Chapter 109: The Dagger

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Hearing Ghost-Face Zhang’s words, a chill ran down my spine. What he said was not mere exaggeration. First, to lighten our load, each of us was only equipped with two 500ml bottles of mineral water. We had eaten before setting out but only to about 60% fullness for ease of movement. The physical exertion and caloric burn on this journey were so intense that I was already beginning to feel hungry. Suppose we had only covered half the distance so far, and the traps along the way were similar to those we faced earlier; given my stamina, I might not survive to reach the innermost depths, let alone turn back to the camp at the summit of Tianchi Mountain. Even without unexpected incidents, death was certain. Thinking this, I sighed deeply and grew increasingly doubtful of the team's competence. After enduring so many hardships and even taking a stab wound, the anger building inside me was ready to burst.

Just as I was about to lose my temper, Meng Ya sneered, glared at Ghost-Face Zhang, sighed heavily, then spat on the ground: “Our team leader this time is Old Zhang with the ghost face. Can’t he handle something this small?”

Her muttering seemed more like talking to herself rather than directly addressing Ghost-Face Zhang. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye but did not react angrily. Seeing this, he quickly joked in an odd manner: “Well, worst case, this fight’s host goes down with us, right?”

When Ghost-Face Zhang heard our sarcastic exchange, his eyes flashed coldly, as if murderous intent had awakened. But before he could act on it, Hou Qiankun, with a faint smile, reached out and stopped him: “Old Third, Qiutong, don’t be so pessimistic. It’s not yet time to chant the death sutra.” Old Hou lit another cigarette and handed one to Ghost-Face Zhang, as if to steady him. “From my experience, there should be a second team in this fight.”

We were all startled by this statement. Ghost-Face Zhang furrowed his brow and took a drag from his cigarette: “Second Brother, what makes you say that?”

Hou Qiankun smiled and looked toward my companion behind me, taking a slow puff: “When Qiutong was stabbed on the overpass, I was following in the shadows. The dagger came from Qiutong’s right rear. With my eyesight, I vaguely saw the attacker was about 1.7 meters tall, dressed in…” He hesitated, then pointed at my companion. “Similar to that young lady.”

I glanced back at her at his words, but before I could ask, she scoffed coldly: “Second Lord Hou, are you implying I was the one who threw that dagger? That’s strange. I had already crossed the overpass and was standing on the shore with everyone else. With so many eyes on me, you really overestimate me if you think I could commit murder there. Besides, you know well the relationship between Qiutong and me. You’ve witnessed our interactions at the Tianchi Mountain summit camp. Is there any need to say such things?”

Hou Qiankun paused, then nodded slowly, taking a deep drag: “I didn’t mean that. I only said there’s another team.”

She sneered again and dusted off her black cloak: “Second Lord, if you say so, I must ask more carefully.” Turning, she looked at Ghost-Face Zhang. “Old Zhang, I have a question. When we triggered the trap that broke three pipes, you were also ambushed and shot. A girl came and saved you then. Surely you know who she is, don’t you?”

Ghost-Face Zhang’s brow tightened fiercely at the mention of this person, his anger clearly rising. He trembled slightly but remained silent, only glancing at her from the corner of his eye.

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“There’s another part—the dagger that stabbed Qiutong should still be tucked in your boot holster, right? Show it to us for examination?”

Upon hearing this, Ghost-Face Zhang’s face turned ashen. With a “phut!” he spat the cigarette on the ground, his expression darkened with murderous intent. His eyes glowed fiercely and his hand unconsciously gripped the hilt of his long sword.

“Old Third, don’t be like this,” Hou Qiankun said, pinching out his cigarette and placing a hand on Zhang’s shoulder, shaking him gently to calm him. “No big deal. Whatever happens, I’ll handle it. It’s just a dagger.”

Grating his teeth, Ghost-Face Zhang seemed to calm down slightly. He reached into his boot holster, drew out a dagger, and handed it to Hou Qiankun, shooting a cold glare at me and my companion.

Under the flashlight’s beam, I examined the dagger closely. Counting the handle, it was about twenty to thirty centimeters long. The blade was quite unique—its material resembled Damascus steel but the patterns were irregular, like the grain of tree bark. The dagger was double-edged, and every groove along the blade’s surface had an extremely thin cutting edge. In the grooves were many dark brown spots, possibly old bloodstains. The blade shimmered faintly under the flashlight, and the bloodstains made it chilling to behold. The handle was white, resembling bone but harder, intricately carved with the same patterns as on the blade but all polished smooth, probably to prevent slipping. At the bottom of the handle was a sharp point, like an awl, as sharp as a sika deer’s antler. This design indicated the owner was very agile, likely a skilled assassin. The serrated edges in the grooves would act like a razor, slicing the opponent’s skin horizontally and leaving bleeding wounds. The pointed end on the handle served as a defense against surprise attacks, much like the ancient weapon known as “Cross Tiger Fence”—highly practical.

As I admired the strangely shaped yet exquisite dagger, Meng Ya suddenly snatched it from Ghost-Face Zhang’s hand. Under the bright flashlight, she examined it carefully. Suddenly, she gasped softly, said nothing further, but her face turned somewhat pale.

“What’s wrong?” I asked, peering over to where she was examining.

The junction between the blade and handle had a break in the pattern—unlike the continuous grooves on the blade, the lower quarter of the blade’s grooves appeared deliberately isolated from the upper three-quarters. Looking closer, the color there was darker, not from blood but seeming to be intentionally darkened during forging and tempering.

“Did you see something? Don’t squint,” I whispered to Meng Ya.

Her expression darkened. “No.”

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Another evasive answer left me puzzled. Among this group, I seemed to be the only outsider.

The dagger was passed around for everyone to see, but no one recalled any useful information. Hou Qiankun looked around, seeing no objections, and returned the dagger to Ghost-Face Zhang with a smile: “See? Nothing to it. Just a dagger.”

Ghost-Face Zhang took the dagger, feigning nonchalance as he slipped it back into his boot holster. He snorted coldly: “I said it’d be a trophy, but you all make such a fuss.” A faint look of pride appeared on his face.

Standing among them, I felt deceived, bitterness choking me speechless. How could this be just an ordinary dagger? It felt as though I were trapped in a cage, about to be sunk underwater, holding a key but not knowing how to insert it into the lock. The suffocation was unbearable. I sighed again, overwhelmed by helplessness.

“Cough… cough… wait!”

Just as despair settled in, the weak voice of Xu Fatty, gravely wounded beside me, came through. “This dagger… there are words on this dagger!”

His words struck me like a bolt of lightning. Words on the dagger? I widened my eyes and looked at everyone.

Ghost-Face Zhang’s face darkened with murderous intent as he glanced at Xu Yang resting on the ground. The others showed surprise, but it varied: Kaleidoscope, Dragon Lord, and Iron Crutch Liu’s astonishment came from genuine shock at the information. Hou Qiankun’s surprise was clearly exaggerated. Meng Ya showed no reaction, while my companion smirked coldly. This confirmed my suspicion: the killer must be intimately familiar with Ghost-Face Zhang, perhaps even a confidant. Meng Ya, Hou Qiankun, and my companion all understood but concealed the truth. Only I, the one involved, was kept in the dark. What puzzled me further was why only Xu Yang, who was unaware of the situation, recognized the markings as writing, while I, Dragon Lord, and even the historically knowledgeable Kaleidoscope failed to see it.