The man at the mouth of the cave watched me run toward him, and he started running too, vanishing into the fog in an instant.
"Wait for me, Foxie! Where are Stein and Philip and the others?" I called out as I rushed out in pursuit.
"Come on, come on, they're right here. Come on out." Just then, a delicate hand emerged from the fog and began beckoning to me repeatedly.
I hurried out, but at the cave entrance, my foot suddenly caught on the two heads lying there. I stumbled hard and fell face-first right into a pile of dog dung, knocking my chin sharply. The pain brought tears to my eyes.
I cursed the shit fiercely, grumbling about my bad luck—how people get so disoriented in their sleep that they forget there are two heads at the cave entrance.
But the moment I got up, I froze. The hand that had reached out to me was no longer a hand—it had turned into a bizarre, blood-red root.
Shocked, I scrambled backward. That fall wasn't a curse but a blessing; I had to thank those two heads for snapping me back to reality. Otherwise, I might have been done for by now.
Seeing me retreat, the root seemed unwilling to let go. Whoosh—it shot straight toward me, trying to wrap around my neck. I reacted instantly, drawing my sword and slashing at it.
With a clang, it felt as though I had struck iron. The root seemed to feel pain too; it retracted in a flash. Then I glimpsed a blood-red figure flicker briefly before vanishing along with the root.
I hurried back into the cave, not daring to venture out again. I didn't even dare sleep unless the fog lifted.
I'd been lucky just now. If not for that stumble, I would've been lured away and killed by whatever was hiding in the fog. I had no idea what that thing was, but it felt sinister and fierce.
I didn't dare go back to sleep. My eyes remained fixed on the cave entrance. If anything happened, I'd draw my Copper Coin Sword in an instant. But if someone called me—or tried to come in—I was determined not to go out again.
About half an hour later, I suddenly heard footsteps. I immediately gripped my Copper Coin Sword. Then came a gurgling sound, as if the two heads had rolled inside, followed by more footsteps—something was about to enter the cave.
This time, I'd learned my lesson. Instead of asking who it was, I hid in the corner of the cave behind a rock.
It wasn't long before a woman actually walked in. Dressed in a black gown and skirt with a black shawl, she turned slowly, her back still toward me.
Right then, I leaped out, pointing my sword at her neck. "Who are you? Human or ghost?"
The woman laughed. "Your scouting skills are quite good. I already sensed someone was inside—just didn't expect it to be you!"
I frowned. "Who are you? Turn around!"
"Honey, it's me!" When the woman turned around, I immediately exclaimed, "Nuwa's Forsaken Shade, is that you?"
"Right, it's me!" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade laughed, then looked me over with interest.
"I thought I'd lost you—never expected to meet you here again. You and I really are fated!" As she spoke, she gently pushed the sword aside with her hand. "Isn't it a bit much to point a sword at your own woman?"
"Freeze!" Still shaken by the earlier trick, I feared this might be another illusion taking her form. I barked hastily, "How can you prove you're the real Nuwa's Forsaken Shade?"
"Do I even need to prove it? Your size… only I know how big it really is. About… this big…" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade said, opening her mouth—though a little wider than felt natural.
"Ahem, alright, alright. I believe you." I sheathed the Copper Coin Sword.
"So, the people who've been following us—were they with you? Was Mr. Lam among them?" I asked.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade nodded. "That's right. We went up the mountainside first and waited for you to come up. You didn't disappoint—you showed up. So we've been tailing you since."
I felt a flash of irritation and scolded her immediately, "What's wrong with you people? Why follow me? If you want the secret of eternal life, just go to the mountaintop yourselves. Why stick to me? I'm only here to find Daphne. Once I find her, I'm leaving. I won't be following you."
Then Nuwa's Forsaken Shade slowly moved closer, leaned toward my ear, and whispered, "Mr. Lam needs you. Even if you find Daphne, do you think he'll just let you walk away? He's come all this way in his condition—he won't stop until he gets what he wants!"
"Oh? What, are you threatening me? Believe it or not, I'll have Antonio take all of you out right here?" I coldly closed in on Nuwa's Forsaken Shade, unafraid of her or Mr. Lam.
In a place like this, beyond the reach of law, Antonio is a wild beast—he can tear apart anyone he wants. That means Mr. Lam or Nuwa's Forsaken Shade had better not mess with me or keep following me.
"Your Martial Saint's grandson is indeed powerful, but Mr. Lam is no pushover either. Even if he can't kill you, what about Daphne? If he restrains her, you won't leave either. Mr. Lam is clever!" Nuwa's Forsaken Shade adjusted her black silk scarf, then kicked casually at the two heads on the ground, hands on her hips as though it were all a game—without the slightest hesitation.
"How dare he… How dare he lay a hand on someone from the Dai family?" I demanded.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade laughed coldly. "In a place like this, it's normal for people to run into trouble and die. What can the Dai family even do? So you'd better cooperate obediently!"
"Cooperate? Seems to me it's not Mr. Lam who wants to live forever—it's you, isn't it?" I pointed straight at Nuwa's Forsaken Shade. Of course, deep down I knew they were in this together—and the temptation of eternal life was one and the same for both.
At this moment, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade suddenly stepped on the two heads, then relaxed her foot and slowly walked toward me. She reached out and held my chin. "Stinky little brother, you really do understand your sister. If I achieve eternal life, I'll be your woman until the day you die."
"Bah, I don't give a damn. Stay away from me." I nearly spat in her face but held back at the last second.
"Nuwa's Forsaken Shade, are you in there? How is everything in the cave?" Suddenly, a familiar voice came from outside the cave. It was none other than Mr. Lam's voice. I had heard it earlier in the fog but hadn't recognized it then.
Nuwa's Forsaken Shade lowered her voice and whispered to me, "Roger, that old man is surrounded by experts. Don't do anything reckless. I don't want you to die, understand?"
I grunted and said nothing. Since when did I need her to worry about me? Besides, Nuwa's Forsaken Shade was only concerned that if I died, no one would help her find the secret of immortality. Still, her warning wasn't entirely off—Mr. Lam had managed to come out of that fog unharmed, so he must indeed have skilled people around him.
"Come in, there's no danger here—just an old friend," Nuwa's Forsaken Shade called out toward the cave entrance.
Shortly after she spoke, five men entered from outside. Mr. Lam led the way, holding a hiking stick, followed by four others.
Two of them held guns, constantly scanning the area vigilantly. The other two wore Tang suits. One held a compass, appeared to be in his forties, was very tall and thin, and had a scar on his face. The other was burly with a full beard and a loud voice, looked to be in his thirties, and carried an Eight Trigram Sword on his back.
The two at the back looked like bodyguards; the two in front resembled occult masters—likely feng shui or Daoist practitioners. The bearded man was probably the one who had chanted spells earlier. It was clear both were skilled in the arts, as unlike the others, their footsteps were exceptionally soft, almost as if they weren't there.
"Roger? What are you doing here?" Mr. Lam seemed surprised to see me.
I deliberately teased him, "No need to be surprised, Mr. Lam. If you hadn't lost track of me earlier, you wouldn't be seeing me now. This time, make sure to keep up—don't lose me again. Otherwise, your dream of eternal life might vanish the moment I decide to descend the mountain."
"What the hell? My master treats you with respect—what's with the attitude? Think I won't shoot you?" The bodyguard in the back was fierce and immediately pointed his gun at my head.
I wasn't afraid at all. I sneered and stared straight at him without saying a word. The bodyguard froze, unsure what to do. He had only meant to intimidate me, but now that I showed no fear, he was embarrassed. He couldn't actually shoot me, could he?
Then, with a sharp crack, Mr. Lam slapped him across the face and scolded angrily, "Get out of here! Did I tell you to move? How dare you treat Mr. Tang like this? Are you tired of living?"
That bodyguard shrank back like a frightened quail, not daring to say another word as Mr. Lam waved him away.