Chapter 84 Suitable for Setting Off
Chapter 84 Suitable for Setting Off
"When did this happen?" the old man asked calmly.
Because he had promised to tell the old man about the Kunlun thumb ring, Zhu Yu had already reviewed the information beforehand. When the old man asked, Zhu Yu answered without hesitation: "About ten years ago, when I was only twelve or thirteen years old, it was my first time going into a tomb. I was both nervous and excited, and I looked at everything carefully, especially the people around me. That thumb ring was the Kunlun thumb ring!"
Ten years ago...
That doesn't match up; the incident happened decades ago.
Old Qu was slightly disappointed.
Although he had already anticipated this, he still felt disappointed that his efforts had come to nothing.
However, Zhu Yu hadn't been born for several decades, so he couldn't possibly know about things from earlier times. He was already content to have learned some clues about the Kunlun Ring from him.
"Tell me in detail," the old man said in a deep voice.
Zhu Yu nodded, not daring to be negligent.
I was deeply impressed by that thumb ring because going into tombs is risky. When we followed the Su Jin lineage into tombs, we always carried either basic tomb-going tools or things to save our lives.
But useless jewelry rings are never worn by anyone.
Firstly, it was cumbersome; secondly, there was the fear of losing it in the large tomb.
Especially rings and thumb rings.
One of the rings looked simple, but it actually had a very thin, extremely sharp steel wire wrapped inside. With enough force, it could easily take a person's head or even cut through rocks.
At that time, most of the jewelry rings that people wore were of this type.
At such a time, the Kunlun thumb ring stood out particularly conspicuously.
There are traps and dangers in the tomb. If such a jade ring were to be bumped or knocked, it would probably break. No one would bring such a thing into a tomb.
That's why I was so impressed with it.
The rule for tomb raiding at that time was to work in groups of five. I happened to be in the same group as that person. I was small and thin, and young, so I was good at digging. The person with the Kunlun thumb ring was wearing a mask. I hadn't seen his face, but I recognized his eyes.
There's a kind of thing that's very strange, very crazy, yet very restrained, all intricately intertwined.
It's scary.
He and I are both thin, and we walked together.
I'm a little afraid of him, so I try to make conversation.
He should have known that I was not from the Sujin lineage, but rather a villager from the neighborhood who knew nothing. So, half proud and half teasing, he said to me, "Little brother, this is the Kunlun thumb ring."
This is the first time I've heard this name.
I didn't know what was special about it, nor did I know why he brought it down; it would be a real shame if it broke.
His laughter was strange, with a twisted quality, but he told me that the Kunlun thumb ring was the most precious treasure of the Kunlun School. This small thumb ring was priceless, and I should not underestimate it; it had great uses.
Originating from the foot of Kunlun Mountain, it gathers the essence of heaven and earth and the treasures of the sun and moon. Carrying it will keep evil spirits away and poisonous insects at bay.
Evil spirits stay away, poisonous insects stay away—it suddenly dawned on me, isn't this exactly what those who go into tombs want most?
With this ring, you have the greatest protection!
Compared to other insect repellents and talismans, this Kunlun thumb ring is the most eye-catching item.
After he finished speaking, he made a shushing gesture at me: "Little guy, don't tell anyone else, or I'll kill you."
Upon hearing this, Grandpa Qu also frowned.
Zhu Yu swallowed hard; one could tell he still felt a chill run down his spine.
"Why didn't he kill you?" Old Master Qu asked directly.
Such a person must have a twisted personality; they wouldn't let someone who knows their secret live.
Zhu Yu sighed softly, "I don't know either. Besides, I felt that he took special care of me. Otherwise, given my age at the time, my lack of experience, my lack of experience in tomb raiding, and even my lack of ability to protect myself, I would have had no way to survive in the great tomb..."
At first I was a little afraid of him, but he warned me to stay close to him.
I could only do as he said, and indeed, it was visible to the naked eye that all kinds of poisonous insects in the tomb seemed to be deliberately staying away from us, and even the miasma seemed to be actively avoiding us.
I was stunned; it was the first time I had ever seen such a scene.
He smiled at me strangely and said, "See? I wasn't lying to you, was I? This is the Kunlun thumb ring. Little guy, follow me."
From that moment on, I truly believed it too.
The Kunlun thumb ring keeps evil spirits away and poisonous insects at bay; I still remember this saying.
Upon hearing this, the old man's already furrowed brows furrowed even more, as if he had suddenly thought of something.
Not wanting to disturb him, Zhu Yu didn't stop and continued speaking—
Although the process of going down into the tomb was thrilling, because I was with him, most of the time it was dangerous but safe, and even a bit boring.
Strangely, of the five of us, two of the other three with us had already died. I must have seen correctly; he could have saved them, but he didn't, as if he considered them a burden and preferred to watch them die. But when the big guy was in danger at the end, he helped him, and the big guy was extremely grateful to him.
Later, the three of us traveled together, and the big guy did all the dirty and hard work.
For example, moving stones to use as stepping stones, or even testing which mechanism in front is real...
I increasingly felt that he kept the big guy behind because he didn't want to get his hands dirty, but some work had to be done. So, we explored that tomb for a long time, while other groups made mistakes, triggered mechanisms, got poisoned, or had other accidents, but we successfully reached the final destination.
That's where I found a jade bracelet. I was overjoyed, thinking I could take it back to my grandfather. I only took that one thing with me...
The big man went through many hardships, even losing an arm while testing the mechanism, but when he saw the burial goods, he was so excited that he couldn't speak. He desperately tried to carry all the gold and silver jewelry into his arms, taking as much as he could. In the end, he couldn't leave the tomb because his greed was too great and too heavy, and he couldn't climb out.
And that person, after searching around, seemed to have finally found what he was looking for.
His smile was distorted and frightening, but you could also clearly feel that he was in a very good mood, indescribably good.
Later, as we were preparing to leave the tomb, he slipped something to me, saying that the Sujin lineage would not let me leave without taking anything, and would not even let me leave the tomb safely.
So I took some burial items with me, but not many.
He's the same as me.
Of the three of us, only the big guy had a full load.
I remember on the way back, he told me that he was happy today and wouldn't kill anyone. I was horrified. Then he reached out and patted my head gently, saying, "Youth is the best. Youth is full of vigor, and life is just beginning..."
I didn't understand what he meant, but I was terrified that he would kill me.
The people of the Sujin lineage were waiting outside the tomb, but no one came to meet us, so we couldn't get out.
I even think that he must have known that the Sujin lineage was a sect that specialized in tomb raiding, and that no matter what happened in the tomb, someone would always be there to help.
But if you go into the tomb with other people, who knows if someone will betray you in the end.
And so, I left the great tomb with him.
The big guy who helped us up got stuck at the entrance of the hole because he was carrying too much stuff, but he didn't want to throw it away.
Finally, Su Jin cut his rope.
Upon hearing this, the old man frowned again. Zhu Yu sighed softly, "The people of the Su Jin lineage say that those who are too greedy will one day betray Su Jin because of their greed. He has already lost an arm and is of little use, so it doesn't matter if he is not kept."
And so, the big guy remained forever in the tomb...
After the tomb raiding was over, we both handed over the treasures we had obtained from the tomb, and the Su Jin lineage let us go without any trouble.
I always felt that he wasn't from the Su Jin lineage, but I didn't dare to ask too much.
At that time, the Sujin lineage took away the things I handed over, but also confiscated my jade bracelet. They said that only disciples of the Sujin lineage could take one item as their own. I am not a disciple of Sujin. They were already saving my life by pulling me up. They didn't even mention letting me go down into the tomb.
Finally, they gave me five taels of silver and told me to leave.
Therefore, I am determined to take that jade bracelet back.
As I was leaving, I glanced at that person one last time, and he turned back to look at me too.
My intuition grew stronger that he wasn't a member of the Sujin lineage, and that he definitely wouldn't stay with the Sujin lineage.
He must have descended into countless tombs, always searching for what he was looking for, and it seems he finally found it that time...
When I looked back at him, he looked back at me too.
It was the same smile, but now it was sinister and terrifying, with an indescribable excitement. My whole being was somewhat ferocious, which I can't quite describe.
Actually, I noticed along the way that he seemed to sweat easily, especially his face, so he kept wiping his face and sweat. At the time, I didn't think anything of it because he was wearing a distorted mask. But the last time I saw him, he took off the mask halfway, revealing his face.
I still remember it to this day...
As Zhu Yu said this, he seemed to be shivering: "His face was quite handsome, like that of a seventeen or eighteen-year-old boy, but the moment the mask was removed, it suddenly turned red like a crab being put into a hot pot. The face was still the same face, but it looked like a ghost, extremely ferocious and terrifying..."
“I didn’t dare look anymore and quickly turned away, afraid he would notice. But when he took off his mask, I saw a scar on his right wrist that looked like a centipede, which was quite frightening. After returning from the tomb, I couldn’t sleep for a long time and had nightmares.”
"Later, I talked to my grandfather about the tomb raiding. When I did, he specifically told me not to mention it to anyone else, for fear of bringing disaster upon myself. Grandpa, that's all I know about the Kunlun thumb ring, without any secrets. I don't know if I can help you, but I've never seen that person since then."
This bizarre and fantastical experience, coupled with a touch of horror, is even stranger than tomb raiding itself.
The old man had seen countless people; Zhu Yu was not lying.
The secrets of the Kunlun thumb ring are not known to outsiders; they would only assume it is a token of the sect leader.
His master handed him the thumb ring, and he knew that what Zhu Yu said was true...
The Kunlun thumb ring was lost, and someone took it to a tomb.
Evil spirits stay away, poisonous insects linger.
Some people have set their sights on the Kunlun Sect.
The Kunlun Sect has a history of at least a hundred years, and even a single ring held by its leader is priceless.
Using it for tomb raiding is a terrible waste—it's utterly inappropriate, unless there's something in the tomb that can't be found anywhere else.
Zhu Yu said that this person was skilled in his actions and must have been repeatedly searching for something in the tomb; moreover, the value of this thing in his mind was far greater than that of the Kunlun thumb ring.
According to Zhu Yu, he finally found what he was looking for, so he was overjoyed.
This person must be crazy to do something like this...
"Who is he? What's his name?" Old Master Qu asked in a deep voice.
Zhu Yu said softly, "Senior, I didn't dare ask his name, but before leaving the tomb, I heard the Su Jin lineage call him Dong Fan. This should be a fake name, but if he used this name to infiltrate the Su Jin lineage, we should still be able to find some clues."
The old man's eyes dimmed.
Zhu Yu continued, "There's one more thing. The old senior often wiped his sweat, so he would wrap his silk handkerchief around his palms and his neck would also sweat, but he would only let a little bit of it show to wipe it. Just before leaving the tomb, the rope was turned around and it happened to snag on his collar. I saw that there seemed to be words carved on the right side of his neck."
Engraving?
The old man fell into thought.
"I was too far away, and I didn't dare stare at him for too long. I couldn't make out the characters, but there were roughly two, and below them seemed to be a floral pattern, very compact and blurry. That's all I remember." Zhu Yu had finished speaking, sharing everything he knew. "I don't know if this will help you, senior, but this person is probably very dangerous..."
Zhu Yu gave a final reminder.
She unfollowed him and looked at him, understanding Zhu Yu's concerns.
Someone who can infiltrate the Kunlun Sect and steal the Kunlun Ring right under everyone's noses must be dangerous, and also incredibly skilled.
My master died at the hands of this man.
He wants to investigate this matter thoroughly, and he wants to get to the bottom of it!
"You should have already investigated the casinos of the Su Jin lineage in Guancheng..." Old Master Qu looked at him.
Zhu Yu nodded blankly: "Yes."
Otherwise, I wouldn't know how to dig a tunnel to get there.
"Alright. You'll come back to the pass with me." The old man said decisively.
Zhu Yu: "..."
"I want the list in Jin's hands." Judging from the old man's grim expression, it was as if the person he considered his mortal enemy was hiding in that casino in Guancheng.
"Grandpa?" Bai Cen was the most alert. He noticed from afar that the old man's expression was not quite right, so he stopped what he was doing and went over.
Furthermore, the old man must have only told him why he was willing to go to Guancheng!
He knew what the old man was looking for.
Weng He also raised his eyes slightly, his gaze towards unfollowing someone rarely so sharp.
The last time was when they parted ways in the capital.
"Old Qu?" Weng He stood up.
The old man didn't say much, and Weng He looked at him and Zhu Yu with some concern.
Zhu Yu was clearly grabbed and thrown onto another horse.
Liu Zhaoting and Liu Che, unaware of what had happened, also stopped. At first, they thought Zhu Yu had angered the old man, but upon closer inspection, they realized that wasn't the case.
Wang Sumo also came out of the kitchen: "Grandpa?"
I looked over there with some concern.
"Girl, I'll be right back." The old man untied the reins without hesitation.
Bai Cen knew Wang Sumo was worried, and also knew what the old man's expression was related to. Bai Cen cleverly said, "Don't worry, I'll go with the old man and Zhu Yu. I'll act according to the situation."
Wang Sumo looked at him, and he nodded, indicating that she should not worry.
Elsewhere, the old man and Zhu Yu had already mounted their horses and were galloping into the night.
Bai Cen quickly untied the reins, mounted a horse, and chased after them.
Bai Cen followed, and Wang Sumo felt a little relieved. She knew that the old man wouldn't take Zhu Yu and ride away in the middle of the night for no reason.
"Let him be. He knows what he's doing." Weng He crossed his arms, but he was the most relaxed one around. He had known Lao Qu for too many years; if it wasn't something worth risking his life for, Lao Qu wouldn't do that…
Wang Sumo looked at Old Master Weng, who yawned slightly: "Go to sleep. He'll be back before dawn. Old Master Weng is a man of his word. Even with a broken leg, he'd still come back on time."
However, Wang Sumo was still stunned by Old Master Weng's description: "..."
Zhao Tong is on night duty tonight; everyone else has gone to sleep.
Zhao Tong stayed by the fire.
Liu Che had also fallen asleep. Liu Zhaoting stepped forward and whispered, "What do you think of the design of this set of knives, Alliance Leader Zhao?"
Zhao Tong took it and looked at it carefully for a few moments.
Old Liu and his son put in a lot of effort. He just didn't like talking to most people around him before, but that didn't mean he didn't know manners.
Old Liu and his son were among the first group of martial arts figures he met after arriving at Bazhenlou; it was a start.
"Okay, thanks."
Old Liu was surprised. Everyone said that Zhao Tong of the Rakshasa Alliance was a cold-blooded, ruthless killer, but many people and things were not as they seemed until he actually came into contact with them.
"Alliance Leader Zhao, you're too kind. It's my son and I who should be thanking you," Liu Zhaoting said, fully aware of the situation.
"Old Liu, when you were disguised as Zhu Weng before, you mentioned the Marrow Cleansing Technique to the master. Did Zhu Weng tell you about it?" Zhao Tong asked.
Liu Zhaoting didn't know why he was interested in this part, but if asked specifically, he would probably find out.
Liu Zhaoting nodded: "Old Zhu treated me like family and often talked to me about the lineage of the Jin dynasty and the tomb raiding. That's why I was able to use these things to deceive Miss Wang and the others. I'm really sorry."
Liu Zhaoting misunderstood.
Zhao Tong was concerned with something else: "I want to know about the marrow cleansing."
Liu Zhaoting then understood: "Alliance Leader Zhao is referring to the time ten years ago when the Su Jin lineage sent Elder Zhu down into the tomb, saying that there was a marrow cleansing technique?"
Zhao Tong nodded.
His master performed the marrow cleansing on him a long time ago, more than ten years ago, so the timeline doesn't match up. But he wanted to hear more about the marrow cleansing technique.
Liu Zhaoting nodded: "Old Zhu did tell me that the method of marrow cleansing can transform a person, turning an ordinary person into a martial arts prodigy; top masters, in order to reach the pinnacle, may gamble and become a cripple."
"Over a hundred years ago, there was a period when the method of marrow cleansing was very popular, and many people in the martial arts world were eager to obtain it. Once they obtained it, they did not want others to obtain it. Later, the method of marrow cleansing disappeared from the martial arts world."
"It's been rumored in the martial arts world that the Marrow Cleansing Technique has been dismantled and hidden in various places, while a complete version is also hidden in a large tomb. Therefore, among the sects that go down into the tomb, besides the Su Jin lineage, there are also some martial artists who study this technique. There are even madmen who spend their entire lives searching for this thing. Alliance Leader Zhao, are you interested in the Marrow Cleansing Technique?" Liu Zhaoting asked in surprise.
Zhao Tong shook his head; he was simply curious about the origin of the story.
Liu Zhaoting breathed a sigh of relief: "That's good. Actually, if you think about it carefully, the method of marrow cleansing is like reversing the heavenly order. For every gain, there is a loss. To bear something, you have to give something in return. It's not that easy."
Zhao Tong remained silent, but he knew Old Liu was right. He had gained the innate talent of a martial arts prodigy, but lost everything that made him Zhao Tong: his face, appearance, voice, even his personality…
This kind of thing should indeed disappear.
Zhao Tong threw the firewood in his hand into the fire. The flames flickered and hissed, as if burning everything to ashes.
*
As dawn approached, Wang Sumo sat up in the hammock, thinking of the old man and Bai Cen, and seemed to wake up naturally.
As dawn broke, Grandpa Weng began practicing the Eight Pieces of Brocade, while Zhao Tong returned from his "Weiwu" walk and started cooking breakfast.
Liu Zhaoting and his son Liu Che had just woken up.
Wang Sumo also got off the hammock, doing some refreshing exercises while absentmindedly looking into the distance.
Suddenly, Zhao Tong, who was cooking porridge, stopped what he was doing and focused on looking ahead. Wang Sumo followed his gaze and saw three riders emerging from the morning light, as if they were bathed in golden light.
Wang Sumo felt a slight sense of relief, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously turned up slightly.
As usual, he started his daily, rambling "wake-up exercise."
She wants to live to ninety-nine and find all the hidden ingredients in "The Tale of Delicacies". This morning, as dawn breaks and birdsong fills the countryside, it's the perfect time for Bazhenlou to set off in formal attire, resupplying in Liucun before opening for business.
The day for eating hairy crabs is getting closer...
[Author's Note]
Let's go! The next dungeon is on its way.
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