Chapter Twenty-Two: The Lure of Treasure

Everything had gone terribly wrong. Fang Qing concluded with a heavy heart.

“At least we still have one last card to play,” Ding Jun said as he added two pieces of charcoal to the stove and securely covered it.

Those who issued the death warrant intended to kill three people; they would not change their minds halfway. As long as the baby was not born, they could seize the final opportunity, setting a trap with the infant as bait and launching a desperate counterattack.

“But have you considered that even Uncle Shi has disappeared? Who exactly are we fighting for?” Fang Qing asked with a bitter smile.

Since returning, she had been pacing restlessly around the room, unable to settle. This question seemed to weigh on everyone’s mind.

Ding Jun replied calmly, “We fight for the justice and truth in our hearts, not for any particular individual.”

Just as the Delta Force’s battle philosophy insists, every person and every team fights for justice and truth—not for the President of the United States, the Pentagon leaders, or the nation itself. Humanity’s existence on this planet depends on justice and truth. Soldiers, civilians, the elderly, children, men, and women all have an obligation to defend these values; otherwise, the death knell for all humankind will toll.

Fang Qing pressed on, “At this moment, what exactly is justice and truth? The words of the resurrected one revealed another side of Uncle Shi—he was willing to sacrifice even his own wife to extract the secrets from the ancient Guge emissary’s heart. Now, with the Guge people coming to seek revenge, who truly stands on the side of justice?”

This was precisely the age-old dilemma that had tormented the Chinese for five thousand years: endless cycles of revenge passed down from generation to generation, like two interlocking gears perpetually out of sync, never balancing each other out.

“The baby is innocent; he is Shi Hai’s only flesh and blood,” Ding Jun said firmly.

Fang Qing took a deep breath and spoke deliberately, word by word: “Have you forgotten? I saw the ‘Vessel of Ten Thousand Worms’ in Si Qin’s eyes. If that baby is a product cultivated by the ‘Vessel of Ten Thousand Worms,’ can you truly say he is innocent?”

Ding Jun pointed to the wooden stool opposite the stove and said softly, “Why not sit down and tell me slowly? Too much has happened tonight. If we cannot calm ourselves and suppress our emotions, allowing them to run wild, it will only lead to the inevitable downfall of a ‘bowstring worn to its end failing to pierce silk.’ In that case, what chance do we have left to fight the enemy to the end?”

Fang Qing stopped pacing and leaned against the doorframe, covering her face with both hands, standing motionless for a long while.

A faint pop from the charcoal in the stove broke the silence in the room.

“May I lean on your shoulder for a moment?” Fang Qing choked back tears as she asked.

Ding Jun stepped forward; they stood face to face. Fang Qing suddenly leaned in, resting her chin against Ding Jun’s chest, quietly sobbing.

How long they remained like that, no one knew, until footsteps sounded outside the door.

Knock, knock—someone rapped gently. It was the voice of Master Zhu: “Mr. Ding, are you asleep? May I have a moment to speak with you?”

Startled, Fang Qing pushed herself lightly off Ding Jun and stepped aside.

Ding Jun called through the door, “What’s the matter? Can it wait until tomorrow?”

Master Zhu sighed repeatedly: “Tomorrow... tomorrow I plan to leave Toling Monastery. If I don’t speak tonight, I won’t have another chance. If it’s convenient, just five minutes—I promise not to bother you longer.”

Ding Jun opened the door and stepped out, closing it firmly behind him. At this late hour, he was unwilling to give anyone an excuse to speak ill of Fang Qing.

Master Zhu stood at the bottom of the steps, folding his hands anxiously, his lips covered with small blisters.

“Mr. Ding, let’s talk outside,” he urged, hastily leading the way.

Ding Jun followed slowly, ensuring no anomalies in their surroundings before catching up and stopping just outside the courtyard gate.

“Mr. Ding, I know you’re an expert. I have a good business opportunity and want to invite you to join. Are you interested?” Master Zhu got straight to the point.

Ding Jun asked, “What kind of business?”

Master Zhu bit his lip and said, “To be direct, I’ve received intelligence that deep within the snowy mountains lies a priceless gemstone. Someone overseas is offering hundreds of millions of dollars for it. If we find it, our families won’t have to toil for generations. I came here with three companions intending to seize the chance, but as you saw, Uncle Li and Master Qin died tragically, and Mrs. Ge disappeared. I need a partner. Let’s work together and split the profits fifty-fifty. What do you say?”

Ding Jun now understood just how greedy Master Zhu was—ostensibly supporting the Stone Master but secretly harboring his own agenda. The deaths of the others had not deterred Zhu but only intensified his greed, revealing his true colors.

“Sorry, I’m not interested,” Ding Jun shook his head.

Toling Monastery was a renowned Tibetan Buddhist temple. Those who came here should be pilgrims with pure hearts. People like Master Zhu had already tarnished this sacred place.

“Don’t reject me so quickly! If you knew the gem’s name, you’d be tempted! It’s the legendary ‘Heart of the Holy Infant’! Did you hear me? The gem said to grant the power of ancient Guge! I’m one hundred percent sincere, Mr. Ding. Just nod, and this matter will be settled!” Zhu grew desperate, revealing his final trump card.

Ding Jun was startled but kept his expression unreadable.

Thinking Ding Jun still hesitated, Zhu laid his cards on the table: “Mr. Ding, Toling Monastery is the most famous ancient temple on the Tibetan border and the last foothold for adventurers entering the western mountains. There must be treasures here. Let’s take advantage of the chaos now—you keep watch, I search. Close cooperation, mutual wealth. How about it?”

Ding Jun pondered briefly, then shook his head again: “Thank you for the offer, but I’m not interested in treasures. Find someone else to partner with.”

As he turned to leave, Zhu’s right hand, concealed in his sleeve, suddenly revealed a dark pistol. Before Zhu could utter a word, Ding Jun closed the distance swiftly, pressing a finger on the magazine release. The magazine silently dropped into his hand. With four fingers sliding over the gun’s top, the barrel disassembled into useless parts.

“Don’t force me,” Ding Jun sneered, raising his hands and tossing the dismantled pieces into the shadows.

As the king of solo combat, few could threaten him with firearms. Such an attempt was as futile as a baby trying to kill a giant with a toothpick.

“Mr. Ding, please reconsider. This gem is extraordinary. Just say yes, and we’ll get hundreds of millions... I mean hundreds of millions of dollars. Think about how huge that sum is!” Zhu refused to give up.

Ding Jun shook his head and returned to the courtyard. With a teammate like Zhu—a wolf in sheep’s clothing—he’d likely have a life full of money but no life left to spend it.

Fang Qing sat by the stove deep in thought, her cheeks still streaked with tears.

“Master Zhu was trying to recruit you, wasn’t he?” she asked as Ding Jun entered and closed the door.

Ding Jun answered thoughtfully, “Yes, but he also gave a more shocking piece of news: the ‘Heart of the Holy Infant’ lies deep within the snowy mountains, and Toling Monastery hides a treasure. Do you think that’s credible?”

Fang Qing shook her head. “It’s unlikely. Toling Monastery is an ancient temple on the Tibetan border. Those who enter to cultivate are virtuous monks who have abandoned selfish desires. Neither gems nor treasures would tempt them. There has never been any sign of valuables inside.”

Ding Jun sat down, lightly tapping his knees. The chill of the Tibetan night was biting; he felt his knees stiffening as he curled his legs. He also thought that if the Stone Master had been taken away injured, the cold would only worsen his condition.

At this moment, he reckoned that Master Zhu was probably already sneaking around Toling Monastery at night, searching for those unknown treasures.

There were no night-watch monks at Toling. Zhu could search freely, but Ding Jun firmly believed no treasure would be found—only Buddhist thangkas, worth little.

“From what the resurrected one said about the Stone family’s past, I thought of something I’ve never told anyone. The night is long—would you like to hear it?” Fang Qing’s eyes revealed a faint sorrow.

Ding Jun nodded.

“Men are fickle. Loving someone always has an ulterior motive. Sometimes, men are skilled at deceiving women’s affections to achieve deeper ends—like Uncle Shi did. What I want to say concerns my brother, Fang Qianqi, but he’s different from Uncle Shi; his love was unfaithful.

“When young, my brother went to southern Taiwan to explore the uncivilized territory of the Puyuma tribe. There, he met a tribal princess, fell in love at first sight, and married her—she became my sister-in-law. But after only a year, my brother grew tired and, during an expedition near Tibet, fell for a mysterious woman. He became obsessed, neglecting everything, lingering in Tibet for over three years searching fruitlessly.

“When he returned to Hong Kong, he immediately separated from my sister-in-law, claiming he would remain faithful to that mysterious woman. He loved his sister-in-law first but met the other woman later—and boldly abandoned the former for the latter. Isn’t that the root flaw in all men?”

These were family secrets of the Fang family, unknown to outsiders.

Ding Jun knew only that Fang Qianqi’s wife, a Puyuma princess, was extraordinarily beautiful, and her dowry was worth at least fifty million Hong Kong dollars. Their love story spread across Taiwan and Hong Kong, even adapted into a royal true-love film by a production company.

Love between men and women is ever-changing and complex. No one can fully grasp its intricate, tangled beginnings and ends—even the wisest can only know the facts without understanding the reasons.

Seeing my brother and sister-in-law like this, I’ve grown somewhat pessimistic about worldly love. Look, even good men like Uncle Shi have shameful pasts that affect their descendants. He said many times that the women he met came from the most mysterious women’s city near Tibet—where each woman is as beautiful as a goddess—and the one he loved was the most beautiful of all, the fairy among fairies in that city.

Ding Jun’s heart suddenly stirred. He recalled Ruan Feng’s retelling of Qinglong’s words—the women's city was connected to Guge.

Legend has it that the women's city is a place inhabited only by women, no men—the Daughter Kingdom from the classic “Journey to the West.” This city is hidden deep within the western mountains beyond Tibet, unreachable by ordinary people. The women there are elusive, seldom interacting with the outside world; outsiders only hear hearsay.