Chapter 3: The Shrine Maiden Jialan
"Fan Li, when you go to the tomb this time, you have to pay more attention to the inscriptions and spells around you, in order to prevent future generations from stealing the funeral treasures, and at the same time don't want to accidentally hurt the destined person, they will set up a puzzle in the tomb, waiting for the destined descendants to solve it, so that the secret can be seen again." On the day of departure, Fan Li and Xiao Yun stood in front of the master, and Chu Jianghe and Kai crossbow sat on the off-road vehicle and waited.
Xiao Yun and his sister Xiao Xiao were trained at the age of fifteen in spirit thieves. Soul stealing skills don't start with dolls like kung fu, but require a knowledgeable mentor. Fan Yi is an experienced spirit thief, he has practiced the Tao for more than 50 years, visited countless tombs, and seen mountains and rivers of gold and silver treasures, but his family is destitute. He warned his disciples from the time he was a teacher that the spirit thief pays attention to virtue, although there is the word "thief" in the profession, but it is to steal the bad luck of the world, if a spirit thief is fascinated by property, his mastery of spirituality will be greatly weakened, his ability to steal the spirit will be declining day by day, and after all, he will become an ordinary person. Fan Yi also had a confidante back then, and the road number was hidden, and later the woman lived in seclusion in the mountains and forests, and occasionally came and went when Fan Yi encountered difficulties. The ancestors of the hidden Jiao have been familiar with witchcraft for generations, and after these witchcrafts were carefully studied by the old man Fan Yi, many of them were classified as soul stealing techniques.
"Grandpa, don't worry, I'll pay more attention."
"Hmm." Fan Yi stroked his long beard. "Let me introduce you to someone, she is a descendant of Hidden Jiao, named Jialan, who is proficient in witchcraft and can help you." After Fan Qi finished speaking, a woman with a longbow on her back, a centipede braid, and a light blue shoulder walked out, her black leather pants with a string of bird bone necklaces and black gourds, and a dragon-like tattoo on her neck.
"Hello, my name is Jialan." She approached Fan and stretched out her right hand, who noticed that she had a woodpecker tattooed on her right arm and a goshawk soaring on her left arm.
"Hi, hello, I'm Fan Li." Fan Lixi held her hand embarrassedly, and she smiled happily.
"Fan Li, we're here." Kai crossbow shook the sleeping Fan Li, who opened his eyes and looked at the cabin where the headlights had been turned on, and the surrounding passengers got up one after another.
Kai is one of Fan Li's best friends, and since the team disbanded, he moved to Kyoto and opened a fishing gear and travel equipment shop. The time given by Brother Jiu was only three days, so after receiving Fan Li's invitation, he hurriedly bought a full-price economy class and flew from Kyoto to Maze City. He is a master of playing with short weapons, and before he was accepted into the division by Fan Qi, he was a juggler, and in popular terms, he was a circus clown. Fan Yi felt that he was skilled in art and qualified to protect his grandson, so he took him as an apprentice, taught him about the tomb, and later made him a pioneer in the team.
"So fast?" Fan Li rubbed his eyes and took a sip of mineral water.
"Quick? You slept as soon as you got on the plane, and you slept very hard. Kai took the last sip of water, and the strong fingers made the plastic bottle rattle.
"Really? Looks like I'm really tired. ”
Fan Li and Kai crossbow took their backpacks and walked out of the airport, two hours later, the two had come to the foot of Dongshan, said goodbye to the driver, walked into the tourist area, walked for about an hour and a half, passed the crooked bridge, and a renovated wooden house appeared in front of them.
"Hey." Kai crossbow stopped Fan Li, who came forward to knock on the door. "The last time we saw her, she dragged her tired body covered in blood, her eyes full of resentment for you, we really have to be her this time?"
"Well, she has to be." Fan Lifu nodded firmly, then swallowed, took two steps forward up the steps, and knocked the wooden door with the leg of mutton bones hanging from it.
"It's not locked." There was an icy voice from inside. Fan Li glanced back at Kai Crossbow, and he pursed his lips restlessly.
Fan Lifu pushed the door open, the wind chimes by the door jingled, and they walked around the cow and sheep skulls hanging from the roof, and through the living room piled high with animal bones, to the inner room. When they reached the door, Fan Li and Kai crossbow stopped. In front of them sat a woman, with her back to them, threading needles and threads, doing fine work.
"I received your invitation, Fan Li, but I haven't seen you for so many years, and I left in a hurry last time, so I can't rush to the airport to pick you up like a pug."
"It's okay, let's take a walk." Fan Li scratched the back of his head, he always felt that there was a worm constantly eating at his scalp, and it was extremely itchy.
"I really didn't expect that after so many years, you started as a tour guide at a tourist spot and built such a beautiful house, which is really developed!" Kai crossbow laughed.
"Stop being a sycophant and get straight to the point." Jialan didn't look back, and continued the work in his hands.
"I'm here to ask you to go to the grave." Fan Li said bluntly.
"Down to the grave? Haven't you been able to take charge on your own a long time ago, but I remember that those perfect spirit thieves missions made you get the praise of your grandfather, what, what problems did you encounter? I'm just a witch, not a spirit thief, and I can help. Jialan's tone was a little complaining and mocking, Fan Li understood that he had wronged her back then, but he also thought about remedy, but the arrogant Jialan did not accept his apology, but chose to live in seclusion like her grandmother.
"This is not an ordinary tomb, it should be said that it is an underground palace, a secluded capital."
"Youdu?" Jialan turned around suddenly, seeing Jialan again after so many years, Fan Li only felt that this scene was the same as yesterday's coarse tea and light rice, it was a picture seen day and night. Jialan has not changed at all, maybe the years can't erase her tattoos, but it can't erase the arrogance she had back then. As before, she had centipede braids, but the braids became denser and denser, and she also painted smoky makeup, but none of this could attract Fan Li's attention, because those eyes completely occupied Fan Li's field of vision, and that unique look did not change at all.
"Are you crazy? Legend has it that there are countless evil spirits sealed there, don't you have to get your grandfather's permission every time you go on a mission? How could he let you get involved in the Hidden Capital! Besides, your father ...... back then" Jialan's face was full of incredulity, but Fan Li nodded calmly and interrupted Jialan's words in a deep voice.
"I know that my dad died in the hidden capital, so I also want to find out what is hidden in the hidden capital."
"But grandpa has said countless times that the spirits there can't be harvested, and they can't be provoked." Jialan turned her back and continued the delicate work in her hands, and Fan Li saw clearly that she was knitting a bird skull bracelet, and the experience of working with Jialan in those years told him that this thing was obviously not used as an ornament, but to perform witchcraft.
"Remember the slate that Grandpa always mentioned? I once saw that black-and-white photo in my grandfather's profile, and now the slate has reappeared, and there is a boss who took this slate on Extinction Island, and his people found me and asked me to go out of the mountains to help find the hidden capital. After Fan Li finished speaking, he raised his right hand and put the photo in front of Jialan, Jialan took the photo and took a cursory look, to be honest, she was not very interested in the secrets inside this slate, and she followed the team to the tomb to exercise herself.
"Extinction Island, Extinction Island, God knows what dark trade is going on on this broken island." Jialan turned around and picked up another bone bracelet, which was supposed to be a colloid-reinforced frog skull, she closed her eyes tightly and held the skull for a while, and after about a few seconds, she opened her eyes again and looked at the ceiling.
"No, you haven't given me enough reasons." She turned to stare at Fan Li, with a slight smile that made both Fan Li and Kai Crossbow break into a cold sweat.
"If you're just trying to figure out what's inside the city, then you won't be able to live in peace for the past few years." Jialan stood up and walked over to Fan Li's side and shook the braided bird's head bracelet in front of him. "So I'm guessing you're waiting for this opportunity to prove yourself to Grandpa and get you back to the days of the Soul Thief, and honestly, it's boring to do a small business in the Lost City, right?"
Without waiting for Fan Li's answer, Jialan suddenly kicked the stool under his feet and slid to the edge of the table, grabbed the longbow hanging on the wall and pointed at Fan Li, Kai crossbow lightningly pulled out the short axe on his waist to block between Fan Li, Jialan took up and fell with his axe three times, and the three broken wooden arrows had fallen to the ground, all of which were like lightning and flint, and Fan Li's eyes didn't even have time to blink.
"I really didn't expect you to be so skilled after a few years." Jialan smiled at Kai Crossbow, Kai Crossbow also grinned at Jia Lan, Jia Lan suddenly threw out the bird head bracelet, but this time Kai Crossbow did not block it with his axe, nor did he reach out to hold the bracelet, but allowed the bracelet to fly towards Fan Li's face, instantly pulling him into a blood-red world.
The crossbow and Jialan in front of him were gone, Fan Li stood alone in the blood-red world, it could be a red wave, or a red wind, a giant python suddenly appeared in front of his eyes, piercing the sky and swimming behind him, followed by a noisy sound. He listened carefully, there was a loud crackling sound in it, and before he could make a conclusion, several bullets passed through his body and shot from behind, and a woman in a dark blue policewoman uniform appeared in front of him, and behind her was a group of policewomen dressed like her.
Fan wanted to run, but his legs were like lead, and he couldn't take a step. Then he watched the red waves crash over, he closed his eyes, put his hands in front of him, the waves passed by him, the policewomen around him disappeared, and seven slender figures stood in front of him with their backs to him. The person standing in the middle suddenly raised his big hand, and a dagger fell from the sky, accurately falling in the palm of his hand, he looked at the dagger in his hand in surprise, it was a stone dagger, he looked up at the seven shadows again, but the faces of Kai crossbow and Jialan appeared in front of him.
"I just want you to tell the truth, but you're like a sheep." Jialan shook the bird's head bracelet in front of him, and Fan Li impatiently opened the bracelet and sat up from the ground with his head covered.
"What do you see?" Jialan asked.
"It's nothing, it's just a red mess." Fan replied.