Chapter 75: A Narrow Escape from Death

Guan Wen regained his senses and looked up at Gu Qingcheng as she cut down the venomous snakes. His gratitude was so overwhelming that words failed him. Deep within his heart, he silently swore: If we survive this ordeal, I will repay her with my life. That will never change.

“Hey, looks like we’re all going to die together this time! Guan Wen, wake Bao Ling and see whether she has any last words to leave behind—” Gu Qingcheng could no longer remain composed.

Of the three of them, she alone was a brave and seasoned bounty hunter. The other two were ordinary people, utterly incapable of defending themselves. Thus, she had to bear the full burden of resisting the danger and protecting them both.

Bao Ling had already awakened, but she was barely alive. Even speaking had become an effort, her voice weak and feeble.

“In my dream… I opened the seal. It was the dream-soul seal of Princess Chuzun of Nepal and… Princess Wencheng of the Great Tang… Inside it was hidden the secret to banishing demons… We must take it back… take it back for research. Then we can surely accomplish our goal. In my dream… I saw them. It was so wonderful… that world was so wonderful. They were true… fearless sages, sages who sought no personal gain…”

Guan Wen held her in his arms, his heart torn with anguish, yet powerless to do anything.

Suddenly, two tears fell onto Bao Ling’s face.

“You… you’re crying? Crying for me… Don’t cry, don’t cry… I’m fine. I’ll definitely be fine… The great cause of demon-slaying has not yet succeeded. I can’t die…”

Bao Ling’s head lolled to one side, and she fainted without a sound.

“Little Huo—Little Huo—think of something! Think of something!” Gu Qingcheng shouted toward the sky while continuing to swing her blade. She sliced the venomous snakes dropping from above as effortlessly as a chef chopping vegetables.

“Take the tortoise shell from inside the white bronze pillar. Even if there’s only the faintest chance of survival, I’ll get you out of here,” Gu Qingcheng ordered loudly.

Guan Wen leaned forward, took out the tortoise shell, and placed it in a pocket close to his body.

“Guan Wen, I want to tell you something. If I don’t say it now, I may never have the chance again. I think… I think I may have fallen in love with you. Never before has any man haunted my thoughts so deeply, or made me unable to let go. I came to Tibet to hunt down Jin Chan, an agent of the Azure Dragon Society. Originally, I planned to stay only two months. I never expected to meet you. Perhaps this is what the masters of occult arts call fate. When I jumped down from above just now, I wanted to exchange my life for yours. Since I’ve fallen in love with you, I have to accept my fate. Whether or not you love me, I would still do it—and I would have no regrets.”

As Gu Qingcheng spoke, she sighed again and again. This love had come too late, yet would vanish too soon, like a rainbow’s reflection after rain or a bird’s fleeting trace upon snow.

Guan Wen sighed and answered in a low voice, “What you did for me today, I would do for you if you ever faced danger in the future. What you said today is what I’ve wanted to say as well. When we first met, I thought I was only an ordinary man, someone who could never be worthy of you…”

He had noticed the fervent way Little Huo secretly looked at Gu Qingcheng. It had made his feelings obvious. Guan Wen had once believed that Gu Qingcheng and Little Huo were both eagles soaring above the snowy plateau, and that they were the pair truly suited to each other.

“Don’t say anything more. Knowing how you feel is enough to make me happy—truly happy. Ha ha ha…” Gu Qingcheng burst into laughter, her blade moving even faster.

“Congratulations… congratulations…” Bao Ling’s lips moved weakly as she murmured in a daze.

Guan Wen’s heart ached. He knew that the two young women held almost exactly the same place in his heart. He could not bear to part with either of them. If they all died here together, it would be a tragedy beyond measure.

Suddenly, three explosive bangs came from the outer wall of the cavern. The glass shattered, and the circular formation of snakes lost its support on the outside. The mass scattered in every direction. Within a few minutes, the snakes had vanished without a trace, fleeing into the immeasurable depths beneath the earth.

Estates like the Summer Palace all had intricate drainage systems beneath them, leading to distant waterways. Moreover, if Kalle had deliberately developed the place, he would certainly have dug multiple underground chambers for breeding venomous snakes. Eradicating every last one of them had become impossible. The damage this would cause to the local ecosystem was incalculable.

Gu Qingcheng stopped swinging her blade. Panting heavily, she bent over and braced herself against the ground with the tip of her kukri.

“All right, all right… it’s over… We’re safe…”

The battle had shifted back and forth in a manner both perilous and tortuous. Several times, they had nearly fallen into Kalle’s deadly traps. Fortunately, Gu Qingcheng had held on with all her strength, and they had finally broken through.

From the darkness on the right, Little Huo emerged, dragging Kalle behind him. He carried an assault rifle, and his face was covered in cold sweat.

“Miss Gu, I’m sorry you were frightened. The mechanism failed just now, and there was no way to raise the glass floor, so I had to use a crude method. I fired explosive fragmentation rounds into the outer wall and let the snakes escape. In any case, the Summer Palace has been abandoned for years. No innocent people will be endangered.”

Gu Qingcheng could not even speak. She forced herself to wave at Little Huo, then collapsed.

“Fortunately… I did not fail in my duty…” Her lips moved as she spoke her final words to Guan Wen.

The whole of the following day passed for Guan Wen in a hazy stupor.

He lay on a sofa, forcing himself not to sleep too deeply. Gu Qingcheng and Bao Ling lay on the two large beds before him. One had exhausted her mind and nearly drained her spirit trying to unravel the secrets of the white bronze pillar. The other had thrown herself into the circular snake pit to protect Guan Wen, expending every ounce of her strength.

Needles were inserted into the backs of both their hands. They received continuous intravenous infusions of antibiotics and glucose, which helped restore their strength, eliminate the snake venom, and nourish their bodies.

All Guan Wen could do was watch over them until they awakened safely.

The sun rose and set. By the evening of the second day, Little Huo appeared at the doorway on tiptoe and gestured for Guan Wen to come outside.

Guan Wen rose quietly, glanced back at the two women lying on the beds, and carefully closed the door behind him.

“Mr. Guan, let someone else stand watch for a while. Come out to the balcony and get some air,” Little Huo invited him with unusual courtesy.

They went to the west-facing balcony and gazed into the distance. A gray mist was drifting over from the Kathmandu Valley, and the oppressive sight weighed on them both.

“This time, I owe you an apology. I trusted Kalle when I shouldn’t have, and then put everyone in a hopeless situation. I’ll never forgive myself if Miss Gu doesn’t make it.” Little Huo slapped the railing, his face filled with remorse.

In truth, Guan Wen regretted it as well. In that complicated and treacherous environment, he had been unable to kill their powerful enemy or protect the woman he loved. He loved them both, yet when they needed rescue, he had been utterly helpless. In the end, they had survived only because of Little Huo.

He lowered his head and looked at his hands. Although he had not held a paintbrush in a long time, they remained the long-fingered, delicate-boned hands of an artist. They would never become the hands of a martial-world fighter accustomed to wielding knives and guns.

“Little Huo, we owe our survival to you. Don’t blame yourself. Coming to the Summer Palace was everyone’s decision,” he said.

Little Huo leaned against the railing in silence for a while. Then he suddenly shook his head.

“Well, Mr. Guan, I’ll be honest with you. I used to be very fond of Miss Gu because she was outstanding, beautiful, fearless, and free-spirited—a woman among women, rare in a thousand miles. I knew I wasn’t worthy of her, but I always held on to a fantasy. I thought that if I stayed by her side, quietly accompanied her, and helped her, she might eventually develop feelings for me. But yesterday, when she jumped into the snake pit to save you, my dream shattered. She may regard me as a friend, but that is all I will ever be. I’ll never have the chance to go any further. Well, a shattered dream is a good thing. From this moment on, love is no longer part of my life.”

He was a young man whose reason bordered on cruelty. When he spoke of loving Gu Qingcheng, his eyes had been filled with torment, as though a knife were twisting through his organs. When he said that he would no longer love her, his gaze became calm and composed once more. He had returned to being that cold-blooded killer sealed off from every realm of emotion.

“She loves you and is willing to give her life for you. Congratulations.” Little Huo smiled faintly and extended his hand toward Guan Wen. “Now, we have some real business to attend to.”

The “real business” was interrogating Kalle, and they did so on the balcony overlooking the scenery. During the day Guan Wen had spent unconscious, Little Huo had already made a phone call and summoned twenty companions from Kathmandu. They had taken complete control of the Summer Palace.

Kalle still appeared utterly unafraid. He stood there carelessly, occasionally shaking his arms and making the handcuffs around his wrists rattle loudly.

“Why don’t you tell us something?” Little Huo asked with an absentminded smile.

“What is there to say? The victor becomes king and the defeated becomes a criminal. A tiger fallen on the plain is no longer feared. What else is there to discuss?” Kalle tilted his head and cast Little Huo a provocative sidelong glance.

“Tell us about your plans. Tell us what you wanted from Miss Bao Ling. Tell us the origins of the globe and the white bronze pillar. Tell us about the Azure Dragon Society’s plans. There is plenty to talk about, if you are willing. Kalle, we used to be friends. Don’t force me to do something excessive.” Little Huo’s voice was sincere.

“You probably don’t know this, but within seventy-two hours of our entering the villa, if I fail to send a signal confirming success, my people will attack from every direction and resolve the matter by force. Take a look at the time. How much longer do we have? Little Huo, I’ll give you a chance to change sides. Think about it. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if we dealt with this fellow together? The lock on White Bronze Pillar Mountain has already been opened. Soon we’ll decipher the tortoise-shell code, return to Mount Niseri, and find the great treasure of Tibetan Buddhism…”

Kalle showed no fear whatsoever. Instead, he had begun trying to persuade Little Huo to join him.

“Is the tortoise shell the clue that leads to the treasure? Kalle, I have a question. It is said that the Azure Dragon Society is backed by Europe’s three great financial consortiums and the world’s two largest criminal organizations. Can you really be short of money? Would you care about the treasure of Tashilhunpo Monastery? Now that things have come this far, are you still unwilling to reveal the Azure Dragon Society’s true objective?” Little Huo asked.

Kalle gave an evil grin.

“I only want the treasure. I don’t know anything else.”

“Master Tang Jue.” Little Huo suddenly called out a name.

Kalle stiffened. “Who are you calling? Me?”

Little Huo nodded.

“Of course. Who else? The last—and most powerful—of the Eight Divine Generals of the Tang Clan of Shu: the eighth son, Tang Jue.”

Kalle froze. He stared at Little Huo for a long time, then slowly lowered his head.

Little Huo let out a quiet breath of relief. Interrogation was an intense battle on the level of the spirit. If one could overwhelm the opponent at the outset and destroy his psychological defenses, everything afterward became much easier.

“You really are Tang Jue. I knew I was right.” Little Huo clenched his fists and paced around Kalle several times, his brows drawn tightly together.

“Little Huo, I admit defeat. I accept that I’ve fallen into your hands,” Kalle said.

“You almost succeeded. You shackled me and Miss Gu, imprisoned Mr. Guan and Miss Bao Ling, and if you hadn’t been so greedy, all four of us would have died without a trace. It doesn’t bear thinking about.” Little Huo sighed deeply. After all, they had come from Tashilhunpo Monastery with such a venomous snake hiding among them. The thought alone made his blood run cold.

Kalle seemed lost in thought.

“Greedy? Is there anyone in this world who isn’t greedy? Money, power, territory—the more, the better. Who would ever think they had enough? Little Huo, have you ever considered this? I went to such trouble to bring you here. Did you really think things would end so simply?”

His voice carried an indescribable evil. The young and handsome face he had once possessed twisted violently, as though an evil spirit were writhing inside his fleshly shell.

“Kalle, we used to be friends. If you turn back before it is too late, I will not make things difficult for you. Once we return to the Zhangmu border crossing, I’ll set you free,” Little Huo said.

Kalle let out a string of bizarre laughs.

“Not make things difficult for me? Then should I thank you? But do you really think there is still a chance for you to leave the Summer Palace alive?”

He raised both hands and pointed toward the northwest.

“Little Huo, look at that dark pine forest. It marks the starting point of an occult formation. If you had arrived by helicopter and looked down upon the Summer Palace from the air, you would clearly have seen that the estate is surrounded by a vast ring composed of pine woods in eight colors and eight shapes. It is divided into eight gates: Rest, Harm, Life, Obstruction, Scenery, Death, Alarm, and Opening. The formation originated from the ancient Chinese art of the Eight Trigrams, but the one I created is a new variety, reinterpreted once by Japanese sages and blended a third time by Thai sages. Its existence is the essential foundation for one of the Tang Clan’s most vital venom arts…”

Little Huo’s expression changed. He covered the left side of his chest with his right hand, forcing the words through clenched teeth.

“You placed a venom curse on us?”

“Yes.” The muscles in Kalle’s cheeks knotted and trembled.

“I was too careless!” Little Huo staggered backward. Suddenly, he raised his head toward the sky.

“Mr. Guan, look up! Look at the sky!”

Guan Wen lifted his head. A massive black cloud descended from above, swiftly enveloping them and the entire Summer Palace.

“Little Huo, I did indeed place a venom curse on you. It is the supreme secret art of the Tang Clan, a forbidden technique I have studied for twenty years: the Eightfold Heavenly Dragon, Eight Births and Eight Deaths.”

Kalle laughed maliciously.

“All the reversals of victory and defeat along our journey were merely preparations for the Eightfold Heavenly Dragon, Eight Births and Eight Deaths. Now that the external forces have been arranged, my preparations are complete. We can formally proceed to the next stage and excavate every secret from the minds of those three. You were right about one thing just now. The Azure Dragon Society concerns itself with the movements of the world. We recently obtained several tons of gold from the pyramids of Egypt. Why would we care about some insignificant treasure? What we want is the secret hidden within the Demon-Subduing Map of Tibet. Ha ha ha…”

Guan Wen felt his heart pounding violently. The scenery before his eyes seemed to rush toward him, then recede into the distance.

“Don’t hurt… Bao Ling and Qingcheng…”

Leaning against the railing, he clutched his chest and watched helplessly as Little Huo toppled backward, rigid as a plank.

“Hurt them? Of course not. They are the keys to opening the gate of Mount Niseri. They are treasures of the Azure Dragon Society…”

Kalle’s laughter drew nearer and grew more piercing.

Guan Wen’s legs felt as though they had been filled with lead. The black cloud swept over him and constricted his throat. He could not move. He could not call out.

“Where is that tortoise shell? Give it to me. It is the only key to deciphering the scroll of history. Ha ha ha…”

Kalle reached toward him, his hand like the palm of a giant spirit, leaving Guan Wen no strength to resist.

“Bao Ling… Qingcheng…”

Before he lost consciousness and sank into the clouds, Guan Wen silently repeated the names of the two people he was most unable to leave behind.