brother suddenly froze.

No water? Drink urine. This is basic survival knowledge—but while everyone knows it, few are willing to actually use it. Ordinary people, especially ordinary girls, would never go to this point unless faced with dire circumstances or a desperate situation! However, judging from the solemnity with which they distributed food and water, they clearly cherished those two jugs of urine.

—But this group of people were trapped for less than five days.

In less than five days, they started drinking urine?

From the moment he and his five disciples began to suffer from hunger and thirst, they had to endure the torment of hunger and thirst every few moments. They had only been without food and water for four or five days, right? In his memory, he could be exposed to the scorching sun for three or four days without food or water; the coolness underground could prevent the evaporation of moisture. According to common sense, he would have to be without food and water for at least ten days before he felt the current physical exhaustion. But now, it had been less than five days, so why did he feel like he was about to collapse?

Haven't they already drunk all the urine from those six people?

*** *** ***

Hard qigong is helpful in ordinary combat; ordinary qigong helps strengthen the body, improve eyesight and wisdom, and heal diseases; but special qigong can only help people perform special tasks. The weakness of special qigong is that it is completely ineffective before the qi is properly channeled!

Now, Adin is about to succeed.

But at that moment, the eldest brother stepped back.

As soon as he stepped back, A Ding immediately felt his accumulated power burst out uncontrollably, shooting into the distance like an invisible arrow.

It looks like it hit something.

But a strong and powerful counterattack has also returned.

With a deafening roar, he lost consciousness.

As they walked along the endless passage, Wang Jia and Wang Mu suddenly felt a sense of unease.

"We're very close to those twenty-four little white dots," Wang Mu announced, striding forward with the heroic spirit of someone crossing the Yalu River. But suddenly he jolted and stopped.

"What's wrong?" Wang Jia rushed over with difficulty.

"It feels like something bit me." Wang Mu mused, touching his leg. He glanced at the surprised Wang Jia and smiled. "Don't be afraid. It's like your blood and qi aren't flowing smoothly. A tiny needle or nail suddenly appeared inside me and pricked me..." He suddenly jumped, startled, and exclaimed, "Again!"

Wang Jia stared blankly, then stretched out his palm and used the "Circle Light Technique".

Wang Mu looked at the mirror image and saw a group of heads emerging from it, their faces blurred. One of the heads was as sharp and cold as a nail—it was gradually taking shape.

"Nail! Nail!" Wang Mu exclaimed.

"Who? Xiao Ding?" Wang Jia was startled, inexplicably recalling the little girl he had met on the bus. "What's she doing here?!"

"It wasn't her. It was a man!" Wang Mu said, but as soon as he finished speaking, he suddenly seemed to be hit by an arrow and flew backward through the air, falling to the ground. He clutched his chest tightly, "I... I think... I'm injured... injured..." Wang Mu rushed over, but as soon as he took a step, he suddenly felt as if an arrow had pierced his heart in his back. He fell to the ground with a thud, seeing stars and everything going black.

But Wang Mu had already fallen into a coma.

Wang Jia struggled to his feet, groped for Wang Mu, and laboriously dragged him backward. The further he went, the more relaxed he felt, and his vision gradually cleared. He only felt normal again after dragging Wang Mu nearly 300 meters away.

Wang Mu slowly regained consciousness. He struggled to his feet, and the two of them supported each other as they continued to back away, retreating more than ten meters before feeling completely normal again.

“…What is it that…is restraining us…” Wang Jia gasped for breath, explaining, “Your skill is stronger, so you're the one who suffers earlier…I…I’m weak, slower…” Wang Mu was also panting heavily, cold sweat pouring down his face—this was the first time he had felt so weak since he began to exert his power. After catching his breath for a moment, he unconsciously opened his eyes. Darkness enveloped him, and he felt a little better. Just then, a faint green glow suddenly appeared in the distance, like a green moon reflected in the sky. Wang Mu was startled—how could he see it even with his eyes open?!

Wang Jia did not open his eyes. In the vision of the Spiritual Eye, he saw a sudden patch of darkness, a shadow, appearing in the distance!

*** *** ***

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [17]: "Thump!" A Ding fell straight down.

Yet no one was disturbed—not even Tong Rong, who loved him deeply. Chen Xing exclaimed in surprise, "A Ding!"

There was no answer. He frowned. "—Du Liu?!"

From the darkness came Du Liu's soft sigh. "Chen Xing, come here." His voice was very soft. Chen Xing was jolted by the sound, as if struck by lightning.

“Now, everyone else has temporarily lost their way. A-Ding also misused his internal energy and fainted. Those people have all retreated. Only the two of us are left here.” Du Liu sighed softly again and whispered, “Chen Xing, come here.”

Chen Xing walked over.

He hesitated, but finally walked over.

In the darkness, two hands clasped together.

"Why? — Why do that?" Du Liu asked quietly.

Chen Xing did not answer. He looked up. After a long while, he slowly exhaled.

"If there is a future, what are you going to do?" Du Liu asked again.

Chen Xing slowly withdrew his hand. His voice was soft and cold. He gave a soft, cold laugh. "You really think—there will be a future?"

Du Liu took his hand again. It was quiet. "I believe you," he said.

"I believe it!"

*** *** ***

"Don't rush to eat or drink. What can you possibly see?"

Under the fluorescent light, the light was a ghastly green, and the figures were also ghastly green. The five investigators, suppressing their eagerness, frowned, their eyes wide and noses twitching as if they were appraising the tomb for any valuable artifacts or determining its type—their expressions serious, meticulous, and cautious. The results of their examination were quickly obtained.

Little Shovel: This is urine. It's what you drink and then excrete. It's even excreted by people with serious illnesses and weakened liver, gallbladder, spleen, and kidney function.

One-Eyed: These two jars will last us eight days. The food will last us at least ten days.

Er Gou: These people are also very thirsty and hungry. They are not united.

Xiao Dao: All twelve women are very beautiful.

Little Fatty: I...I'm scared.

"Is that all?" The eldest brother's voice was flat and indifferent, without any intonation.

Er Gou laughed. "They have a knife, six men, two of them are injured. I should be able to handle them all by myself. As for the women..." Xiao Dao shook his head calmly, "You alone? You'd just get eaten alive. Don't be fooled by the wounded one with the knife; he probably won't have much trouble dealing with you. As for the ugliest one, if she doesn't fight back, she'll be fine, but if she does, she could injure all five of us."

"That guy who stood up to investigate is definitely not someone to mess with. You two might end up dead too." Er Gou glared. "Want to try? I'll kill six of you by myself, and I won't let any of you help! After killing the men, I'll take the women. You can't touch any of the twelve I haven't taken!" One-Eyed chuckled: "I don't have that kind of appetite. You can deal with the men. I'll handle the women. I've never raped and then killed anyone, but in a place like this, taking on six or seven of them shouldn't be a problem, right?" Little Fatty hesitated, stammering, "They...they're all tough to deal with, aren't they? Especially the one with the knife, I'm terrified just looking at him."

The leader frowned. "What principles does our line of work follow?" His voice was still soft, but his expression betrayed a hint of displeasure.

---Magpie Bridge Fairy

Reply [18]: The five disciples shuddered and said in unison: "We will not steal life, we will not accept rewards without merit, we will gain something for every loss, and we will not return empty-handed!"

—One should not steal from the dead, nor accept rewards without merit.

—Every loss has its gain; every effort will be rewarded.

The two sets of four principles of the Gentlemen's Tomb Raiding business are well-known to everyone, and can be summarized in these two sentences of twenty characters. These twenty characters are not difficult to memorize, which explains why the five disciples recited them in unison. However, what the principles are really like is a matter of principle. In this world, there are countless instances where what is "in principle" and what is "in reality" differ greatly. Whether the people of the Gentlemen's Tomb Raiding business can truly adhere to these principles is something that no one can say for sure.

But now that the leader had asked this question, it was clear he had already made a decision. Sure enough, after listening, he immediately asked again, "So, what should we do if we steal their belongings?"

The five disciples were taken aback.