Seeking Dragon, Dividing Gold, Observing Mountain Coils (Seeking Votes)

Shirley Yang shot back, "All those people just died because of you—how is that saving anyone?"

Ying Caihong replied, "They died for a higher purpose!"

"For you, for all of us—they were great enlightened ones!"

Her voice rang out, brimming with a savior's pity and a heartfelt cry.

Shirley Yang rolled her eyes, utterly speechless. Hu Bayi rubbed his nose, looking baffled. Big Gold Tooth stared at the sky, and Wang Kaixuan scratched the back of his head.

Only Ying Caihong's followers behind her began praying with devout faces, as if the burden of saving all life rested on their shoulders.

Wang Kaixuan couldn't take it anymore and snorted with a laugh, "You okay there?"

Hu Bayi stepped forward and said, "Sorry, ma'am, but the three of us have hung up our hats. We can't take this job. You'd better look out for yourselves."

"Let's go." Hu Bayi turned to leave.

"Hey, Master Hu, Master Hu, don't go, don't go!" Big Gold Tooth panicked—if Hu Bayi left, his cut of the money was gone.

Yoko said coldly, "How much do you want? Name your price and stop putting on airs. You're just a bunch of grave robbers, aren't you?"

Xiao Hen raised an eyebrow and glanced at Yoko. Ying Caihong reached out and patted Yoko's shoulder—that comment was a bit harsh.

Mojin Xiaowei never compared themselves to common grave robbers. Hu Bayi's face went cold, and Wang Kaixuan's eyes widened as he stepped forward. "What did you say? Grave robbers? Grave robbers are a cut above you—we're lashing out at the feudal ruling class!"

"And you lot? You'd stab your own people in the back. What does that make you?" Wang Kaixuan shot a contemptuous look at Ying Caihong, Yoko, and the others. Xiao Hen subtly sidestepped a couple of paces.

Shirley Yang smiled slightly and spoke up, "This is the Supreme Master Ying Caihong, born in Sichuan Province. She was born with one black eye and one yellow one, able to see ghosts and gods, but the villagers saw her as a bad omen. Later, a wealthy Japanese merchant adopted her, and they had a murky relationship. After he died, she vanished—rumor had it she was hospitalized with a serious illness. A few years later, she suddenly reappeared, claiming to have attained enlightenment through cultivation in the Himalayas, able to save all beings. She returned to Hong Kong and founded the Global Spirit Cultivation Society, taking only the rich and famous as disciples at exorbitant fees!" Shirley Yang knew Ying Caihong well and rattled off her identity and influence in one breath.

Big Gold Tooth's heart sank—they couldn't afford to piss her off. He quickly stepped in to mediate, "Shirley, Shirley, why are you saying all that!"

"Sister, ah no, Boss Ying, please don't take it to heart!" Big Gold Tooth smiled and tried to smooth things over. "This little sister of ours just likes to dig into things, but she means you no harm. Look, we've just started working together—let's not spoil the mood, right?"

Bang!

Ying Caihong had been all smiles, but now she flipped her hand and shot Big Gold Tooth in the leg as he babbled on.

Big Gold Tooth's eyes went wide as he clutched his leg and collapsed.

"What, what are you doing?" Wang Kaixuan demanded angrily, raising his shovel.

Hu Bayi and Shirley Yang stood beside Wang Kaixuan, glaring at Ying Caihong.

Ying Caihong aimed her gun at Big Gold Tooth's head. "Find the Goddess's Coffin before dawn, and I'll treat his wound. If you don't... heh."

"You..." Hu Bayi and the others fumed, eyes blazing at Ying Caihong.

Xiao Hen turned to look into the distance. The scouts Ying Caihong had sent out earlier were returning. He knew that since Hu Bayi had called this place the Gate of Life, there had to be a way out—it couldn't be a dead-end cliff.

"Chairman, there's a bridge ahead..."

Ying Caihong's face lit up. She nodded. "Let's go."

Wang Kaixuan carried Big Gold Tooth on his back, moving forward under the guns of Ying Caihong's men. Hu Bayi and Shirley Yang had no choice but to follow.

Xiao Hen walked beside Ying Caihong along a wooden plank bridge built into the cliff face. The boards creaked underfoot, making him a bit uneasy. He craned his neck to look down—a green-glowing river below. If he fell, he'd either drown or be trapped down there to starve.

They continued along the plank bridge, which hugged the cliff for a long time, until they finally reached a suspension bridge.

"Follow me, and take it slow!" Hu Bayi said over his shoulder, then led Shirley Yang and Wang Kaixuan onto the bridge.

"Master, let's follow." Xiao Hen took the lead and stepped onto the bridge after them.

The suspension bridge swayed. Xiao Hen worried—this thing was probably centuries old; if it broke, they were done for.

The group crossed to a pillar platform ahead, where Hu Bayi stopped. On this platform, three other suspension bridges branched off.

Looking out, these three bridges led to three different pillar platforms in the distance. Beyond that, countless pillar platforms dotted the river's expanse, dense and awe-inspiring.

"Which way do we go?" someone behind asked, puzzled.

"That depends on the skills of these Mojin Xiaowei," Xiao Hen said quietly. "Master, don't let them act recklessly. This tomb passage is full of traps—carelessness will cost lives."

Ying Caihong glanced at Xiao Hen and said softly, "Mr. Xiao, just protect me. I'll handle the rest."

Xiao Hen paused, then smirked inwardly, but nodded in agreement on the surface.

Ying Caihong raised her chin. Two men beside her nodded and stepped forward to board the bridge.

Hu Bayi was startled and shouted, "No, don't go up yet!"

Wang Kaixuan also panicked. "Hey! What are you doing? Don't mess around!"

But the two ignored the warnings and stepped onto the bridge, flashlights in hand, lighting the way as they groped forward.

Xiao Hen watched them coldly. He could clearly see green flames slowly igniting on their feet. Hah, clueless fools.

The two on the bridge noticed something wrong too. As the flames rose up their legs, the searing heat burned their limbs, sending them into a panic.

They screamed, slapping at the flames on their legs, but the fire wasn't easy to put out.

Ah!

One screamed and plunged into the river below. The other, terrified, turned and ran back, but the flames were too fierce. He made it to the pillar platform, collapsed, and burned to ash, leaving only his head rolling across the ground.

Hu Bayi calmly crouched down to study the bridge, then stood up. "This bridge is made of Phosphorus Stone. The tomb owner wanted intruders to set themselves on fire. Do you really want to keep going?"

Ying Caihong showed no grief over her men's deaths. She just smiled and said, "This is heaven's test for us. We've already let go of life and death. Mojin Xiaowei, hurry up and get us across."

Hu Bayi stared silently at Ying Caihong, who merely smiled back at him.

"Hmph!" Hu Bayi turned away and began carefully studying their surroundings.

"Look, these broken planks on the bridge we just crossed—what do they remind you of?" Hu Bayi pointed at the bridge deck, speaking to Shirley Yang.

Shirley Yang's eyes lit up. She looked closely and murmured to herself, "Broken, unbroken, broken... Bagua. This bridge deck is arranged according to the Bagua."

"The key to crossing the bridge lies in these trigrams!" Hu Bayi smiled faintly, lowered his head to glance at the Luopan in his hand, and softly chanted:

"Seek the dragon, split the gold, watch the winding peaks; one twist of the mountain, one twist of the pass."

"If the pass holds eightfold peril, it cannot escape the yin-yang and Bagua form."

"Kan, Li, Zhen, Dui divide the four images; Qian, Kun, Gen, Xun contain the eight directions."

"The eight directions have gates of life and death; mountains and valleys breathe, wind and thunder clash."

"Northwest... east... south... southeast..."

Hu Bayi looked up at the countless platform pillars: "The directions represented by the Bagua—take the northwest!"

He turned to Ying Caihong: "After you."

Ying Caihong extended a hand: "You go first."

Hu Bayi and the others let out a scoff, then turned and stepped onto the suspension bridge heading northwest.