Chapter Forty-Eight: The Trapped Lama

I recounted every detail about the golden mask and Ren Taian’s death. Beside me, Iron Crutch Liu sprang to his feet.

“Damn it, I’ll go hack that bastard to pieces right now!”

“Wait!” Hou Qiankun raised his hand to stop him. “Just from what we’ve heard, we can’t say for certain that it was Old Five who killed Old Nine.” He glanced at Kaleidoscope, who nodded with a smile.

“Second Brother is right. This handiwork clearly isn’t Old Five’s style.” Kaleidoscope adjusted his glasses, looking at me. “Qiu Tong, where’s that insect-cursed mask you mentioned? Let us have a look.”

I glanced at my master, who nodded. He took the golden mask from the bundle on his back and laid it on the table.

Surprisingly, none of the people around the table showed any sign of shock. Old Master Guan picked up the mask, squinted at it, then set it back down. “Sixth, there’s a secret inscription here. Take a look.”

Kaleidoscope nodded, picked up the mask, turned it over, and examined it. Then, with his finger, he traced two characters on the table as if writing.

“‘Two men, ice also Bian of.’” He chuckled. “Interesting, very interesting.”

“Don’t be mysterious,” Old Master Guan said.

Kaleidoscope kept smiling as he pointed at the odd ‘Khitan script’ on the mask. “Khitan script? Only amateurs would say that. It’s just a puzzle. Split the characters and recombine them.”

“Cut the nonsense, will you? Seventh Brother and I can’t read,” Iron Crutch Liu said anxiously.

Kaleidoscope shook his head and sighed. “I’ve always said, tomb raiding isn’t just about brawn. Look here.” He pointed at the inscription. “Anyone who can read and puts in a little effort can piece this together: ‘Two men, ice also Bian of.’”

He pulled a pen from his jacket pocket, spread out a napkin, and wrote the odd phrase on it, dividing it into three parts with dots.

“Two men, ice also Bian, of?” Suddenly, the meaning struck me. It was as if lightning had split my mind—I nodded silently.

“Sixth, brilliant!” Both Master and Hou Qiankun praised him together. Even Ghost-face Zhang gave a slight nod.

“What kind of gibberish is this? I didn’t understand a word.” Iron Crutch Liu cursed under his breath.

“Too noisy. Let’s discuss this at Qiu Tong’s shop later,” Master said, signaling to someone outside.

A waiter’s crisp voice rang out, “Serve the dishes!”

Soon, the table was covered with all sorts of delicacies—flying in the sky, running on the ground, everything from land, sea, and air.

Master picked up the serving chopsticks, took a slice of rolled meat and placed it on Old Master Guan’s plate. “Big Brother, this is your favorite—‘Crispy Rolled Meat Jacket’.”

Old Master Guan smiled warmly. “Fourth, you still remember my tastes! It’s been years since Hongbin House had this dish.” He put the rolled meat in his mouth, closed his eyes, and savored it with obvious satisfaction. “Everyone, help yourselves.”

My eyes stayed fixed on Ghost-face Zhang. Rumor had it that his face beneath the mask was more terrifying than a ghost’s, but looking at him now—he was strikingly handsome, nothing ghostly about him.

Ghost-face Zhang’s blue eyes glanced up, apparently annoyed by my stare, but he said nothing.

He slowly removed his white mask, revealing a horrifying face devoid of skin, muscle and bone laid bare.

I gasped, nearly dropping my bowl—so the stories were true, the difference was shocking.

“Qiu Tong, lock the door,” Master whispered.

I nodded and locked the private room’s door.

“Sixth, enough games, tell us now,” Master said.

Kaleidoscope set his chopsticks down, smiled, and held up the napkin with the inscription. “It’s simple. ‘Two men’ stacked—makes ‘Heaven’. ‘Bing’ split apart is two dots and the water radical. Take the dot from ‘Bian’ and you have three water dots. Three dots and ‘ye’ combine to form ‘pool’. So together, it reads: ‘The water beneath Heavenly Pool.’”

Suddenly, the meaning became clear. So that was the secret! Kaleidoscope’s reputation was well-earned—he solved it in no time.

“Sixth Brother, you’re truly brilliant,” Hou Qiankun praised.

Kaleidoscope, pleased with himself, waved modestly. “I think this must be one chapter of the ‘Combined Tomb Anthology’ hidden under this mask.”

Iron Crutch Liu burst out laughing, elated. “So, we’ve got another job?”

Old Master Guan snorted, looking at Master. “Fourth, just say what you came to say—no need to beat around the bush.”

Master smiled. “Since you insist, I won’t hide it. I invited you all here today because I need your help.”

“I knew it, Fourth Brother’s dinner wasn’t free,” Iron Crutch Liu grunted.

“You think we’ll make it out of this place alive?” Ghost-face Zhang rasped.

“Life and death are fated. In our line, who doesn’t wear their head on their belt?” Iron Crutch Liu replied. “I’m in, regardless.”

Old Master Guan and Hou Qiankun kept eating, seemingly indifferent.

“Big Brother, Second Brother, you two must say something,” Master urged softly.

Old Master Guan acted as if he hadn’t heard, not even looking up.

Hou Qiankun sighed. “We’re getting old. I think…” He glanced at Old Master Guan.

“Speak for yourself,” Old Master Guan said, still not looking up.

“I think we from the Upper Three Sects should let Third Brother go.”

Ghost-face Zhang was taken aback. He looked at Old Master Guan and Hou Qiankun, then sighed. “I have no objection, but I have one request.”

Master was surprised. “Please, Third Brother, speak.”

“If you want me to join the raid on the Water Tomb, Kaleidoscope and Dragon King must come too.”

Kaleidoscope and Dragon King exchanged glances, both surprised. After a long pause, Kaleidoscope spat. “Third Brother, are you dragging us down with you? Everyone knows Heavenly Pool is a deathtrap.”

Ghost-face Zhang waved his hand. “There’s no way around it. Without you two, even my skills are useless there.”

Master realized everyone was backing out—if it was just him and Iron Crutch Liu, they’d be walking into a tomb for real. He quickly pleaded, “Brothers, you’ve been to places no less dangerous than Heavenly Pool. Do me this favor, won’t you?”

“Well…”

Dragon King was clearly more forthright than Kaleidoscope. After a moment’s hesitation, he slapped his thigh. “Alright, I’ll risk my life for you, Fourth Brother.” He looked at Kaleidoscope, who was clearly still reluctant—understandably so.

“Seventh Brother, ignore him. Even without his egg, we can still make custard,” Iron Crutch Liu sneered.

Iron Crutch Liu’s taunt worked. Kaleidoscope slammed the table. “Fine! I’m from the Middle Three Sects—I won’t let you manual laborers outdo me!”

Master chuckled to himself, thinking how Kaleidoscope, for all his learning, had been talked into it by someone who couldn’t even read.

“When do we set out?” Ghost-face Zhang asked gravely.

Master considered for a moment. “Third Brother, we’ll need to prepare some equipment—give me a list of what we need, and I’ll get everything in the next few days. At least five or six days before we go.”

Ghost-face Zhang nodded, then turned to Kaleidoscope and Dragon King. “Kaleidoscope, bring all your instruments. Old Seventh, pick a few strong swimmers with tight lips to come with us.”

And so, the plan began to take shape.