?

  I was thinking, when suddenly Xiu Xiu stared at my eyes, then followed my gaze to the top of the cave. After a while, she shook my shoulder and said: "Hey, is the top of the cave so good-looking?" This tone made me somewhat taken aback, feeling very familiar. Upon reflection, I couldn't help but laugh - isn't this what I often ask Dumb Oil Bottle? Of course, these words I only dare to discuss with Fatso behind his back, and have asked countless times in my heart, yet never once spoken out loud.

  I also want to ask Dumb Oil Bottle, is the ceiling that good-looking? Is the floor that good-looking?

  What's behind that damned bronze door, is it really worth looking at? What kind of secret do you have to go for ten years, is that so-called mission really that important? Important enough to trade a lifetime for?

  Compared to that secret and that mission, what I care more about is... whether he will still be alive ten years later?

  As I thought of this, I couldn't help but sigh and say: "What I see is not a stone cave, what I see is life." Xiuxiu burst out laughing and said: "You're still so funny, this time seeing you, looking at your heavy heart, not speaking carelessly, I thought you were going to follow in Xiaohua's footsteps."

  I rubbed my face, feeling heavy-hearted and not smiling. Am I that obvious? I pinched Xiu Xiu's cheek and said to the closed-eyed Hua: "Hua Ye's demeanor is something ordinary people can't learn, Xiu Xiu, you're overestimating me." After I spoke, I glanced at Hua who was leaning against the wall. He seemed off, not playing with his phone or talking back. He just opened his eyes, which were full of fatigue.

  However, this fatigue was only a flash, like my illusion, and it disappeared in the blink of an eye. Then, he got up and walked to my side, stretched out his foot and kicked my waist, saying: "Come here, I have something to say to you."

  I took a look at the crowd resting in the cave, got up and followed him into the depths of the cave, all the way to the bottom. When we were nearly twenty meters away from the entrance, he raised his chin and said, "What's your opinion?"

  "What?"

  Xie Yu's mouth hooked up, a smile with a hint of sinister intent, said: "Wu Xie, haven't you noticed anything off?" I said: "There is something off, but what aspect are you referring to?"

  Yehua said: "You, me, Xiuxiu, Chen Wenjin, Wu San Sheng, and even your second uncle, all the people related to that matter are now gathered here." My heart sank, yes, all the people related to that matter have gone to Kunlun Mountain for various reasons. Is it a coincidence or is there someone behind pushing us?

  Jieyu Hua saw that I didn't respond, so he took out a pack of cigarettes from his pocket and tossed one to me. I threw it back to him and lit my own Huanghe Lou instead. For men, cigarettes are more important than liquor. They say that cigarettes are the smoke of troubles, while liquor is the medicine for madness. Some people may never go mad in their lifetime, but some will be troubled forever.

  I'm used to the taste of Huanghe Building, which is relatively light but has a long aftertaste. The two of us leaned against the wall, filling the entire space with smoke. Those white wisps blended into the dark space, making it impossible to discern their shape, leaving only a faint scent. After smoking half, I said: "Chen Wenjin's identity is not certain, as for my third uncle... to be honest, I'm not sure if he's still alive. How much do you know about the Tianyuan Coffin Wine? Is it a tomb?"

  The words left by Grandpa on He Lao's notebook are: Qī Xīng Rǔ Wáng Gōng, Wū Shān Xiāng Zǐ Fén, Tiān Yuān Guān Chún. The first two, I've been to the first one, and judging from the name, the second one is a tomb. As for the third one, it should also be an ancient tomb.

  The flower of language slowly exhaled smoke and said: "You know what? I don't smoke."

  I nodded and followed him down. At that time, I had offered him a cigarette, but he didn't take it. It's said that opera performers don't smoke, as it will ruin their teeth and hurt their throat.

  Jieyu Hua continued, "When I went to the United States that time, it wasn't for a vacation. I was preparing to move the Jie family's roots abroad, from business to now dealing with cultural relics, which isn't bad either." I turned my head to look at him, not understanding what he meant by telling me these things. He chuckled and extinguished his cigarette, changing the subject, saying, "As for that place, I don't know much about it. It should be said that...I know nothing. If it's really a tomb, then the owner of the tomb must be either an immortal or a monster to have been able to build it on Mount Kunlun." My heart skipped a beat as I finally understood where the uneasy feeling in my heart came from - the location.

  The Kunlun Mountains stretch for three million miles, and few people have traveled through them since ancient times. Now, the places that humans can reach to visit are all on the periphery, but truly going deep inside is a place where even satellites cannot detect. What exactly is hidden in such a deep mountain range of snow peaks?

  I thought of that thing on the map that looked like a bronze gate, could it be that there is also a bronze gate there?

  I couldn't help but laugh at this idea and said, "It's probably a monster."

  Xie Yu raised an eyebrow, his eyes fixed intently on me, and asked, "Wu Xie, who do you think is manipulating things from behind the scenes?" I didn't answer his question, but instead asked in return, "Are you very concerned about this matter?"

  He fell silent for a moment, then said, "I'm very particular. My father's generation was led by the nose their whole lives. If anyone thinks they can treat me like an animal and lead me around, humph!" It wasn't just his father; which of the older generation of the Old Ninth Gate hadn't been so? I patted him on the shoulder and said, "Let's not bring up past matters anymore. What's most important now is entering the Heavenly Tomb."

  The cigarette in my hand had burned to the end, I patted Xiaohua's shoulder and returned to the entrance of the cave. Xiuxiu and the others had already eaten their dry rations. It was now five o'clock in the afternoon, but outside, the sky had completely darkened, not a single ray of sunlight could be seen. The howling sound of wind and snow filled my ears.

  There was a small iron pot on the bonfire, usually we wouldn't bring such troublesome things, but this time our trip is not ordinary, it takes half a month to go back and forth, bringing a small iron pot is very necessary.

  The pot was filled with a full pot of snow, and after slightly heating it up, it turned into half a pot of water. Inside, there were all sorts of compressed noodles, vacuum-packed sauce beef, and other mixed things being cooked together in the same pot. The smell that came out wasn't particularly good, and it felt somewhat strange.

  After dinner, there's nothing to do in the cave. Samba said that if we're lucky, the snowstorm will stop tomorrow. If not, we'll encounter a long-haired wind, which can last for three to five days. That would be terrible, and we'd have to stay in the cave for three to five days.

  The cave was very quiet, and those few big men were also professionally trained, with good quality, not noisy or disturbing. Unlike the time we went to the Western Queen Mother's country, San Shu recruited a group of people who were completely disorganized and undisciplined. But at this moment, the quietness in the cave made me miss the times when I was fighting with Fatso and others, whether it was safe or dangerous, they would always come up with a few moves. Little Brother would grab the problem and take the lead, and when Little Brother wasn't around, he would tell a few dirty jokes.

  As I thought about it, drowsiness surged up. With such a big snowstorm, there wouldn't be anyone else or any wild beasts, so no one was keeping watch. In a daze, I fell asleep.

  The sound of wind and snow outside was too loud, I couldn't fall asleep, in a half-dreaming state, it seemed like there was a shadow flashing back and forth in front of my eyes, with a sneaky feeling, I almost woke up immediately, but I didn't open my eyes, just squinted through the slit to take a peek.

  The bonfire on the ground had almost burned out, and the figure at the entrance of the cave didn't move, couldn't see who it was. If it were before, I might have slept more dead than a pig, but now I'm startled, to be honest, with no familiar faces around me, I couldn't sleep soundly, in short, I was afraid, really cowardly.

  I narrowed my eyes, and slowly reached for the dagger at my waist, which was one of Xiaohua's equipment. It had a design similar to that of a wild battlefield knife, with top-notch materials and a streamlined shape. In the middle, there was a blood groove, and at the bottom of the groove were two inverted hooks, all of which looked very menacing.

  I narrowed my eyes and observed the figure at the entrance of the cave, he seemed to sense something, arched his body motionless. I looked around at others, they were really dead asleep.

  Xiao Hua was sleeping in the innermost part of the cave, very far from me, so it's normal that she couldn't be found. Xiu Xiu had even shrunk her body and head into the sleeping bag, just like a rice dumpling, making it even more impossible to discover anything unusual. I gritted my teeth, ready to pull out my dagger and move forward, but just as I made a move, that person suddenly turned around, and in the dim firelight, he made a silencing gesture towards me.