Volume One: The Graveyard of Eight Coffins Chapter 41: Escaping Danger

I shouted angrily, “Wu Tianxiong, what have you done to them? Liang Yue is your own niece—how could you harm her too?”

Wu Tianxiong let out a cold laugh. “My own niece? Why don’t you ask her if she ever really considered me her uncle? In her eyes, it’s only her rich uncle Wu Tianyou who counts, isn’t it? But don’t worry, the two of them aren’t dead yet—I still have use for them.”

As he spoke, Wu Tianxiong pulled a small, bluish-white object from his pocket and blew a sharp whistle with it.

Moments later, Third Uncle and Liang Yue emerged slowly from the elevator, coming to stand silently beside Wu Tianxiong. The elevator doors clanged shut behind them.

“There now, you’ve seen the people you wanted to see. Time for you to go—don’t hold a grudge against me in the underworld,” Wu Tianxiong said grimly, raising the gun at me.

A cold chill ran down my spine. I quickly lifted the candle to my lips and blew on it hard.

Third Uncle had once told me that this method—coming back to life after death—was an evil art, a defiance of heaven’s will. I wanted to blow out the candle flame, to do at least one good deed before I died.

But no matter how hard I blew, the tiny flame only wavered—it did not go out. Just as Wu Tianxiong had said, this was no ordinary candle that a person could simply extinguish.

Seeing this, Wu Tianxiong’s face twisted into a sinister grin. His hand jerked, and the gun went off.

In the instant the shot rang out, I closed my eyes, my mind going blank. Of all the ways I’d imagined dying, being shot had never crossed my mind.

After the shot echoed, the room filled with the sharp scent of gunpowder.

Something was wrong—how could I still smell anything if I was dead?

I looked up to see Wu Tianxiong lying on the floor.

What happened? Did he shoot himself?

While I was still reeling, Third Uncle’s body swayed and then collapsed as well. Only Liang Yue remained, standing there in a daze.

Before I could process what was happening, the strange Professor Ma Su darted out from his hiding place, shouting, “Why are you just standing there? You’re still alive!”

Ma Su ran to check on Third Uncle, and I hurried after him, finding Wu Tianxiong lying there with his eyes shut tight.

“Old Ma, what happened?” I asked anxiously.

Ma Su spread his hands. “That guy was about to shoot you, right? I’d already prepared my tranquilizer gun, but it takes a few seconds for the drug to kick in. So I waited until he was about to fire, then shot him. But at the same time, your Third Uncle suddenly attacked him from behind—don’t know how he did it, but he knocked Wu Tianxiong down. The gun went off, but the shot missed. My dart, which was aimed at Wu Tianxiong, ended up hitting your Third Uncle in the shoulder when he fell. It all happened at once—just a stroke of bad luck.”

“What the hell—you tranquilized Third Uncle? That stuff won’t kill him, will it?”

Ma Su shook his head. “It’s a tranquilizer gun, not lethal. But it’s meant for animals—the dose might be a bit much for him. He probably won’t be waking up anytime soon.”

“But wasn’t Third Uncle under the control of the whistle? How did he manage to attack all of a sudden?” I glanced, puzzled, at Liang Yue, who was still standing dazed nearby.

Ma Su shrugged. “I’ve got no idea.”

I wiped the sweat from my brow. That was way too close—I nearly caught a bullet.

Ma Su looked around. “So what now?”

“What else? We rescue everyone and get out of here. If Wu Tianxiong wakes up, we’ll be dead for sure.” I still didn’t know how Third Uncle had managed to take Wu Tianxiong down, but for now, the guy was lying there like a corpse.

Ma Su pointed to the elevator. “I bet it leads somewhere important. Let’s take it up.”

I hoisted Third Uncle onto my back, and Ma Su did the same with Liang Yue. We staggered toward the elevator just as its doors slid open.

Startled, Ma Su and I jumped back, not knowing who might emerge.

To my surprise, it was Wu Tianyou standing in the elevator, with three others behind him. Two were burly, stern-faced men—bodyguards, perhaps—and the other was Old Wu.

Wu Tianyou was dressed in a crisp black suit, leaning on his cane, as imposing as ever. He saw us and simply nodded.

He pointed to Wu Tianxiong on the floor and gestured to the two men behind him. They came forward, disarmed Wu Tianxiong, and handcuffed him before hauling him into the elevator and taking him away.

They even had handcuffs on hand—were they police?

I stood there dumbfounded. Wu Tianyou clapped me on the shoulder. “You did well, brother. Let’s talk outside. Old Wu, I’ll leave the rest to you.”

Old Wu nodded.

I couldn’t wait to get out of there. Ma Su seemed a little reluctant to leave the tomb’s treasures, but I dragged him out before he could do anything reckless.

The elevator ascended—how high, I couldn’t tell. Wu Tianyou stood expressionless, unreadable. After hearing all the things Wu Tianxiong had said about him, I wanted to ask him so many questions.

But Wu Tianyou’s natural authority made me swallow my words.

Sensing my hesitation, Wu Tianyou patted my shoulder again. “You’ve done enough. Master Li is still unconscious—let’s rest at the hotel first. When you’re ready, we can talk then. Does that sound good?”

Though his tone was gentle, it left no room for argument.

When the elevator stopped, we stepped out into what appeared to be a secret room—its door already open. We exited into an office.

Wu Tianyou gave a wry smile. “This is my third brother’s office. I’ve been here so many times and never knew there was an elevator inside.”

I had nothing more to say. I’d thought the trouble at Tianyou Plaza was a matter of feng shui, but now it was clear—it wasn’t just geomancy, but also a deep-seated brotherly feud. Feng shui could be resolved, but sibling rivalry was beyond an outsider’s reach.

Following Wu Tianyou’s arrangements, I took Third Uncle and Old Ma back to the Four Seas Hotel, while Wu Tianyou took Liang Yue away.

Returning to the hotel lobby, the dazzling lights seemed almost unreal after the dim, flickering glow of the tomb. I felt, for a moment, as if I’d returned from another world.

Ma Su and I carried Third Uncle back to our room. I laid Third Uncle on the bed and turned to Ma Su. “Old Ma, when will he wake up?”

Ma Su frowned. “Usually after about two hours. He should be waking soon.”

I nodded, collapsed onto the bed, and felt my body come apart with exhaustion. The tension gone, fatigue crashed over me. Later I’d learn that lingering too long in a place heavy with yin energy allowed it to seep into your joints, bringing pain and weariness.

I didn’t even have the strength to shower. I fell asleep the instant my head hit the pillow.

When the morning sun brushed my face, I groggily opened my eyes.

My first thought was to check on Third Uncle.

He was still lying on the bed, eyes tightly shut.

Panicking, I rushed to find Ma Su, who was snoring away on the sofa outside, smacking his lips in some pleasant dream.

Exasperated, I shook him awake. “Old Ma, get up!”

Ma Su blinked in confusion. “Wha—what is it?”

“You said Third Uncle would wake in a couple of hours. It’s already morning and he’s still out cold. What the hell did you put in that tranquilizer? You didn’t overdose him, did you?”

Ma Su was baffled too. He rushed over to check Third Uncle’s eyes and tongue, sweating as he worked.

Pointing at Ma Su, I shouted, “Old Ma, that stuff’s for elephants, isn’t it? If he doesn’t wake up, you and I are done!”

Ma Su snapped back, “You ungrateful brat! When you begged me for help, did you care? I was trying to save you and accidentally hit your uncle!”

We bickered for a while, until a muffled voice came from the bed: “Damn it, can’t a man get some sleep around here? What’s with all the racket?”

Ma Su and I fell silent, turning to look at Third Uncle.

He yawned, rubbed his eyes, and blinked at us. When he saw Ma Su, his eyes flashed and he pointed angrily. “You old bastard—so it was you who ambushed me!”

He leaped from the bed, grabbed Ma Su by the collar, and the two began to wrestle.

Oddly enough, I didn’t feel anxious anymore. I just sat down to watch the spectacle. This was the Third Uncle I knew—unpredictable, a bit unreliable, but unmistakably himself. And to think, that eccentric professor could be such a mischievous old rascal.

(End of this chapter)