The Secret Treasure of the Spirit

Chapter 11: The Mysterious Man () People walking on the street stopped to watch the five men chasing the two with axes. Some, terrified, hurried to the side to hide, afraid the men with axes might swing at them. Some children began wailing in terror, and adults hurriedly scooped them up and took refuge in nearby shops. Ma Miaofeng felt humiliated. As she chased after them, she cursed furiously, ordering her four henchmen to catch up to the pair quickly. But Sun Luyun and Hu Xuanhai’s speed and evasion skills exceeded their expectations, making them realize that these two were clearly different from ordinary people. Had it been anyone else, they would surely have caught up long ago, beaten them mercilessly, chopped off a hand, and only then left satisfied. Song Yuanbao and Wu Jinyin were running out of steam; they slowed down with every step, their faces contorted with pain. Song Yuanbao complained, “Wu Jinyin, you said we’d get rich by stealing corpses. Why do we have to beat people up and chop off their hands?” Wu Jinyin snapped, “You good-for-nothing! Hurry up and catch up, or else when Boss Ma flies into a rage, it’ll be your hand he cuts off.” Sure enough, Ma Miaofeng turned and glared at the two, ordering them to hurry up and catch up. Seeing his gaze, Song Yuanbao clenched his teeth in fear and ran forward with all his might, only to crash into a utility pole by the roadside with a thud. Stars immediately danced before his eyes, and he felt dizzy and disoriented, collapsing to the ground with a thud. Ma Miaofeng cursed, “Useless piece of trash.” Wu Jinyin helped Song Yuanbao to his feet and slapped him on the face: “Wake up, Song Yuanbao! Wake up...” Hu Xuanhai sneered, “You clumsy grave robber—you crashed into a utility pole and still think you can chase us?” Sun Luyun chuckled inwardly: “You think you can catch up to us? You’d better go back and practice some more before coming out again.” After running down a street, Ma Miaofeng’s angry shouts echoed behind them. Sun Luyun looked at the shops lining the street, wondering how they could shake them off. Hu Xuanhai said, “Old Sun, there aren’t many people here. Why don’t we pull out a gun and fire a shot to scare them off?” Sun Luyun replied, “No way. What if we accidentally hit someone else? Let’s keep running; we’ll shake them off soon enough.” Suddenly, four jeeps appeared ahead, blocking their path. Hu Xuanhai cried out, “Oh no! Why are these cars parked here of all places?” Sun Luyun looked at the front of the jeeps and shouted, “If they don’t move, we’ll just climb over the hoods.” The two ran up to the front of the jeeps. The windows were pitch black, making it impossible to tell if anyone was inside. Seeing that Ma Miaofeng was about to catch up, Sun Luyun didn’t hesitate any longer and charged straight toward the front of the jeep. Suddenly, the jeep’s door swung open, and ten men poured out. The leader—a middle-aged man in a suit, wearing a hat and sporting a stubble beard—ran up to Sun Luyun and Hu Xuanhai, extending his arms to block their path, preventing them from continuing their escape. The two men backed away warily. Hu Xuanhai cried out, “Oh no! Are they in cahoots with Ma Miaofeng? What should we do?” Sun Luyun looked at the men before him. He had also suspected they might be in cahoots with Ma Miaofeng, but judging by their demeanor, they didn’t seem intent on capturing them. “Who are you? Why are you blocking our path?” The middle-aged man stared intently at the two men, making them feel somewhat uneasy. Hu Xuanhai shouted, “If you’re not in cahoots with Ma Miaofeng, we need to get past now. Can we borrow the front of your car?” Sun Luyun replied, “If we damage your vehicle, we’ll definitely compensate you.” The middle-aged man chuckled and pulled out his car keys. “No need to jump on the hood—we’ll just give you the car. But you’ll have to wait a moment.” Sun Luyun and Hu Xuanhai were stunned. Who were these people, and why were they suddenly offering to give them the car? Without a moment’s hesitation, Hu Xuanhai reached out to take the keys. “It seems we’ve truly met a benefactor today. We were just worrying about how to get out of here—are you really going to give us the car?” The middle-aged man tossed the car keys to him, and Hu Xuanhai caught them in one swift motion: “Old Sun, since they’re being so generous, let’s get in the car and get out of here quickly.” Sun Luyun, however, didn’t move. “Fat Da Hai, hurry up and give the car keys back to them. A car is such a valuable thing—how can we just take it from them?” Ma Miaofeng and the others caught up to them. The middle-aged man chuckled again, waved his hand, and the men beside him drew short knives from their waists. They moved behind Sun Luyun and Hu Xuanhai, pointing the blades at Ma Miaofeng and the others. This display left the two men stunned. Hu Xuanhai asked, “Are they here to help us against Ma Miaofeng?” Sun Luyun replied, “Since they seem to mean no harm, let’s wait and see who they really are and what they’re up to.” Ma Miaofeng and her group, seeing the formation of the men ahead, stopped in their tracks, frightened. “There are rules in this line of work,” they shouted. “Are you trying to stop us from capturing those two?” The middle-aged man stepped forward. “Do me a favor and let these two brothers go. How about that?” Ma Miaofeng felt a twinge of fear, but he retorted, “Let them go? Who are you to decide that? Just because you say so, does that mean we have to? They’ve stolen our money. There are rules in the underworld: if you steal from someone, you lose a hand. We’ll let them go—but only if their hands remain intact.” Seeing that Ma Miaofeng was still being stubborn, the middle-aged man didn’t hesitate. He reached into his suit pocket and pulled out a handgun. The moment Ma Miaofeng saw it, she completely caved: “Let’s talk this out. There are rules in this line of work, but rules can be broken. Since you’re asking us to let them go, we’ll do as you say and let them off.” She turned to the four men: “Come on, let’s just chalk this up to bad luck today.” Then she turned and walked away. The middle-aged man holstered the pistol and walked over to Sun Luyun and Hu Xuanhai. “I apologize for the scare. Let me introduce myself. My name is Ma Chuan. I’ve been sent here by someone you know.” Upon hearing this, Sun Luyun quickly searched his mind for anyone they might know. But his social circle was small to begin with, and the few people he knew were just ordinary folks—who among them could possibly have the influence to get this group to help them? Sun Luyun asked, “Who sent you? And how did you know we were here?” Ma Chuan didn’t answer his question. “Come on, I’ll take you away from here first, so they don’t harm you again.” Sun Luyun pressed further, “But who are you, and who sent you?” Hu Xuanhai nudged Sun Luyun: “Never mind who it is. The bottom line is, we’re in luck today. Someone helped us drive Ma Miaofeng away and is even giving us a ride—how great is that? Get in the car first.” Ma Chuan walked to the driver’s side, and one of his men opened the door. Sun Luyun hesitated slightly, but Hu Xuanhai urged him on: “Don’t just stand there. Get in the car, and we’ll ask all the questions later.” Once the two were in the car, Sun Luyun kept asking Ma Chuan questions, but he never gave a straight answer, just brushing him off with vague remarks. Hu Xuanhai, on the other hand, slumped back in his seat and fell fast asleep, seeming completely indifferent to who they were. The car pulled up in front of a luxurious hotel. Ma Chuan got out of the driver’s seat and opened the doors for the two men. “You’ve been on the run for so long; you must be starving. Let’s go inside and have a proper meal.” As soon as Hu Xuanhai heard there was food, he immediately got out of the car. “Hurry up, Old Sun. There really is a free lunch down there.” Sun Luyun asked again, “No way. We don’t accept a reward without earning it. If you won’t tell us who you are, we’re leaving right now.” He grabbed Hu Xuanhai’s hand and turned to walk away. Ma Chuan stepped in front of them: “Why be so stubborn? You’ve seen for yourselves—we mean you no harm. We were sent to find you, and we intend to treat you well. The person who entrusted us with this task strictly ordered us not to reveal our identities; otherwise, we’d be in for a world of trouble.” Sun Luyun chuckled, “How amusing. With so many of you here, and guns in hand, are you really afraid of someone else?” Ma Chuan replied, “Of course. There’s always someone stronger out there—one mountain is never as high as the next. The person who sent us is infinitely more powerful than we are. If I don’t follow their orders, I’ll be in for a world of trouble when I get back.” Hu Xuanhai was eager to go inside and eat. “Old classmate, stop overthinking things. It’s great that someone’s treating us to a free meal. We can leave after we’ve had our fill.” Ma Chuan took the gun out of his pocket, slipped it into Sun Luyun’s, then took his hand and led him inside. “I know you’re cautious and suspicious. Now I’m handing this gun over to you. There are enough bullets in here to kill several of us. You can rest easy now, can’t you?” Sun Luyun was stunned by Ma Chuan’s actions. The fact that he had voluntarily slipped the gun into his pocket was proof enough that Ma Chuan posed no threat to them. He also believed that Ma Chuan had been entrusted by someone to host them. Once inside the hotel, Ma Chuan ordered a table full of fine wine and dishes, specifically choosing the most expensive items. Seeing this, Hu Xuanhai was thoroughly pleased but pretended to decline: “Brother Ma Chuan, please don’t go to such lengths. Just order a few simple dishes.” Yet he picked up the pen in his hand and checked off several more expensive dishes, earning a disdainful look from Sun Luyun. Sun Luyun wanted to press Ma Chuan further about who had sent him, but then realized that he hadn’t said a word the entire journey, and continuing to ask would likely yield nothing. The waiter brought over two bottles of baijiu. Looking at the liquor, Sun Luyun thought to himself, “Since he won’t talk, why not find a way to get him drunk and coax the truth out of him?” Sun Luyun poured Ma Chuan a glass of liquor. Ma Chuan picked up the glass: “You’re too kind. Since you’ve poured it for me, how could I refuse?” He downed the entire glass in one gulp. Hu Xuanhai clapped his hands in admiration. “Brother Ma, you’ve got quite the drinking capacity! You’re so generous with your drink. It’s been a long time since I’ve met someone like you.” He turned to Sun Luyun. “Old Sun, since Brother Ma is so generous, how could we not reciprocate? Come, let’s finish this glass together. From now on, we’re officially acquainted.” Ma Chuan gave Sun Luyun a faint smile and raised his hand to signal the two men. Sun Luyun’s eyes darted about, and he stood up. “Brother Ma, you helped us drive away the bandits... drive away Ma Miaofeng, and now you’re treating us to a drink. Naturally, we must toast you.” Hu Xuanhai, his mouth already full of food, swallowed it down in a single gulp and picked up his cup. “Right, let’s raise a toast to you.” Once the wine was down his throat, Sun Luyun began to carry out his plan. After a few rounds of drinks, Ma Chuan left the table. Sun Luyun seized the opportunity to share his thoughts with Hu Xuanhai, and the two were immediately on the same page. When Ma Chuan returned, the two kept toasting him. Yet as the bottle emptied, Ma Chuan’s expression remained unchanged—he was still full of energy. On the contrary, the two felt their vision growing blurry and their heads spinning. After downing a few more glasses, they collapsed with a thud, slumping face-down on the table.