Chapter 189: The Counter-Kill

Qiao Sangui looked at me and gave a dry laugh. “Fine, fine. Keep spinning your stories. I actually quite like this ‘sacrifice for your comrades’ act, but Young Master Gan, there’s no such thing as loyalty in the world of tomb raiding. If you want to be a hero, you have to pay the price.”

He grabbed my arm and dragged me toward the Snake-Tortoise. He Yu followed behind, pushed along by Guangtou. Every time the man shoved him, He Yu cursed, “Stop pushing, you bastard! I have legs, I can walk myself!”

We were brought back beneath the Snake-Tortoise. Qiao Sangui threw me down at the spot where we had previously built our fire, directly under the area where the rocks had fallen earlier. He Yu and I were tossed together, watching as several men chambered rounds into their guns.

“Third Master, I haven’t lied to you once. You’re just being paranoid,” I said. I had been held at gunpoint so many times now that I was basically desensitized to the sight of a dark muzzle, but that didn’t mean I enjoyed being treated like this every single time.

Qiao Sangui sneered, “Do you take me for a child? You reached the Main Hall and told me there were only two of you. Chen Si organized this expedition. You expect me to believe he didn’t come down and just let two green kids handle it? Do you think I’m stupid? Tell me where Chen Si and the others are, and I might let you live.”

I spotted a Tu Haozi tucked into Guangtou’s waist and a plan formed in my mind. I suddenly flared up, my voice rising sharply. “Ask, ask, ask! That’s all you do! I’ve told you everything I know, and you’re still asking! What is there to doubt? I said Chen Si didn’t come down, so he didn’t come down! Why can’t ‘green kids’ come down on their own? You’re nearly eighty years old and still risking your life down here—if I told you to go home and enjoy your retirement, would you listen?”

Qiao Sangui didn’t know which of his words had flipped my switch. Aside from Liu Sanshui, no one probably dared to yell at him like this, let alone a junior. He was momentarily stunned by my outburst, which quickly turned into teeth-gritting rage.

“Fine. You’ve got a silver tongue. Come here, all of you! Send Young Master Gan on his way!” Qiao Sangui grabbed the barrel of Guangtou’s gun and yanked him over to stand in front of me.

“What are you doing? Where’s your honor, Qiao San!” He Yu shuffled closer to me.

I turned my head away, trying not to look at the black muzzle pointed at my skull. Guangtou looked at He Yu and me, hesitating for a moment. He turned and whispered into Qiao Sangui’s ear, “Third Master, Third Master, calm down. Chen Si and Yujingzi’s boats are still up there. Gan Ji is of the Gan Clan’s bloodline. If we kill their people down here, knowing Chen Si’s temper, he’ll hunt us down once we get back to the surface.”

Unfortunately, Qiao Sangui’s temper was already flared. At this moment, he didn’t care about consequences; he cared about killing me to reclaim the face he had just lost.

Qiao Sangui shoved Guangtou back. “I, Qiao Laosan, have never feared anyone in my life. This kid is only in his twenties and already this capable. Leaving him alive is just asking for trouble later. Better to finish him now! Take him to the side and kill him. Don’t get blood all over me!”

Fearing Qiao Sangui, Guangtou didn’t dare say another word. He hauled me up from the ground. Without my support, He Yu slumped over. I shot him a look, and this time he caught it. Once we were a short distance away, Guangtou raised his gun toward me again.

He said, “I’m sorry, Young Master Gan. I’ll make it quick so you don’t suffer. Don’t worry, it’ll be over in a second. No pain.”

I wasn’t listening to what Guangtou was saying. Just as he spoke, I heard two extremely faint clicks of stone hitting stone from atop the Snake-Tortoise. The sounds were timed perfectly with the rhythm of Guangtou’s speech. I had spent years training my ears to listen for mechanisms; Guangtou’s sensitivity in this area was nowhere near mine.

Guangtou grabbed my shoulder, forcing me to turn and face the Snake-Tortoise. Immediately, I heard the sound of the gun being cocked. A slight chill touched the back of my head as the muzzle pressed against me.

I counted to three in my head. As I finished, two streaks of cold light flew toward me. My reaction was instantaneous. I ducked and twisted, grabbing Guangtou around the waist while violently jerking his gun barrel upward. These movements were so fast they were completed in a single heartbeat.

The stones flying from atop the Snake-Tortoise struck Guangtou right in the eye. He fired instinctively. With my hands locked on his, I forced the gun to sweep in an arc as it discharged. On the other side, He Yu rolled sideways, grabbing one of the lackeys to use as a human shield. Tian Xiaoqi threw a flying dagger, knocking the guns out of the hands of two more men.

“It’s a trap! Retreat!” Qiao Sangui shouted.

Lu Ayao dropped from above like a bolt of lightning. In an instant, his blade had slashed the throats of two lackeys. Qiao Sangui stamped his foot in fury and turned to flee, but Lu Ayao was faster. He blocked the exit, grabbed Qiao Sangui by the collar, and kicked him to the ground.

Bullets sprayed everywhere, leaving the walls riddled with holes. I slammed my head into Guangtou’s face. He cried out in pain and let go of the gun, blood streaming from his injured eye. He collapsed to the ground, clutching his face and howling, unable to stand back up.

I grabbed the gun and turned around. The area beneath the Snake-Tortoise was a scene of total chaos.

Tian Xiaoqi untied the ropes on He Yu’s hands. He Yu then used those same ropes to bind the two lackeys who were still breathing. He rummaged through their backpacks, found more rope, and tied up Qiao Sangui where he lay on the ground.

“Well, Third Master, the tables have certainly turned!” He Yu said, expertly tying a dead knot. Lu Ayao’s kick had clearly been heavy; blood was streaming uncontrollably from a wound on Qiao Sangui’s head.

Lu Ayao tied up Guangtou, then came over to cut the ropes on my wrists. He handed me my jacket. After crawling through the mud earlier, I was covered in dried filth. I gave the jacket a token shake and put it back on.

Now it was Qiao Sangui’s turn to be pinned to the ground. He cursed, “Damn you, Gan Ji! You dared to play me!”

“Don’t blame me for playing you. Blame your men for being so stupid.” I tossed aside the empty gun and walked over, brushing the dust off my hands. “Now, tell me. What are you doing here?”

Qiao Sangui spat on the ground and sneered. “Tomb raiding. We’re at the entrance of a mausoleum. What else would we be doing besides taking Mingqi?”

I didn’t let him lead the conversation. “You followed us because you heard we had the Nine-Ring Jade Casket. You sounded very certain when you were talking to Guangtou earlier. You have plenty of information channels—you even know about the Gune Kingdom, yet you’re acting like you’re ignorant. Third Master Qiao, you’re seriously underestimating me.”

Qiao Sangui frowned, falling into a deep silence.

I knelt down close to him, pressing for answers. “The 434 archaeological mission in 1951—were you part of it?”

I watched his reaction closely. The moment I finished the sentence, his eyes flickered with a subtle change. I knew then that I was at least half right.

“Tell me your designation. How many people in the archaeological team entered? How many were involved in this?”

To my surprise, Qiao Sangui gave a mocking chuckle. “I wasn’t part of any archaeological team, and I don’t know anything about designations. I have no idea what you’re talking about. In 1951, I was just following Master Liu, doing some minor business.”

“Impossible! The Five Masters were involved in the 434 archaeological mission. You were Liu Sanshui’s right-hand man back then. How could you know nothing? How could he tell you nothing?” I grabbed Qiao Sangui and hauled him up from the ground.

Qiao Sangui laughed again. “But isn’t all of that just based on your own speculation? How can you be so sure your theories are the truth?”

His words struck a chord deep within me, leaving me momentarily speechless and unsure how to respond. Lu Ayao walked over and signaled for me to let go, letting He Yu take over restraining Qiao Sangui on the ground. He Yu barked a threat at the man, “Laugh all you want, you piece of trash. Now stay still!”

Lu Ayao pulled me aside, but my gaze remained fixed on Qiao Sangui in the distance. “He’s definitely lying to me. He must know something. For all we know, he knows exactly where Liu Sanshui is hiding right now!”

“No matter how much we obsess over it, it’s all just guesswork. 1951 is too large a time span to bridge. What we need to do now is get back to the surface as quickly as possible,” Lu Ayao said.

My reason returned to me. After thinking it over, I realized Lu Ayao was right. I turned back to him and reached out to touch his shoulder. “How is the poison in your system?”

He pulled back his sleeve to show me. The wound I had bandaged was already starting to turn black. “I can hold out for two more hours at most,” he said. “We need to get up there fast.”