Chapter 250: Flight

I first had Old Qian help me steady the two flashlights, which were beginning to dim. Using the ring of starlight shadows they cast, I constructed a coordinate system in my mind. With this system, I could pinpoint the vertical and horizontal positions of each star.

After a quick survey, I knelt on the ground and opened my tool kit. I pulled out a curved Cloud-Probing Needle. This needle was specialized, featuring a small spring at the tip that allowed it to automatically expand and contract once inside a keyhole. I used two small wrenches to wedge open the Nine-Ring Jade Casket’s keyhole, widening it just enough to slide the needle inside.

According to the internal diagrams, once the needle head expanded, moving it a few centimeters to the right would bring it into contact with the first ball bearing. Following the ancient custom of working from right to left, I began to manipulate the bearings one by one, matching them to the celestial stars projected on the wall.

The ball bearings inside the Nine-Ring Jade Casket were incredibly small, and the tracks were exceptionally slick. Every so often along the tracks, there was a shallow notch. The casket would only open if the bearings dropped into the correct notches; a single mistake would lock it forever.

I was tense. Even though my fingers were trained to remain perfectly steady, I was still incredibly nervous. Seeing my state, Old Qian was just as anxious. The height required to keep the focal point sharp and the shadows clear was awkward, forcing him to remain frozen in a deep horse stance beside me, not daring to move a muscle.

Guided by the coordinate system in my mind, my heart gave an involuntary thud every time I moved a bearing. By the time the eighth bearing dropped into its notch, I was drenched in sweat.

I had no idea how many hours had passed. We had spent the entire time either in a state of terror or on the run, and I hadn’t had a single drop of water. Kneeling on the ground for so long in such a strained position made my vision swim in waves of dizziness.

“Young Master, do you need a break? You don’t look well,” Old Qian said. His legs were shaking, but he was clearly able to hold out.

I was about to agree to a rest when two gunshots rang out from the other side of the iron chain bridge. The sound jolted me into a state of semi-alertness. He Yu was the first to come charging across the bridge, the chains clattering loudly under his boots. He shouted as he ran:

“Gan Ji! They’re breaking through! Are you done yet? We need to get out of here now!”

I didn’t have time to look again. This thousand-year-old casket might only offer this one chance to be opened, and I couldn’t let it slip away. I quickly memorized the positions of the last two bearings and pushed the Cloud-Probing Needle deeper.

Suddenly, a massive boom shook the entire cavern. This time, it didn’t sound like a gunshot. Those bastards were truly ruthless; they had actually brought explosives into the tomb!

Old Qian ducked to avoid stray bullets, his flashlight wobbling wildly. He yelled, “Young Master! Let’s go!”

“Give me one more minute!”

I was close to the stone coffin. Several bullets struck the outer sarcophagus, the slugs falling right at my feet. I pushed the final bearing into its notch. With a crisp click, the upper lock of the Nine-Ring mechanism snapped open, followed immediately by the lower lock. The entire Nine-Ring assembly fell away from the casket.

With trembling hands, I scrambled to remove the rings and flipped the lid of the Nine-Ring Jade Casket. There were no priceless treasures inside, only a square, interlocking bronze block and the other half of the Burial Bone Testament. However, the parchment felt slightly different to the touch.

When joined together, the two pieces formed the complete Burial Bone Testament. Just as I was about to grab the items and stand up, I saw a figure lunging at me from the corner of my eye. He tackled me hard, pinning me to the ground.

I looked closely and saw it was Tian Xiao. His face was mottled with blood. He shielded me with his body and asked, “Is the casket open?”

“It’s open, it’s open! Elder, how do we get out of here?” I asked frantically.

He gave me a faint smile. The tension that had kept him taut seemed to snap in that moment, replaced by a sense of relief. “Good. As long as you have it. You must get that thing out of here. There’s a narrow path on the right cliff wall. Go that way.”

As he spoke, I watched blood trickle uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth. I immediately slid my left hand onto his back; my palm came away soaked. His back was riddled with bullet holes. My heart sank as I looked at my blood-stained hand, realizing he had lunged over me to shield me from the gunfire.

I quickly rolled over, swapping positions with Tian Xiao until we were both huddled beneath the Warding Mirror at the end of the stone coffin.

Tian Xiao’s consciousness was already beginning to fade. I shouted for help. “He Yu! Tian Xiao’s been hit! There’s a path on the right cliff wall, cover us while we retreat!”

I shook the elder vigorously to keep him awake, then hauled him onto my back. I used the multi-purpose belt at my waist to lash us together. “Elder! Hang on! Tian Xiaoqi is still waiting for you back at the Tian house! You have to hold on, I’m carrying you out!”

Tian Xiao slumped against my back, his breath weak. “Gan Ji… take good care of the girl for me. You all… must live on…”

I locked my eyes on the masked men on the bridge and shouted to He Yu, who was closest to the chains, “Break the damn bridge!”

“On it!”

He Yu fired several shots at the thin iron chains anchoring the bridge. After countless centuries, the metal was brittle; the thin links shattered instantly. The bridge lurched, tilting precariously. I scrambled to pull Old Qian toward the narrow path along the cliff. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the leader—the one who had held me at gunpoint earlier—grab a tilting chain, hook his leg around it, and flip himself upward.

In an instant, the group of masked men followed suit, vaulting onto the remaining chains and charging toward us.

“Holy shit!” He Yu yelled. “Those guys are pros! We’d better run!”

We only had He Yu’s single gun. Although the Underworld Hall wasn’t far from the cliff wall, reaching it unscathed was going to be incredibly difficult. I hadn’t run more than a few steps when a sharp pain flared in my right leg. With Tian Xiao’s weight pressing down on me, my leg nearly gave way, and I almost collapsed onto the narrow, half-meter-wide ledge.

Old Qian was ahead of me. He turned back to help, but a hail of bullets forced him back. He nearly lost his footing and tumbled off the cliff.

I looked up. The leader’s gun was leveled directly at me. The three of us came to a dead halt.

I whispered to He Yu, “How many bullets do we have left?”

He Yu had even thrown his gun away. “It’s over. I don’t even have a suicide grenade left.”

Blood had already begun to seep from my leg. I gritted my teeth and tried to press forward, but the moment I stepped out with my left leg, another bullet slammed into the rock wall in front of me.

“Stop right there, and I’ll leave your bodies intact,” the leader said, standing on the bridge while gripping the iron chain. As soon as he spoke, the guns across from us ceased fire in unison. Everyone seemed to be waiting for my decision.

Our situation was utterly desperate. Dozens of dark muzzles were aimed straight at our heads. I knew that with a single command from that leader, they could turn the three of us into sieves. We were pinned against the center of the rock wall, unable to advance or retreat, with the roaring glacial meltwater churning below. I knew I needed to buy more time.

“Let the two of them go,” I called out to the leader.

The leader chuckled. “You aren’t in a position to negotiate with me.”

I hoped for a chance to turn things around. “I don’t know anything about this. Killing us won’t do you any good.”

“I’m aware,” the leader replied. “But that’s just something you’re saying to save your life. I can’t be certain you know nothing. Based on the principle that it’s better to kill an innocent than let a threat escape, I cannot let you leave.”

I caught a hint of subtext in his words. If he truly wanted me dead, he wouldn’t have shot me in the leg earlier; a single bullet to the head would have been far more efficient. The fact that he was giving me a chance to speak proved there was still a slim hope for survival. Now, it all depended on whether I could guess his true intentions.

I questioned him, my hand hidden behind my back as I signaled to He Yu. “What will it take to spare our lives?”

“Leave behind the item you just unearthed,” the man said. “I see you have some talent. If you’re willing to abandon the darkness for the light and assist us, I can promise them a quick death with their bodies left whole. You needn’t grieve for them; they weren’t truly your companions anyway.”

“I have a solution that works for everyone. Do you want to hear it?”

The leader lowered his muzzle slightly, seemingly interested in my proposal.

He Yu suddenly leaped downward, the end of his rope wedged firmly into a crevice in the rock. I swiftly drew the Horse-Head Blade from my waist and hurled it at the masked man across from us. He reacted quickly, tilting his head to the side as the blade tore through the black cloth covering his face. The subordinate beside him wasn’t so lucky; the blade sliced through the man’s carotid artery, sending blood spraying everywhere.

Old Qian’s continuous wails echoed in my ears. The Horse-Head Blade returned to its sheath just as the rope jerked taut, and I plummeted into the abyss along with He Yu and the others.