Chapter Thirty-Nine: A Minor Scheme

Suddenly, I remembered what Peanut had said earnestly in front of the city gate, “If I can’t see you, and something happens, I won’t be able to save you in time.” At the time, he didn’t say “save you all,” but deliberately said “save you.” Was Peanut already suspicious then?

When he realized he was injured, Peanut said, “I’m immune to all poisons.” After breaking through the poison of the Purple Heart Herb, he shouted from the breach, “I’m not so easy to kill!” Were these words, which I never paid attention to, also deliberately addressed to Tan Wei? The more I thought about it, the colder I felt. What I couldn’t accept was that in my circle, among people I knew, such a conspiracy could exist.

“You’re coming with me to meet someone. When the time comes, you’ll know what to do,” Tan Wei said, slowly approaching me.

His tone was so confident—“coming with me to meet someone”—that it seemed to rule out any possibility of my escape.

“Don’t pull this on me. I’m not going with you.” Both of us were tense, and as I spoke, my mind raced, searching for a solution.

If Mouse had really been taken out by Tan Wei’s mysterious methods, then his skills must be extraordinary—perhaps on par with Peanut. But because he couldn’t gauge Peanut’s strength, he waited until now to make his move against me. No matter what, Tan Wei must be certain he can handle me. My options were to either run back or charge down and fight him head-on.

But seeing Tan Wei’s stance below, my confidence wavered. A head-on fight? Whether I could win was one thing, but on this slope, with cliffs on both sides, a misstep would mean instant death. It seemed I could only retreat, but the incline above was too steep; it would be hard to move fast. With the distance between us, if Tan Wei’s legs were just a bit stronger, he’d easily catch up.

Damn it, no wonder he was so sure of himself—this place was a death trap for me.

“Whether you go or not is not up to you. I advise you to put away your spoiled attitude, and save yourself some pain.” Old Tan said as he started up the slope toward me.

I noticed that as he moved upward, his heels never touched the ground—a stance ready to surge forward at any moment. This movement required tremendous calf strength, an extreme climbing technique only professional athletes could manage. Yet Tan Wei’s posture was relaxed, as if this exertion meant nothing to him.

I was on edge, and suddenly remembered the pistol Qin Feng had given me. Instinctively, I reached behind my waist to draw it. But as soon as I moved, Tan Wei took something out from behind him.

“You want this, don’t you?” Tan Wei said, lightly shaking the pistol.

At that moment, I recalled something. After crossing the stone bridge, Qin Feng and I had changed clothes, but I never saw the pistol again. At the time, I was distracted by the matter with the Reverse Scale and didn’t notice. Now it seemed that before crossing the bridge, Tan Wei must have stolen it.

Cursing myself for my carelessness, I felt even more terrified by this man before me. He could kill Mouse in a way no one could imagine, so naturally he could take anything from me without leaving a trace.

“Yuan Jie, your memory is really poor. Did you forget you emptied the bullets in the Spider Cocoon Room?” Tan Wei said, tossing the pistol into the nearby abyss. It was a while before I heard it hit the rocks below.

His words made my heart jolt. He knew what happened in that room, which meant he was likely there at the time, secretly monitoring us. In other words, Tan Wei was very familiar with this ancient tomb, and had truly been here before. Thinking back, when he suddenly appeared under the plaza, it must have been a deliberate hint. This man…this person I’ve known for four years—who is he really?

I started retreating, but in my nervousness, I only managed a few steps before falling hard onto the ground. I was stunned.

If this man weren’t Tan Wei, perhaps my fear would be lessened. But he was the brother I’d known for four years, and now he was coming after me. Superficially, it was horrifying, but deep down, it was a reality I couldn’t accept. With this psychological blow, Tan Wei transformed before my eyes from friend, brother, to enemy, and finally to an unbeatable…demon of my mind.

“Yuan Jie, you don’t need to be afraid. For you, this is just a process—a process you must go through.” Tan Wei stopped before me, speaking words I couldn’t comprehend. But at that moment, my mind could no longer think. My only plan was to sit there, no matter what he wanted to do to me. If he wanted me to go, he’d have to drag me. I didn’t want to move—more precisely, I couldn’t.

But this childish resistance was quickly dealt with. He reached out his right hand and hauled me up from the ground. I could feel the suffocating strength in his arm, and realized that dragging me up the slope would be no challenge for him.

Lifted up, I looked Tan Wei in the eye. Staring at his face, I felt an inexplicable sadness. I really was useless. If it weren’t for me, my father might never have brought Togo and the others here. Supposedly to save someone, but all the way I only dragged others down, and now I’d brought along someone who had been lurking at my side for four years. If something happened to me, what would Second Uncle and the others do? Keep looking for my father, or save me? Their situation might be even more difficult than mine.

After ten years in Yan Jing, apart from school, I had almost no one. Later, I thought I was lucky to have met a good brother like Tan Wei. But in the end, even he wasn’t on my side. Living as I do now, besides feeling sorry for myself, I have almost no other thoughts.

Tan Wei smiled at me—a smile twisted and nearly mad. I understood: for someone to maintain a false identity and personality for four years was deeply repressive. Now, finally, he could be himself.

One sad, one deranged—two selves facing each other, the scene was truly a bitter irony.

Just as I could no longer bear to look at Tan Wei’s smile, a wounded right hand reached out from the darkness behind him. It passed over his neck, pressing a gleaming dagger against his throat.

“Let him go.”

A voice even colder than Tan Wei’s came. In an instant, Tan Wei’s smile froze.

It was Peanut! I shouted inwardly. My feelings defied description, but it was as if I’d caught hold of something just as I was falling into the abyss—a strange sensation broke through my despair.

“You…” Tan Wei’s expression turned utterly shocked.

“Hmph, sorry to disappoint you,” Peanut said quietly, pressing Tan Wei’s right arm with his other hand—not forcefully, but enough to make him release my collar.

“I really underestimated you, Chen. Just who are you?” Tan Wei said, turning his face slightly.

“You’re in no position to negotiate. Maybe we should talk about something else—like your life,” Peanut replied, his words chilling. In an instant, I saw Tan Wei completely abandon resistance, his muscles slackening as he gasped for breath.

“What do you want? Kill me?”

Peanut didn’t answer, but said, “Yuan Jie, come down.”

I understood, and immediately moved past Tan Wei, heading behind Peanut. As I passed Tan Wei, I suddenly remembered something and reached for his backpack.

Tan Wei laughed again, “After all we were brothers, huh? Young Master Yuan, you sure play rough.”

My mind was much clearer now, and I thought, hell, I don’t care about anything anymore. The equipment would be useless if left with him; I needed it to save lives. I took the backpack from him.

But just then, Tan Wei suddenly shoved me hard. The force was immense, and I was propelled out of the tomb passage, falling toward the abyss.

Peanut reacted instantly, pushing Tan Wei aside and grabbing my arm, preventing me from falling.

Seeing my foot dangling over the edge, I felt half-frozen inside. I looked back, but Tan Wei was already gone.

“Young Master Yuan, you got lucky this time. But don’t forget what I said—one day, you’ll beg me to take you to meet that person,” his voice echoed from far above the slope.

My head heated up and I wanted to run after him, but Peanut stopped me.

“You won’t catch him,” Peanut said softly, then released my hand, sheathed his dagger, and smiled at me once more.