Tomb Raiding: My Family's Last Clan Chief is Little Brother

Chapter 411 The Copper Bell Illusion
The high lama told him that the previous guest had come from the snow mountain and was also looking for Deren.

Zhang Menyu gazed at the weeping stone statue, his eyes calm and still. After a long while, as if remembering something, he said to the Grand Lama, "I have seen him before."

The high lama knew that the person in front of him must also have his own story, so he didn't ask any questions and just stood there quietly with him.

The snowflakes drifted down and soon covered their shoulders.

The Grand Lama initially thought Zhang Menyu was reminiscing about his story with the stone statue, but after a while he realized that the man was simply staring blankly at the statue.

His eyes were empty, devoid of sadness, sentimentality, or any emotion. It was as if his soul had wandered into the dark clouds above, leaving only his empty shell on the ground.

Snow hazelnuts fell to the ground with a soft rustling sound, quickly submerging the two people's ankles. A young lama came to the courtyard to ask the senior lama to give a sermon. Before leaving, the senior lama instructed the young lama to keep an eye on Zhang Menyu, who was standing in the snow, lest he freeze to death.

When he returned to the courtyard that evening, he saw two dark figures sitting in the middle of the yard, and knew that Zhang Menyu had not yet left.

The young lama stood under the eaves with a lantern in his hand, shivering from the cold as he clutched his sleeves, completely at a loss.

The high lama took the lantern from his hand and walked over through the snow. He saw that Zhang Menyu had not only not left, but had instead moved a stone bench to the side, held up a paper umbrella, and sat quietly next to the stone statue. He stared blankly at the darkening sky, his face and hair were white, and his breathing was so weak that it was almost imperceptible. He looked like a mannequin made of snow.

After the snow at the base of the stone statue was swept away, a thin layer of snow fell again in no time.

Upon closer inspection, the lama discovered that a large, thick white snow coat had been draped over the stone statue, blending it seamlessly into the long, snowy night. The statue's face was partially obscured by a wide-brimmed hat, making it appear as if someone were sitting motionless.

The high lama didn't know what Zhang Menyu was thinking; he was probably thinking about something very, very far away deep in the snow-capped mountains.

Zhang Menyu stayed in the Lama Temple for a full seven days. Every morning, very early, when the Grand Lama passed by the courtyard on his way to the chanting hall, he could see Zhang Menyu's thin figure sitting by the stone statue.

The young lama asked if the stone statue was a friend of the snowman, and whether the snowman came here to commemorate the statue.

He didn't know exactly when the stone statue appeared here, only that the senior lamas in the temple all held a very subtle and misunderstanding attitude towards this place. The lamas' activity range was not large, and there were many lamas in this area who might never enter.

The high lama, however, seemed to understand something and shook his head. “The cause is this, and the outcome will follow. They will come here again in the future.”

The young lama didn't know who his master meant by "them." He couldn't "see" the future yet, so he could only suppress his curiosity.

On the seventh night, Zhang Menyu came to say goodbye to the Grand Lama.

He said, "It's almost time, I have to go where I need to go."

Perhaps because he had been frozen in the snow for seven days, the lama felt that the person's aura seemed even colder.

Zhang Menyu told the Grand Lama a story about the Zhang family, an ancient clan, and Deren of the Motuo Lama Temple.

The Lama Temple was established a long, long time ago by the Zhang family to monitor the mysterious events in the snow-capped mountains of the Himalayas. One of its functions was to collect information brought by each Zhang Qiling from the Bronze Gate, which also served as a form of surveillance for the Khampa people.

Each Zhang Qiling and Deren Lama had very close communication, meaning that Deren was similar to Zhang Qiling as a recorder.

However, since the destruction of the Zhang family and the death of the previous Deren, the Western Archives has essentially been defunct.

Therefore, Medog needs a new Deren to emerge and resume this duty. The Grand Lama has met Zhang Qiling and recorded Zhang Qiling once twenty years ago, so the Grand Lama is the most suitable candidate for Deren.

Zhang Menyu hopes that the Western Archives can be reopened, because as long as the last Zhang Qiling is still alive, the Zhang family's responsibility will never disappear.

After much deliberation, the high lama agreed. Zhang Menyu and he talked secretly in the room all night. The next morning, Zhang Menyu took his leave and left the temple.

The new Deren found the records that the previous Deren had hidden in the high cliffs and ice niches behind the temple. Under the guise of spiritual practice, he would spend a long time on the mountain every day, organizing all the records. He copied a part of them and hid them in his room, year after year, quietly waiting for the visitors from the snow mountain.

At this point, Deren gestured for Zhang Wuxun to retrieve something from the earthen bed in the corner.

"Be careful not to burn yourself," Deren said. "He left me two things that could save my life in a critical moment, and I want to give one of them to you."

Zhang Wuxun walked over, reached out and touched the bricks on the kang (heated brick bed). He felt something unusual at the bottom corner. He pulled the brick out with his fingers, scraped off the layer of soil behind it, and dug out a small stone box from the earthen wall below.

This location is relatively far from the center of the fire and close to the ground, so the surface temperature of the stone box is not excessively hot.

Returning to the table, Deren gently opened the box, revealing two octagonal copper bells inside, one the size of a ping-pong ball and the other the size of a finger joint.

There was also a semi-transparent flat box containing half a human skin mask soaking in blue medicine. The crimson patterns on its surface were very similar to the tattoos that had once appeared on Zhang Wuxun's face.

Seeing this, Zhang Wuxun wasn't too surprised. Zhang Menyu obviously knew the connection between the divine bird tattoo and the phoenix tattoo. Even if the Wang family wanted to do something to Deren, with this tattoo, they would definitely have some reservations. In any team, suspicion is a big taboo.

Deren took out the two bells and handed them to Zhang Wuxun. The bells were sealed with solidified rosin so that they would not make a sound when moved.

He pointed to the large bell and said, "Both of these bells are actually hallucinogenic. The larger one is called the Illusion Bell, and the smaller one is called the Play Bell. They are a pair of yin and yang bells that are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining."

"If the illusion bell rings first, followed by the play bell, and then both bells ring simultaneously, the play bell can enhance the effect of the illusion bell."

"Conversely, if the opera bell rings first and the illusion bell rings later, the opera bell suppresses the illusion bell, and one can maintain a calm mind and clear spirit within five breaths when encountering other illusions."

Upon hearing Deren name the two bells, Zhang Wuxun's heart skipped a beat. Then, he wondered if Zhang Menyu had simply named the bells himself to make them easier to distinguish.

Zhang Wuxun was somewhat puzzled, "Why did the master give me this bell?"

Deren smiled faintly, "Since it is a life-saving item, we cannot let its function go to waste."

Zhang Wuxun suddenly realized that Deren might have foreseen that he would encounter some trouble on his way into the snow mountain, which was why he gave him the Illusion Bell.

He put away the bell, stood up and bowed respectfully, saying, "Thank you for your generosity, Master."

As promised, the Germans brought over the surveillance footage of "A Ning" around noon on the third day.

Zhang Wuxun immediately noticed many flaws, but he didn't expose them. However, he was certain of his suspicion: the German had someone skilled at making human skin masks in a short time. Although not sophisticated enough to completely deceive everyone, it was enough to fool people through a screen for a while.

Zhang Wuxun had some doubts about the true identity of the guy who kept making human skin masks for the Germans. There were very few people who knew this kind of skill that had long been hidden in the martial arts world.

If that guy really is related to the Wang family, then he should still be taking a wait-and-see approach. The simpler his identity, the easier it is to hide.

So there must have been rats infiltrated into the expedition team that went into the snow mountain with Li Ande.

Who exactly is the mysterious leader of the Germans?

Is he a pawn of the Wang family, or a member of the Wang family himself?

“I have to go down the mountain,” Zhang Wuxun told Li Ande.

Li Ande disagreed somewhat, but didn't show it. He asked considerately, "Mr. Bai, is there anything else you need to add?"

"I need to prepare some extra things," Zhang Wuxun said casually, and headed down the mountain with Yueya.

As Li Ande watched him walk out of the temple gate, he gave a wink to his men beside him. The two men immediately concealed their weapons at their waists and prepared to follow quickly.

Unexpectedly, just as he stepped out of the doorway, a bullet blasted directly onto the pebble ground at his feet.

The two men were startled and, without pausing for even half a second, immediately retreated back into the temple gate and drew their guns to stand guard.

Li Ande, who was behind him, was also startled by the gunshot. He thought that the man with the long fingers had also arrived. In an instant, the anger that surged in his chest was greater than his fear. He thought that Zhang Wuxun had lied to him.

However, when he finally reached the temple gate, he heard Zhang Wuxun's voice, which was tinged with laughter.

"Oh right, I forgot to tell Mr. Li Ande before that I have a bit of OCD and I really hate having little bugs following me when I walk. It really affects my mood."

Then his tone turned icy, "I won't be able to resist swatting all those little bugs to death!"

"Don't worry, I'll definitely be back in a couple of days." Zhang Wuxun waved to Li Ande, who was hiding behind the door watching him.

Once his figure disappeared down the narrow mountain path steps, Li Ande stepped out from behind the door, stared at the small hole that had been blown open in the ground, and smiled, revealing his cold teeth. "You brat, I'll let you be arrogant for a few more days."

Zhang Wuxun didn't take the gritting-teeth Li Ande and the others seriously at all. After descending the mountain, he immediately went to the boiler room opposite the post office to find Chen Xuehan.

"I need your help with something." Zhang Wuxun smiled and placed Yueya in Chen Xuehan's arms.

Crescent Moon is extremely resistant to being approached by humans other than Zhang Wuxun. When they were in the temple, only Deren could pet its head when it was in a good mood. No one else would allow it. Chen Xuehan was heartbroken for a long time because of this.

As soon as Zhang Wuxun put her down, Crescent Moon flicked her whip-like tail in annoyance, turned around and jumped off Chen Xuehan's lap, clinging tightly to Zhang Wuxun's trouser leg. She let out a low growl in Chen Xuehan's direction, as fierce as a wolf cub.

Chen Xuehan understood Zhang Wuxun's purpose. She straightened her hat, which had been tilted by the crescent moon's tail, and spread her hands in a helpless expression. "Look, this little brat won't let me get close at all. You should take him back and raise him yourself."

Zhang Wuxun clicked his tongue, "You're practically her uncle, what's wrong with taking care of her? Kids need to be coaxed. You're always looking so gloomy, no wonder Yueya won't be close to you."

"Hey, what are you saying? This dog is disobedient, and it's my problem?" Chen Xuehan was a little unhappy, mainly because Yueya's reaction hurt him too much.

Chen Xuehan was furious. He had fed and pampered the dog for half a month, but it never wagged its tail at him. Instead, it turned around and ran off with Zhang Wuxun with an arrogant and sycophantic attitude. He felt like he was going to vomit blood.

Zhang Wuxun smiled and patted Yueya's head. "Raising a dog isn't about amusing or pleasing it, or making it obey you. Yueya is very smart. Her sensitivity to human emotions is enough for her to understand that you simply want to tame her. Yueya has her own pride. I treat her like a child, like a daughter, and teach her how to survive. Naturally, she's happy to be close to me."

Chen Xuehan couldn't understand Zhang Wuxun's thought process. Who would treat a dog like a daughter? If you want to treat a daughter well, you might as well have one yourself.

He looked at the disdainful look in Crescent Moon's eyes and was so speechless he almost rolled his eyes. This dog was indeed too smart.

He simply stated directly, "If you want me to treat this dog and this girl like royalty, you'll have to pay extra."

Zhang Wuxun pulled a heavy envelope from his pocket and tossed it to him. "Take care of Yueya, and at the same time, do something for me."

"What?" Chen Xuehan pried open the envelope with her fingers, peeked inside, and immediately beamed with delight. She feigned flattery and said, "Boss Bai, if you need anything, just give the order, and I'll do my duty without hesitation."

"Stop acting strangely." Zhang Wuxun rolled his eyes and took out a sealed envelope from his pocket. "Give this to the third person destined to receive that painting."

Chen Xuehan held the envelope and felt it, noticing a ring of bumpy things inside. She wondered what they were. "Are you leaving Motuo?"

“No.” Zhang Wuxun shook his head. “I want to go into the mountains.”

"What?" Chen Xuehan was shocked. Forgetting about counting the money, she said urgently, "Are you out of your mind? Going into the mountains at this time is suicide. The next heavy snow that will close the mountains is coming soon."

"I know." Zhang Wuxun didn't want to explain further.

The heavy snow blocking the mountains was exactly what he wanted. The vast snow-covered mountains could buy him a lot of time and also block the prying eyes of others.

Once he enters the secluded depths of that snow-capped mountain, the bait he left behind will take effect, and the weight that the Wang family's computing department is placing on him will increase accordingly.

As long as they send a large number of elites to venture into the snow-capped mountains to find the location indicated on the star map, that place will become Zhang Wuxun's natural slaughter paradise.

Chen Xuehan felt the envelope in his hand was burning hot, so he threw it back and said dejectedly, "Find someone else for this job, I can't do it."

Zhang Wuxun casually replied with an "oh," and then said, "Then you can just wait for me to die on the snow mountain."

Thank you to the generous donor, 〔年少时最天真〕.

(End of this chapter)